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"CCBER is a jewel of an institution on the UCSB campus, dedicated to education, research, and outreach related to the region's biological diversity and restoration." |
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In addition to programmatic growth, the staff has continued to set high standards for environmental stewardship and responsibility. |
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Jennifer Thorsch and Carla D'Antonio
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We are excited to report on the past year’s activities and accomplishments at CCBER. It was a busy year!
In November, Jennifer traveled with Chancellor Henry Yang and several Kids in Nature staff and
volunteers to Sacramento to receive the 2007 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for Children’s Environmental Education, one of the state’s highest and most prestigious environmental education honors. For the past seven years, Kids in Nature (KIN) has been teaching local 5th grade underserved students by providing a hands-on, place-based environmental education program.
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Also, in the fall we had a small reception to thank John Bleck for the donation of his seed collection to CCBER and to celebrate
the dedication of a display case entitled “Mirabilia Naturae Natural Wonders,” created from a collaboration with CCBER, Dr. Mark Meadow, and the
University Art Museum (UAM).
Based on the Renaissance Wunderkammer, this display case is representative of an early natural history collection.
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The Mirabilia Naturae case features the four elements—earth, air, fire,
and water—to group specimens from the CCBER collections. |
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In December the Oversight Committee held a retreat to assess CCBER’s growth and development over the past two years and evaluate and plan our future goals and direction. The Oversight Committee and staff prepared background materials for the external review which was held in February 2008. The purpose of the review was to provide an independent assessment by a panel of experts on the structure of CCBER, the
state of our collections and programs, and the potential to expand our capabilities and services and better
serve our missions. Three distinguished academics served on the committee—Dr. Jack Ewel, Professor Emeritus, University of Florida and expert in ecological restoration; Dr. Scott Lanyon, Director Bell Museum, University of Minnesota, with research expertise in bird behavior and systematics; and Dr. Brent Mishler, Plant Systematist and Director, University Herbarium, University of California Berkeley. The committee spent three days meeting with CCBER curators, faculty and staff, campus administrators, and affiliated departments, as well as touring the collections and management areas on campus. The committee’s final report was very positive and included several insightful suggestions and recommendations which are being considered and implemented. The committee’s report states “CCBER is a jewel of an institution on the UCSB campus, dedicated to education, research, and outreach related to the region’s biological diversity and restoration.” |
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