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 January 2021 newsletter includes updates on planned future art installations, planting of annual wildflowers on the NCOS Mesa, and habitat management for Ventura Marsh Milk-vetch (Astragalus pycnostachyus var. lanosissimus) and Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus). The feature story focuses on the harmful effects of anticoagulant rodenticides on wildlife, including recently observed cases of predators with severe mange at NCOS. Community photos include Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin), Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus), and Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax).