The Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration promotes the teaching of diverse undergraduate courses in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Environmental Studies, and Geology and graduate courses in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. It also supports faculty, staff, and student research interests by providing valuable resources such as research collections and natural areas for scientific study. CCBER satisfies the University’s obligation to provide stewardship of campus lands, rich in biodiversity, and the ecological restoration program encourages land restoration on the campus. Through outreach programs such as Kids in Nature and taxon-focused workshops, CCBER fulfills the K-12 and community educational goals, while staff and faculty curators collaborate to provide scientific information and advice to private entities and other academic institutions.
Programs include:
- Internship Program
- Restoration Seminar
- Kids In Nature
- Tours
- Workshops
- Classes
Internship Program
Students and volunteers learn restoration site design, implementation and maintenance techniques, native plant horticulture, plant and animal identification skills, and ecological monitoring protocols. CCBER also offers other specialized internships in Curation and Research. More information on the CCBER Internship Program.
Restoration Seminar
CCBER hosts a weekly seminar series through the EEMB Department for undergraduates, graduates, and community
members. Seminars feature guest lectures by research scientists, land managers, policy analysts,
and community leaders and tours of local restoration projects.
Restoration seminar series
Kids In Nature
Kids In Nature is an innovative and highly regarded program designed to enrich the learning experiences of underrepresented and underserved youth in our community with a yearlong dynamic combination of hands-on, inquiry-based, classroom activities, interactive custom-designed computer simulations, and field trips.
Tours
CCBER offers year-round tours of its museum collections and management areas. Please use the contacts below to schedule a tour.
Museum Collections Tours
- Vertebrate Collection (Mark Holmgren)
- Vascular Plant Collection (Jennifer Thorsch)
- Vernon I. Cheadle and Katherine Esau Botanical Collections (Jennifer Thorsch)
- Algae Herbarium and Diatom Collection (David Chapman)
Ecosystem Management Program Tours
- UCSB Management Areas (Lisa Stratton)
- Greenhouse and Nursery (Wayne Chapman)
Self-guided Tours
- Campus Lagoon Walking Tour (pdf)
- Campus Flora Brochure (pdf)
Workshops
CCBER offers one to two day workshops on particular taxa or habitats (e.g. vernal pools, major floristic groups and amphibians) that are open to students and community members of all levels.
Any future workshops will be posted on the News & Events page.
Classes
As a program within the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology and the College of Math, Life and Physical Sciences, CCBER provides support and promotes the teaching of diverse undergraduate courses in EEMB, Environmental Studies, Geology, Studio Art, and graduate courses in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management.