The continued restoration of UC Santa Barbara's West Campus Bluffs has received financial support, in the form of a grant from the Goleta Valley Land Trust. Thanks to $36,000 in funding granted to the UCSB Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER), invasive species will be removed and native species planted along a portion of the 37-acre sensitive habitat that is part of the Ellwood-Devereux Open Space.
"This funding allows CCBER to restore a more significant portion of the mesa to help integrate the valuable vernal pool and vernal meadow habitats currently existing on the site," said restoration project leader Lisa Stratton, director of ecosystem management at CCBER. The money will support the materials, staff and students who will be participating in the project.
Volunteers from the community will also have their chance to participate in the restoration on Friday, April 20, and Friday, April 27, as participants from CCBER will be removing invasive plants, including fennel and non-native annual grasses, and replacing them with native grasses and coastal sage scrub. The project builds on the recent construction of a new bluff trail. According to Stratton, newly planted seedlings are marked with small, colorful flags, and visitors are requested to stay on the trails while the fragile seedlings are growing.
The grant is the second provided to CCBER by the Goleta Valley Land Trust, one of several organizations that in the early 2000's contributed to the community effort to preserve 652 acres through the Ellwood-Devereux Open Space agreement. The agreement covers roughly 2.25 miles of coastline between Isla Vista and Sandpiper Golf Course. To date, over $300,000 has been invested in the West Campus Bluffs by various entities including the Coastal Fund, the Coastal Conservancy, GVLT, and CCBER.
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