Director's Statement - CCBER - 2011-2012
Seeing Nature is a theme that describes many facets of CCBER’s mission and it was also the title of an exhibition in Special Collections at Davidson Library, which was on display during spring quarter 2012. In collaboration with Special Collections, CCBER contributed specimens, artifacts, drawings, and scientific equipment, which, combined with holdings from the library, illustrate the way people look at the world, both literally and figuratively, through the lenses of science, the humanities, natural history, and politics.
CCBER encourages UCSB students, children, and community members to see nature through the many educational programs we offer, including the curatorial and restoration internships, the Kids in Nature program, and the weekly conservation and restoration seminars. In particular, CCBER curatorial internships focus on collections of biological specimens and give students insight into an organism’s life history, its physical characteristics, and why it was collected. In addition, students learn how to identify, catalog, mount, label, and preserve specimens for future research use.
The algae curatorial internship, which was offered during winter quarter 2011 by Dr. David Chapman inspired and captured the interest of two undergraduate students, Alyssa Hall and Mary Sophia Motlow. The following quarter they wrote and received grants from Coastal Fund and The Green Initiative Fund to develop an algae field guide for the Santa Barbara area. Throughout the project they became knowledgeable about algae identification and gained valuable experience writing the text, photographing the algae, and preparing the book for publication. Congratulations to Alyssa and Mary Sophia for the publication of The Algae Field Guide in spring 2012. The field guide, which is available at local bookstores and directly from CCBER, will provide students and community members with the opportunity to see and appreciate the algae found along the coast of Santa Barbara.
One of the most focal and highly used natural areas on campus has a great new stairway entrance with benches, large platforms, and a new path thanks to the efforts of CCBER staff. UCSB recently completed construction of the beautiful new stairway access to Campus Point, made possible by funding from the Associated Students Coastal Fund, State Coastal Conservancy, and several UCSB departments. Designed by Van Atta Associates, this project includes recycled plastic decking, certified sustainable redwood, and galvanized handrails built off site to reduce spot rusting. With panoramic views of campus, coastal mountains, bluffs, lagoon, ocean and the Channel Islands, it is an ideal setting for the community to enter and enjoy the Campus Lagoon natural area.
The ecological restoration of the South Parcel Nature Park continued in 2011-2012, highlighted by the expansion of three vernal pools and the planting of 1,500 salvaged purple needle grass plants from UCSB’s North Parcel Faculty Housing Development. The South Parcel is a 69 acre UCSB-owned open space, located directly adjacent to Elwood Mesa and UCSB’s Coal Oil Point Reserve. The property was originally proposed for development of up to 200 homes, but due to the concerted effort of multiple public and private entities, this commonly used open space was spared for the benefit of our community. Biological mitigation funds from the university’s development of faculty housing on the North Parcel have been directed to the current restoration effort at South Parcel.
CCBER staff are partnering with UCSB Environmental Studies professor Dr. Peter Alagona on a new NSF-funded project to inventory and catalog the archives of the University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS). The UC NRS is the largest and most diverse network of university owned biological field stations in the world. The first reserve was founded in 1937, and the existing reserves were brought together as an administrative unit in 1965. Today the system includes 36 sites covering 135,000 acres. The NRS holds thousands of documents, maps, photographs, and other primary source materials that reflect its cultural, administrative, and scientific histories, as well as broader questions related to land use, natural resource management, and environmental change in California. With a few important exceptions, these irreplaceable materials have not been inventoried or described.
We invite you to visit CCBER or one of the many natural areas we manage on campus (ccber.ucsb.edu).