NCOS flood reduction benefits recognized by FEMA
Breaking news! The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has issued a Letter of Map Revision for the North Campus Open Space, which formally documents a change to the flood hazard zone of the area. Click here for the full story.
NCOS Education Resumes with Pre-k Field Trips!
We are excited to resume educational visits this summer after over a year of restrictions that prevented organized field trips to North Campus Open Space. Currently ongoing is a collaboration with Orfalea Family Children’s Center (OFCC) funded by UCSB’s Coastal Fund. NCOS’s proximity to OFCC makes it an ideal destination for these 2- to 5-year-olds to explore, learn, and connect with nature. Click here to learn more about these exciting field trips!
David Chapman and the UC Santa Barbara historic seaweed collection
In memory of Dr. David Chapman, the Curator of Algae at the Cheadle Center, and long-time UCSB faculty member. David is pictured here teaching phycology on Catalina Island.
Seaweed of California's Central Coast
Calling all seaweed aficionados! Join the Cheadle Center in Cambria, CA for three day seaweed adventure!
Community Insights at NCOS
As the restoration of North Campus Open Space progresses, the site’s benefits are increasingly felt. While we have already conducted surveys of the site's visitors to determine the top reasons people come out to NCOS, we wanted to take the chance to hear specific anecdotes from a number of community members regarding the role of NCOS in their lives. Click here to read insights from individuals who shared what NCOS means to them.
Invertebrate Food Web at NCOS
Restored native vegetation at NCOS is not only providing the desired habitat-type for much of our area’s native wildlife, it is also functioning as the basis of the food chain as many invertebrates utilize both dead and living plant matter as their primary food source. Read more here!
Citizen Science Helps Track Birds at NCOS
Thanks to citizen science apps such as eBird and iNaturalist, anyone can share their bird and other wildlife observations with the world. Along with CCBER's monthly bird surveys, this data can help us get a more complete story of bird presence, abundance, diversity, and habitat use at NCOS. Read more here!
Preserving a Precious Ecological Resource at NCOS
During pre-restoration vegetation surveys at North Campus Open Space, small populations of three species of geophytes were discovered. In this story, CCBER Restoration Coordinator, Beau Tindall, tells us about the ecological importance of these special plants and the steps that CCBER is taking to help preserve and propagate them so that their populations can grow and persist well into the future.
Student Led Wildlife Study Finds New and Interesting Critters at NCOS
During the recent winter quarter, undergraduate student researcher Alistair Dobson led a grant-funded study of the wildlife that may be living in or visiting the hibernacula on the NCOS Mesa and upper salt marsh. He deployed a combination of motion-detection cameras and tracking tunnels at several hibernacula, and with a lot of help reviewing tens of thousands of images, he has compiled some preliminary data with a few interesting and surprising results. Read more about it and check out some of the photos here!
Vernon I Cheadle Alumni Award
Calling all UCSB undergraduate or graduate student with a passion for botany. Applications for the Vernon I. Cheadle Award are due April 30, 2021. Find out how to apply.
