University of California, Santa Barbara
OP-10: Biodiversity

The UCSB campus is bordered by five surface water bodies: Devereux Slough, Goleta Slough, Campus Lagoon, the Pacific Ocean, and Storke Wetlands, all of which are protected from urbanization. Although not owned by UCSB, the portion of the Pacific Ocean that borders the UCSB campus is considered a No-Take State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA), where the fishing/ taking of marine resources is prohibited. The 2010 Long Range Development Plan classified 237 acres of campus land as environmentally sensitive habitat area (ESHA), including UCSB's Coal Oil Point Reserve, because of the area's rarity, special role in the ecosystem, and/or because the area served as a natural buffer to more sensitive areas. The Cheadle Center for Biological and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) is tasked with the protection and restoration of many of these sensitive areas.

Species listed on State, Federal, and Local lists for those considered threatened, endangered, or of concern are protected on campus and identified through various assessments and monitoring programs. Environmentally sensitive areas (ESHA) are determined by the Coastal Commission and Campus through the use of biologists when there are habitats or species of local or greater concern on the site. These areas are surveyed for sensitive biological resources and many of the areas were surveyed by campus faculty (research) and by consultants for project development. The Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration monitor the Lagoon Restoration, Manzanita Village vernal pools, South Parcel, North Parcel and Sierra Madre. The Coal Oil Point reserve does intertidal monitoring, and counts gray whales migrating north through the nearshore of the Santa Barbara Channel.

The ESHA map overlay can be found in UCSB's Long Range Development Plan, specifically in the Land Use Map Series. The map includes species and areas that are labeled ESHA. Identified species include: Beldings Savanna Sparrows, Burrowing Owls, Globose Dune Beetles, monarch aggregation areas, raptor nests, Sandy Beach Tiger Beetles, Santa Barbara honeysuckle, Southern Tarplant, Western snowy plover, and Tidewater Gobies.

UCSB protects and creates wildlife habitat on approximately 238 acres of the campus that are within eight large Ecologically Sensitive Habitat Areas (ESHAs). The University's Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) is responsible for the management of the ESHAs and aims to preserve the native plant resources and biodiversity of the region by providing educational opportunities and conducting biological and ecological research. More information regarding wildlife habitat protection at UCSB and the CCBER can be accessed at the link below. The Coal Oil Point reserve takes extensive measures to protect the endangered Snowy Plovers on the beach area near Devereux Slough, a roosting site for up to 180 western Snowy Plovers. The Long Range Development Plan identifies ESHA and Open Space areas to be protected and restored. There are numerous LRDP policies in place, implemented when development is proposed on campus, that serve to protect ESHA and Open Space areas. These policies range from prohibiting lighting to restoring areas adjacent to development. Also, the Coastal Commission has required the University to develop an Open Space Plan for the entire campus (OS-09). The campus is required to submit the Open Space Plan by January 1, 2018. The plan will detail management of the Open Spaces on campus and their management.