Campus Lagoon

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Campus Lagoon Hatlen Arts Music 582 Theatre 305 411 MSR Storke LOT 7 Bio Arts LOT 429 Plaza Library Lotte Lehmann SIF Concert Hall 3 579 Art Bio Museum Psych. II LOT Life Sci. UCEN Faculty 592 University Corwin 23 Pavillion Club Multi- Walking Tour of Cultural Road Center Theater College of LOT LOT 8 Creative Studies Santa Rosa Hall 9 Old Little Anacapa Hall Ortega Theatre 1 931 000 2 LOT LOT 4 LOT 2 UCSB 27 3 Carrillo San Miguel Santa Cruz Hall Manzanita Hall De La Village San Nicolas Guerra 4 Housing & Hall Residential Services LOT Channel LOT Centennial Islands University House 6 5 15 5 House Road Campus Lagoon Lagoon Ramp 9 10 325 319 Marine Restoration Projects 342 6 7 Lagoon 555 Biotechnology Marine Science 338 Laboratory UCSB’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Island Institute 334 465 200 202 Ecological Restoration (CCBER) manages and 11 restores campus natural areas. The center offers 8 14 550 internships, hosts seminars, and houses the 205 university’s herbarium and vertebrate collections. 12 N ccber.ucsb.edu 1/4 mile 13 Campus Campus Lagoon Area Restoration Trails Point University of California, Santa Barbara 1 These small Shorebird Habitat. islands and shallow-water zones were created along the 3 5 northern edge of Campus Lagoon to mitigate the nearby Manzanita Village Restoration Bioswales. Approximately 40% of the UCen expansion project’s infringement on the lagoon’s Project. Funded by UCSB Housing and Residential stormwater runoff from Manzanita Village flows through 100-foot buffer. They are a successful example of how Services, restoration of this site began in August 2002 and some section of bioswale. These bioswales convey valuable shorebird habitat can be created adjacent to high- serves as mitigation for the adjacent dorms. The project stormwater and irrigation runoff in place of traditional use areas of campus. The most common birds seen here comprises six acres of restored native grassland, vernal underground pipe systems. In addition, the bioswales serve include egrets, long-billed dowitchers, black-necked stilts, pools, and vernal marshes—all threatened habitat types— to reduce nutrient loading to the lagoon, create habitat for great blue herons, and black-crowned night herons. and 1,300 feet of created bioswales. More than 80,000 wetland plant and animal species, and aesthetically soften native plants grown from local genotypes at CCBER’s the boundary between urban and natural areas. 2 nursery and greenhouse were planted here. Lagoon Park and 6 The slope V Look west. These three Enhanced Wetland. 4 ernal Pools. from here south to the ocean is part of Lagoon Park. Vernal Marsh. This is the vernal pools were seeded and planted with locally collected This area was restored beginning in 1999 to largest vernal marsh in the Manazanita Village plant material. Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that coastal sage scrub, oak woodland, and vernal Restoration Site. Compared to vernal pools, vernal occur in depressions where an underlying impermeable wetlands in conjunction with the Manzanita Village marshes are deeper and have longer durations of flooding. layer becomes saturated during winter rains. The pools Restoration Project. It provides a diversity of floral, fruit, They support large emergent vegetation such as California pond through spring and are desiccated through summer and seed resources for a variety of insects and birds. It is bulrush (Schoenoplectus californicus) and common three- and early fall. A unique suite of plant and animal species one of the most productive sites for bird life and represents square (Schoenoplectus pungens) and provide nesting adapted to this cyclical process of wetting and drying is the successful conversion of a degraded area to a viable, habitat for red-winged blackbirds, common yellowthroats, found in these pools. Water depth, vegetation cover, and self-sustaining habitat. song sparrows, mallards, and other birds. invertebrate populations are monitored regularly. 7 Terminal Bioswale (right) and 10 Lagoon Island Trail. Nearly 1,000 13 Campus Point. This coastal access Constructed Wetland (left). This oaks were planted as acorns on the north-facing slopes stairway and adjacent coastal scrub restoration were innovative biofiltration system combines cobble-lined in late 2005. Blue tubes, sunk 18 inches into the ground, installed in 2012. Previously, there had been multiple drains, bioswales, and two shallow marshes strung protected newly sprouted oaks from gophers and squirrels. informal trails leading up the bluff that were increasing together to drain and treat approximately 75% of the Oaks now range from 2 to 15 feet in height, depending on the already high rate of erosion in this area. Further Manzanita Village project site. This system demonstrates acorns and location. Historically, there were many oaks expansion of coastal sage scrub restoration is slated for how excess water and nutrients considered to be waste on campus as well as on other coastal bluffs and north- the bluffs and mesa top where iceplant products of urbanization can be turned into a resource and facing slopes such as More Mesa and the Douglas Family currently dominates. These efforts will used to enhance the environment. More than 27 species Preserve. Records indicate that many oaks on campus were help reduce further erosion of topsoil and of native wetland plants are growing in the biofiltration cut down in the late 1800s to render whale blubber, support greatly improve the habitat for wildlife. system. nearby asphaltum mines, and make way for grazing and dry farming. 14 Lagoon Hydrology. Seawater 8 West Depression. This site was pumped from 150 feet offshore and through marine restored in 2006. Iceplant was successfully solarized 11 Labyrinth. This labyrinth research laboratories enters the eastern end of the (cooked under black plastic) and native plants were seeded trail was installed in 2011 and offers an lagoon at a rate of about 800 gallons per minute. Eight and planted in the winter. The site received a large pulse of alternative way to experience and appreciate storm drains contribute urban runoff water to the beach wrack during the December 21st, 2005 storm (“Big UCSB’s natural coastal resources. Visitors lagoon during rainy months, causing annual fluctuations Wednesday”). Prior to this event, people had not seen are invited to restore body, mind, and spirit by in salinity. A weir, which is a small overflow drain, at the waves wash into the lagoon in over 20 years. walking this timeless, universal cultural pattern. western end of the lagoon ensures a steady 9-foot maximum water depth and a lake-like appearance. However, this Follow the road up to Lagoon Island and take the trail 12 East Depression. For forty static water level, with no tidal flow, potentially limits to the left. years South African iceplant dominated this site, shorebird feeding sites and habitat diversity. effectively inhibiting natural sand transport, dune 9 Lagoon Island is now a formation, and native species establishment. 15 The freshwater Lagoon Island. San Nicolas Wetland. matrix of native coastal sage scrub habitat replacing weedy During 2000-2001, students in a restoration marsh on the right and surrounding habitat were created annual grasses such as ripgut brome (Bromus diandrus) ecology class, under the direction of UCSB’s and restored in 2010. Prior to restoration, this entire site through the use of prescribed burns. After several years Museum of Systematics and Ecology (now was dominated by one invasive plant species that provided of experimentation, a strategy of burning with added CCBER), wrote a restoration plan for the poor habitat value to wildlife. The site is now covered by fuel loads was adopted because of its ability to heat the site. They removed iceplant, restored native a diverse array of native vegetation providing abundant soil to a temperature sufficient to eliminate weeds from dune vegetation, and conducted research and resources for wildlife. The freshwater marsh, which holds the seed bank. These burns provide a weed-free window monitoring. The springtime flush of dune water perennially, provides an opportunity for runoff from of opportunity for restoration. Here you will see seacliff flowers and pollinators is spectacular here. more than 50 acres of campus to be filtered before entering buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) and bush sunflower the lagoon. This freshwater-fed wetland is a unique and (Encelia californica) among other native shrubs. critical resource in an area that is dominated by saline- influenced hydrology. Cheadle Center For Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration ccber.ucsb.edu (805) 893-2401.
Recommended publications
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