California State University, Channel Islands
OP-9: Landscape Management

Building footprints, parking lots, and roads were not included.

CSUCI's landscaping is designed to eliminate the need for non-organic inputs and to flourish in the local environment. The campus prioritizes native and drought-tolerant planting and does not irrigate during the rainy season. Tree limbs and other woody debris is turned into wood chips that are used on campus, along with imported mulch, to suppress weeds and improve water retention. The university maintains Channel Islands Park, a 367 acre park, in a natural and wild state that protects the open space and grounds for recreation. All campus gardens are also managed organically.

CSUCI maintains 60 acres of turf and planter beds in accordance with the university's IMP program, prioritizing non-chemical pest management strategies before considering any chemical inputs.

California State University Channel Islands (CI) has developed a strategy that uses xeriscape landscape techniques with the goal to decrease the amount of existing lawn area & irrigation, minimize the required maintenance of planting areas adjacent to buildings, and provide an opportunity to educate people about the appropriateness of these types of plants to maintaining a sustainable campus grounds. This strategy has been completed across approximately a quarter of the campus grounds that are currently actively maintained (CI has just under 1200 acres of land in total, but most of this is in its natural state), with plans to continue across the remainder of the core campus through funding from adjacent capital projects. A new native plant field was installed behind the Broome Library as a pilot project to provide an area for people to enjoy and learn more about the native species prevalent in the region. An existing cactus garden was transplanted to an adjacent tract of land at the University Town Center that abuts the base of the coastal Santa Monica Mountain Range. A new entrance road into the campus was built, and the landscaping utilizes similar techniques that will achieve the goals stated above. This includes native grasses planted along the levee system, development of wetlands areas, and landscaping along the main road that uses native and drought-tolerant plant species. In the front of the Broome Library, there are Californian and Mexican desert plants. Due to the adaption of these plants to this region, less water is needed; therefore, CI installed low precipitation rate spray heads. Urban forest management plan is also utilized to better monitor and take care of the CI campus grounds.

The campus has continuous restoration efforts in Calleguas Creek to increase native flora, in addition to mitigating for any construction and continuing to plant more native species. Calleguas Creek is the local watershed and it's channelized in many places, but in the University Park adjacent to campus it has been restored to a more natural riparian state and is continually monitored.

CSUCI uses mulch waste to enhance the grounds. The university chips trimmings from trees for reuse around campus. Any landscaping waste that cannot be chipped and reused on campus is taken to a local composting facility.

To limit of impact of the heat island effect, the university plants vegetation near buildings instead of increasing hardscape. Where applicable, native species are used to limit the need for maintenance and irrigation.

CSUCI has been actively replacing turf across campus with pollinator-friendly habitats, including succulent gardens. These gardens provide several benefits to the campus, including reducing water usage and providing habitat for pollinators.