Funded Projects 05-06

FALL Quarter 2005

"Grow Native and Wild"
Environmental Affairs Board
$225.00
Juliette Wigley, along with the Environmental Affairs Board, are transforming a plot of bare dirt and weeds on the UCSB campus into a restoration site, which will be the new home of various types of native plants. The plants are being donated by the UCSB Greenhouse. However, not everything can be obtained through donations. To complete this restoration project, an assortment of tools, such as hand weeders, a hose, hand trowels, work gloves, hand picks and a large weeder will be purchased. For those who are interested in helping with the restoration can contact the EAB office for information.

“IV Surfrider UCSB Campus Outreach”
IV Surfrider Foundation
$315.00
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization working to preserve our oceans, waves and beaches. They are working to get their name out to the public and recruiting members to help with the foundation. To do this, they are purchasing three banners to be used as recruitment and or recognition of Surfrider sponsored events. If you wish to get involved, check out their website at http://orgs.sa.ucsb.edu/sf/.

“Lagoon Island Oak Restoration Project”
Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
$475
Lisa Stratton, with the Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, is going to plant 1000 Coast Live Oak Trees (Quercus agrifolia) on the north facing slopes and hill top of the Lagoon Island as part of the habitat restoration of the Campus Lagoon Natural Area. To protect the young oaks, they will need to purchase 1000 Tree Tube Protectors. Check out the progress while jogging along the beach!

“Ambassadors of the Environment at El Capitan”
Ocean Futures Society
$500.00
The Ambassadors program seeks to promote four main ecological principles including: Everything Runs on Energy, Biodiversity is Necessary, There is No Waste in Nature, and Everything is Connected. The goals of the Ambassadors of the Environment are to give students a positive view of themselves, to develop knowledge and respect for the outdoor world, to give students life skills in communication, teamwork, responsibility and friendship-building that will help them throughout life and finally, to inspire youth to live more sustainably and take responsibility for their future. To continue with their goal, they will be purchasing one more LiMPETS kit, which will be used by children in their research projects. They need this additional kit because, excitingly, their program has grown to where they now have groups of up to 60 students. WAY TO GO!

“Two Urban Forestry Research Assistant Intern Stipends:
Goleta Valley Beautiful
$500.00
Goleta Valley Beautiful is a non-profit environmental and community service organization with a goal of supporting and enhancing a healthy and expanding urban forest. They are continuing to provide stipends for two part-time interns to assist the Executive Director, Ken Knight, a local hero, with a research project to classify public trees as capital assets. This is an awesome task that will directly affect the residents of Isla Vista since one of the main goals of Goleta Valley Beautiful is to increase the canopy coverage in Isla Vista from its current low of 7%

“Coal Oil Point Reserve Restoration Internship Program”
Santa Barbara Audubon Society
$500.00
There will be two UCSB student interns to work on Habitat Restoration at Coal Oil Point Reserve (COPR). These interns will work with the COPR Steward and Habitat Biologist to help restore several parts of the COPR back to its native habitat. They are aiming to create a “green fence” which will be a buffer of restored coastal scrub habitat along the northern boundary of COPR. They will also start working on the East End that resides on the eastern margin of the Devereux Slough and includes upland and wetland habitat. Some of the duties of the interns will be to help maintain the native plants that have already been installed over the years, they will plant more native species, prepare future planning sites and also will collect seeds for the COPR green house.

“South Coast Watershed Resource Center”
Community Environmental Council
$915.00
The South Coast Watershed Resource Center (WRC) is an innovative education and outreach project addressing creek and ocean pollution. In order to enhance this program, they are employing one or two Weekend Outreach Assistant(s) to keep the WRC open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. The assistants will be promoting the importance watershed and ocean awareness to visitors of the WRC. Got any free time? Go check out the WRC for yourself. It’s located at 2981 Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara.

“Storke Ranch Habitat Enhancement Demonstration Project”
Storke Ranch Homeowner’s Association
$1,500.00
The Storke Ranch Habitat Enhancement Demonstration Project will restore a section of the Storke Ranch vernal pool habitat from the buffer to the vernal pool basin. This project will restore and enhance populations of rare native plants, provide a nesting and foraging habitat for native birds, control invasive non-native weeds, enhance habitat values, and improve water quality. This project will also aim to educate residents and community members about the vernal pools and their restoration. In order to conduct this project, various tools will have to be bought, including tools for planting and weeding and nursery tools for growing plants. Also, they will use two student interns to assist with help in all aspect of the restoration project.

“Coastal and Ocean Law and Policy: Interdisciplinary Approach”
Environmental Studies Department
$1,750.00
Environmental Science 123 is being revised! There will be the addition of Dr. Satie Airame (PhD in Marine Conservation Biology), who will teach five classes during the winter quarter. Dr. Airame will enhance opportunities for students to prepare research papers merging science, policy and law. She will also be available to advise students on the selection of a research question as well as approaches to research, availability of materials, and individual experts to tap.

“Arroyo Hondo Preserve Habitat Restoration Internship Program”
Land Trust for Santa Barbara County
$1,750.00
The Arroyo Hondo Preserve Habitat Restoration will continue working with student interns who work with a Habitat Restoration Biologist and a Restoration Technician to implement a Riparian Habitat Restoration Plan at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve. The project goals include enhancement of the habitat in the creek for endangered and sensitive species, such as steelhead, southwest pond turtles and red-legged frogs. To continue with the restoration replacement tools and leather gloves will have to be purchased. Head over to Arroyo Hondo to check out the beautiful preserve!

