Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration

The Cheadle Center at UCSB manages the North Campus Open Space (NCOS), which is a project that has restored 136 acres of upland and wetland habitats that existed before the area was converted into the Ocean Meadows Golf Course in the 1960s. The NCOS restoration project began in 2017 with a fine-scale grading of the site in order to recreate the salt marsh and use the excavated soil to rebuild the upland habitats to the southwest, which are now called the NCOS Mesa. In addition to re-establishing native biodiversity, a key goal of the restoration is to utilize the site as an educational, scientific, and recreational resource. This archived version of the November 2021 newsletter includes updates on Nature Guide tours, recent rain, and the outdoor classroom and parking lot. The feature story focuses on the Introduction to Ecological Restoration Field Skills class, which gives undergraduate students the opportunity to learn about and participate in restoration projects. Community photos include American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Sora (Porzana carolina), Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia), Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata), and Cassin’s Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans).