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| One of the best remaining examples of a coastal-strand environment in Southern California, the Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve protects a wide variety of coastal and estuarine habitats. Largely undisturbed coastal dunes support a rich assemblage of dune vegetation, while older and more stable backdunes are covered with southern coastal scrub habitat. In the heart of the reserve, Devereux Slough is a seasonally flooded tidal lagoon that dries out in the summer to form salt flats and hypersaline ponds and channels. A variety of intertidal habitats occur along the sandy beach and the large rocky reef at the point. Thousands of migratory birds visit throughout the year. Located adjacent to the Santa Barbara campus, the reserve provides a unique and accessible research and teaching resource, which is used by many university courses, including botany, ecology, biodiversity field methods, natural history, marine biology, invertebrate zoology, and environmental studies. |
Administering Campus |
UC Santa Barbara |
Established |
1970 |
Location |
Santa Barbara County, on UCSB's West Campus, overlooking Santa Barbara Channel. |
Size |
63 ha (158 acres) |
Elevation |
0 to 12 m (0 to 40 ft) |
Average Precipitation |
36 to 53 cm (14 to 21 in) per year |
Average Temperatures |
January minimum: 6°C (42°F)
August maximum: 24°C (75°F) |
Facilities |
Small lab on site; housing, laboratories, and research support available on adjacent Santa Barbara campus. |
Databases |
Plant and animal lists; historic/current aerial photos; published management plans for plants, animals, and hydrology; natural-resource geographic information system (GIS). |
Personnel |
Reserve director and associate director living on site. |
NRS Publications |
Publications Available from the NRS |
Contact Information |
Cristina Sandoval
Marine Science Institute
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone: 805-893-5092
sandoval@lifesci.ucsb.edu
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