For decades, human activity had completely evicted burrowing owls and other animals and plants from an open space beyond the elbow of Storke Road as it turns toward Isla Vista. At the North Campus Open Space, some of these species are now trickling back due to the efforts of staff, volunteers, and student workers to restore the former ecosystem to its former health and undo many years’ worth of ecological damage.
The deepest wound came in the form of a golf course developed in 1965 over wetlands and adjoining uplands. But even seemingly benign actions also played a significant role. When residents introduced tall Australasian trees such as the eucalyptus, they gifted the red-tailed hawk, already populous in California, vantage points from which the raptors could swoop down on their unsuspecting prey. Planting eucalyptus trees, according to Greenhouse Manager Wayne Chapman, is a death sentence for an owl that needs unbroken grassy places to survive. Other animals such as snakes and squirrels, which often construct the burrows that owls take shelter in, also fall victim to the hawk.
Since the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration bought the land in 2013, Chapman, Director of Ecosystem Management Lisa Stratton, and other staff members have approached the project with careful precision. Each elevation is built not only to accommodate their own inhabitants but also to ensure the collective ecosystem’s survival. Closest to the water are mud flats where birds pick at clams for sustenance; farther back are uplands populated by bees and other pollinators that infuse life into newly reintroduced plants. Although more than 100 acres of land now resemble the original terrain, Restoration Coordinator Andy Lanes emphasized the sustainability measures taken in the face of emerging challenges. “With rising sea levels, we need a buffer against flooding," he explained. “We undertook this project in a way that allowed geological uplift and sedimentation to keep pace with sea-level rise and also made interior space for ecosystems to fall back on.”