General Services
Cheadle Center is a federally and state-recognized repository for scientific specimens. We provide accessioning, documentation, preservation, and data publication to support research, education, and compliance.
Cheadle Center supports UCSB faculty, staff, students, and researchers in navigating requirements related to federal grants, National Park collecting permits, and access to endangered species housed in external collections. However, the Center does not apply for permits on behalf of researchers.
Cheadle Center provides training in specimen handling, acquisition, and identification, with referral to external experts as needed.
Our staff are PhD-level researchers with expertise in entomology, botany, and herpetology, as well as experience in modern natural history collections practice and the use of specimen-based occurrence data for research.
Tissue, images and data across taxonomic groups (vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, etc.) are available. Specimens are available for loan.
Depositing or Donating Specimens to the Collection
Donors to the collection are responsible for obtaining all required permits, and copies of those permits must be provided to UCSB Natural History Collections staff at the time specimens are deposited. When possible, we request support funds for these services, particularly for collections exceeding 1,000 specimens.
If specimens are protected under CITES, UCSB researchers are responsible for obtaining the necessary CITES permits. The UCSB Natural History Collections are CITES-registered and hold a Certificate of Scientific Exchange (COSE), but this applies only to the exchange of specimens between UCSB and another registered institution. Use of this permit is limited to UCSB faculty, staff, students, and other UCSB researchers with a faculty sponsor.
Questions and Additional Information
If you have any questions, or would like to exchange specimens using Certificate of Scientific Exchange (COSE), please contact Greg Wahlert, Curator of Biodiversity Collections and Botanical Research.