Directors Report - CCBER
The Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) fulfills the university's mission of research, education, and public service through stewardship and restoration of campus lands, preservation and management of natural history collections, and through learning experiences and programs, which offer unique opportunities for students of all ages.
CCBER’s newly drafted strategic plan establishes ambitious goals for 2014-2019 in our three programmatic areas. We are already making progress on many of the goals detailed in our strategic plan.
In 2014, CCBER received an incredible gift of $1.6 million from Dr. William and Mary Cheadle, primarily to establish an endowment to support CCBER operations in perpetuity. This generous gift will support CCBER’s programs and also provide unique opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and community members to explore, learn, and be inspired by our collections and campus natural areas.
A Director’s Council was established with the goal of supporting, promoting, and guiding CCBER and to serve as the primary conduit between the CCBER and the community at large. Its members also play a key role as volunteers for CCBER events and programs including the Kids in Nature environmental education program and as tour guides in our natural history collections and the natural areas we manage on and near campus. Many members of the Director’s Council have made generous gifts to CCBER’s operations and endowment campaign.
A CCBER Advisory Board was established by Vice Chancellor Michael Witherell in 2014. The Advisory Board is composed of five faculty members and Dr. Susannah Porter who is serving as the Chair. The members were selected based on their expertise in our three programmatic areas—collections, restoration, and education. The Advisory Committee will participate actively in the planning and evaluation of the CCBER’s programs and activities.
Our restoration staff continues to successfully manage and expand UCSB’s natural areas. In 2013, the Ocean Meadows Golf Course was donated to the university by the Trust for Public Lands. This acquisition, now named the North Campus Open Space (NCOS), has increased CCBER’s impact on local ecology and restoration. A NCOS Advisory Committee composed of faculty from various disciplines was appointed by the Chancellor to provide guidance and expertise. Through several grants (please see Research Abstracts), planning for the restoration efforts has begun. Throughout the planning and restoration period, the project will provide research and educational opportunities for faculty, staff, and students while also engaging the community in restoring and learning about these historic wetlands.
We are in our fifth and final year of funding from the National Science Foundation for databasing and georeferencing target taxa in our herbarium. We received another Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant in September 2013 to continue databasing and barcoding the plant collections and for digitizing (imaging) the herbarium sheets. To date on both projects, we have databased, barcoded, and imaged 39,000 herbarium sheets and georeferenced over 24,000 specimens.
We just completed our 14th year of the Kids in Nature program. Last year the KIN students in Adelante Charter School scored 75% proficient and advanced on the STAR science test, which placed them second in the district. The state average for all 5th graders taking the test is 50% proficient and advanced. The average for the economically disadvantaged students is 27% proficient and advanced. KIN is making a difference!
CCBER also continues to offer a myriad of opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in research, collections management, and education. We have worked with over 100 interns this academic year! In 2014, the Natural History Collections Club was established to provide opportunities for UCSB students to explore and learn about the CCBER plant and animal collections.
This was an outstanding year for CCBER. We are exceptionally grateful for the generosity demonstrated by the Cheadle family and the long-term stability their gift will provide. We have received the benefit of collaborative efforts through the North Campus Open Space Scientific Advisory Committee and the newly established Director’s Council and CCBER Advisory Committee. Over the course of the next year, we look forward to focusing on our long-term strategic plan and continuing the positive growth and impact of CCBER into the future.
Jennifer Thorsch
Katherine Esau Director
Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration