CCBER has multiple internship and volunteer opportunities. From a formal restoration internship approved for credit with UCSB to mentored independent research internships and collections curation internships.
Restoration Internship
Join us in restoring UCSB campus natural areas for local plants and wildlife through an internship with CCBER. Internships are currently offered during the Fall, Winter and Spring quarters. Students will gain valuable hands-on field experience restoring native wetland, coastal sage scrub, grassland, and oak woodland habitats. Learn about local plants and animals, earn course credit, meet environmental professionals in your community, and enjoy a beautiful outdoor working environment!
This year, we have restructured our internship program. Each week throughout the quarter will focus on a specific restoration theme. Students will have the opportunity to visit multiple restoration sites, gain hands-on experience and learn from all the CCBER staff throughout the quarter. Below are the topics, schedule, and meeting locations for Fall Quarter.
Spring 2008 Quarter Schedule
| Date | Topic | Instructor | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4 | Introduction | CCBER staff | CCBER classroom | |
| Apr 7 - 11 | Research/Project Design | Lisa Stratton | stratton@lifesci.ucsb.edu | Parking Lot 5 |
| Apr 14 - 18 | Site Preparation/Planning | Ashlan Alldredge | a_alldredge@lifesci.ucsb.edu | San Clemente |
| Apr 21 - 25 | Plant/Animal Identification | Ben Reder | reder@lifesci.ucsb.edu | Manzanita Village |
| Apr 28 - May 2 | Plant Material Sourcing | Bree Belyea | belyea@lifesci.ucsb.edu | CCBER |
| May 5 - 9 | Plant Propagation/Ethnobotany | Wayne Chapman | w_chapman@lifesci.ucsb.edu | Greenhouse |
| May 12 - 16 | Site Maintenance/Monitoring | Jan Myers | jmyers@lifesci.ucsb.edu | Manzanita Village |
| May 19 - 23 | Exotic Species Management | Darwin Richardson | drichardson@lifesci.ucsb.edu | West Storke |
| May 26 - 30 | Water Quality | Dave Harris | dharris@lifesci.ucsb.edu | San Clemente |
| June 2 - 6 | Field Trips | CCBER staff | CCBER |
Click here for map of meeting locations
References and Resources
- An introduction to using native plants in restoration projects
- Society for Ecological Restoration
- CalPhotos
- The Jepson Manual of Higher California Plants (Hickman)- Key to all plants of California
- A Flora of the Santa Barbara Region (Clif Smith) - Guide to the plants of Santa Barbara
Internship Requirements
Currently only students in the departments of College of Creative Studies (CCS), Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology (EEMB), Environmental Studies (ES) and Geography (GEOG) can gain course credit for participating in our internship program. If you are not in one of the above majors or do not meet the departmental requirements for the internship for course credit, you can volunteer with CCBER, participating in the same activities as the internship.
All interns must complete the following for 1 unit of credit:
3 hours of field work/week
Compile a plant collection notebook and a restoration journal throughout the quarter
Below are the course codes and departmental requirements for each major.
EEMB 184
Upper division standing
Minimum GPA of 2.5
ES 192
Upper division standing
Minimum GPA of 3.0
GEOG 193
Upper division standing
Minimum GPA of 3.0
CCS students should check with their advisor to determine which of the above courses to register for.
Registering for Internships
Sign up through your appropriate departmental contact in order to receive course credit for your internship.
Departmental Contacts
| Department | Advisor | |
|---|---|---|
| CCS | Leslie Campbell | campbell@ccs.ucsb.edu |
| EEMB | Pam Bayer | bayer@lifesci.ucsb.edu |
| ES | Eric Zimmerman | zimmerman@es.ucsb.edu |
| GEOG | Kathy Davis | grad_assistant@geog.ucsb.edu |
For More Information
Please contact Janet Myers (JMyers@lifesci.ucsb.edu, 805-893-2506) to find out more information about our internship program.
Research Internship
One of CCBER's missions is to improve and develop ecological knowledge and restoration strategies for the region. As such, we often encounter research questions which may be ideal learning experiences for students or community members. Commitments of up to a year long are often required to see the process through from idea to funding and implementation. Students are currently working on assessing lagoon water quality, evaluating restoration site soil texture, assessing bird habitat links to benthic invertebrates, monitoring wetland hydrology, and analyzing data sets for patterns. Funding sources have included UCRA and Shoreline Preservation Fund. Contact Lisa Statton for more information
Curation Internships
CCBER also offers specialized museum internships for graduates and undergraduates in various departments, including specimen curation and archives processing in the library. Contact Jennifer Thorsch for more information