“Creation of Adaptive Monitoring for Estuarine Ecosystems”
Bren School of Environmental Science and Management
$2,236.99
Darcie Goodman of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management is continuing to develop a long term monitoring protocol at the Devereux slough at Coal Oil Point Reserve. This protocol will help bridge the gap between good ecological science and estuarine management by using a specific location to create effective long term monitoring. She will be providing stipends for two undergraduate student interns who will assist Darcie in reaching her goal. Darcie will also be buying equipment to aid in her monitoring of the estuary.

“Gray Whales Count”
American Cetacean Society – Channel Islands
$3,000.00
The board of the American Cetacean Society – Channel Islands is organizing a census of the northbound migratory route of Gray Whales. This census will be conducted from the Coal Oil Point Reserve. It will run from January 28th until May 14th of this year. The objective the of the “Gray Whales Count” is to gather baseline data on the whales migrating near-shore through the Santa Barbara Channel on their way to the feeding waters off Alaska. Six student interns will receive stipends to supervise the observers, record and enter data, and also update the website. Stop by at COPR and check out their work…you might even get to see some whales!

“Coronado Butterfly Preserve Habitat Enhancement”
The Native Landscape/Land Trust for Santa Barbara County
$3,100.00
The Native Landscape and the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County is continuing their habitat enhancement efforts at the Coronado Butterfly Preserve, which has been funded by the SPF for the last three years. The objective of this project is to enhance the biological diversity of a protected coastal open space while providing education and training to eight UCSB student interns. The eight interns will work with a restoration ecologist to transform an area of 10,000 square feet from non-native annual weeds into thriving native coastal sage scrub and grassland communities. Head over to the Butterfly Preserve and see the transformation, along with thousands of beautiful monarch butterfly.

“Snowy Plover Docent Program at COPR”
Santa Barbara Audubon Society
$4,347.00
The Santa Barbara Audubon Society is in the process of enriching and maintaining the Snowy Plover Docent Program. This is an education program that aims to protect and preserve the Western Snowy Plover and it’s habitat. Through education, the docent program has contributed to the recover of plovers and their habitats for the past 5 years. During this winter quarter and also the upcoming spring quarter, the program is looking to implement the recruitment and outreach plan that has been developed with a previous SPF grant. They have a strong education outreach program that reaches beach-goers, surfers, local community groups and schools. THE SNOWY PLOVERS NEED YOUR HELP! If you are interested in helping out with the snowy plovers, check out their website http://www.rain.org/~audubon/sbasplvrdocents.html for a list of upcoming training events.

“Del Playa Open Space Vernal Pool Restoration”
Growing Solutions Restoration Education Institute
$5,500.00
The last remaining ocean bluff vernal pool habitat on Del Playa Drive will be restored using the restoration plan written by David Hubbard, a biologist of UCSB. This project will be implemented through a series of educational hands-on workshops. There are many objectives that will make this project a success, some of which include: Placing boulders to control foot traffic along this bluff, collecting seeds and propagating site-specific native plants by growing them to a suitable size and then planting them, and also maintaining and monitoring the area. Fiberglass signs will be built and installed in this area, educating the public about the restoration.

“Investigating the Ecological Impacts of Coastal Armoring”
Marine Science Institute, University of California
$5,978.00
Jenifer Dugan and David Hubbard of the Marine Science Institute have been investigating the ecological impacts of coastal armoring on sandy beaches. The thus far have been remarkable and they will continue to investigate their hypothesis that ecological communities of exposed sandy beaches are affected by erosion and the loss of intertidal beach habitat associated with coastal armoring. They hypothesize that the loss of habitat associated with seawalls can be estimated from the widths and dynamics of intertidal beach zones. They will specifically examine if seawalls that interact with waves and surf are associated with negative impacts to ecological communites of beaches by reducing prey resources and use by shorebirds. Keep an eye out for their results!

“Education and Outreach Internship”
Marine Science Institute
$6,009.00
The Marine Science Institute (MSI) will further its Education and Outreach Internship Program. This program offers UCSB undergraduates the opportunity to extend their learning outside of the lecture hall through experiential education in marine science. Students learn about local coastal ecosystems and the natural history of marine organisms, as well as ongoing, locally relevant, marine science research at UCSB. This program also has a strong public education component as workers conduct tours for the public and K-12 classes. This includes giving public tours at touch tanks, floating lab presentations, teacher professional development workshops, beach walks and specific K-12 program curriculum.

“Buffer Protection and Restoration at COPR”
Coal Oil Point Reserve, University of California at Santa Barbara
$11,638.00
This project will continue to create a buffer of restored coastal scrub habitat along the boundaries of Coal Oil Point Reserve (COPR). Specifically, the project will conitinue restoration of the northern boundary, western boundary, the Pond Trail and the east end of Deveroux Slough. Supplies will have to be bought in order to complete this project. Also, five student interns will assist in restoring the area. They could use your help too! If you’d like to volunteer contact Dr. Cristina Sandoval at Sandoval@lifesci.ucsb.edu for more information.