SPF Funds 14 Projects totaling over $75,000
(PRWEB) March 7, 2000
Shoreline Preservation Fund news release
Shoreline Preservation Fund
Associated Students, UCSB
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone 805-893-5166
Http://orgs. sa. ucsb. edu/spf/ (http://orgs. sa. ucsb. edu/spf/)
For Details, Contact:
Philip Tseng
Shoreline Preservation Fund
Phone (805) 893-5166
Spf@as. ucsb. edu
For Immediate Release March 7th, 2000
SPF Funds 14 Projects totaling over $75,000
Student-created fund distributes money to benefit the UCSB coastline
Santa Barbara, CA - March 7, 2000: During the first two academic quarters at UCSB, the Shoreline Preservation Fund (SPF) has granted monies totaling over $75,000 to projects aimed at preserving the ecological integrity of the shoreline surrounding the UCSB campus. The Board of the Shoreline Preservation Fund approved a total of fourteen projects that will benefit the community in various ways. Craig Revell, a member of the SPF Board, comments "I am thrilled with the outcome of this quarter. We have chosen projects that test the water,
Clean the beach, educate people in many different arenas, restore valuable
Habitat, and increase our knowledge of local coastal systems."
The project that received the biggest sum was designed by the Conception Coast Project (CCP). The $28,780 project will create digital maps using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology. These maps will highlight ecologically sensitive areas, land use, and recreational resources. CCP plans to incorporate the maps of the coastline into workbooks, which will be used in an aggressive education program aimed at instilling stewardship of the environment to the university's newest students. SPF board member Brian Counterman said he thinks CCP's program is a wise use of the money generated by the student lock-in fee because it is a long-term project dedicated to helping
The local environment. "I think [the program] is a good idea because it is
Something that can be continuously applied to freshmen and people in the UCSB community," he said. "It's not a one-time shot... I think the maps are going to
Be a valuable resource for university research." CCP plans to reach out to more
Than 3000 incoming freshman and transfer students by the end of this year.
Another project approved by the Board of the Shoreline Preservation Fund is a $13,015 project to start a UCSB shoreline water-quality monitoring program.
This program would augment the county's Project Clean Water program by adding
Four additional testing sites along the Isla Vista peninsula. It is hoped that
The project will increase the community's awareness in public health safety. By
Increasing testing resolution, it is hoped that ocean bacterial pollution
Problem may be isolated and nullified. The data from these additional tests
Will be posted on the web and in the local press. SPF chair, Laura Brands is
Extremely excited about funding water-testing that will be initiated at numerous sites along the UCSB shoreline. "The SPF Board worked for many months with two members of Surfrider Foundation to create an ocean water quality testing program that is comprehensive, frequent, and will give us more information on
Contaminants in the ocean than any County program currently does."
Additionally, the SPF Board approved two projects aimed at enhancing Coal
Oil Point Reserve. The first provides $13,015 for restoration of the dunes at
Coal Oil Point Reserve through removal of acacia and Myoporum (non-native and
Invasive plants) from the most of the Reserve. The restoration of these dunes -
Some of the last in central and southern California - will improve their biological function and in turn benefit UCSB students and researchers as well as the community. The second project at this site is a $7,405 educational and community outreach program. A naturalist will be stationed on the beach at Coal Oil Point (Sands Beach) with a spotting scope so that the public can get a
Detailed look at and understanding of the Western Snowy Plover, a federally
Endangered species. This project will also co-fund an outdoor snowy plover
Education program for fifth graders, currently partly funded by Los Marineros.
The SPF Board also approved ten additional projects which include the
Determination of the sources of high nutrient levels in Goleta Slough, a field
Guide for plants of the UCSB shoreline, and a "Beachwatch" program which will
Assign UCSB students to regularly maintain and clean the local coastal zone.
Members of the SPF Board of Directors are very pleased with the progress
Of the newly founded Fund. According to SPF Board member Nevin Hindiyeh, "In
The past few weeks I have had the opportunity to help fund projects here at UCSB which I know will not only make our oceans cleaner, but will educate everyone
From elementary school kids to the weekend IV jogger. It is amazing what three dollars per student can do." Board member J. Scott Bull adds, "I am very excited and pleased with the extent of careful examination and consideration by the SPF Board on each project proposal. It was a difficult process and our group met the challenges efficiently and effectively. We look forward to more innovative and valuable project proposals which benefit the entire campus community next quarter."
According to SPF Staff Philip Tseng, the Shoreline Preservation Fund is
Also setting precedence for the possible formation of similar groups on other
Campuses. "Our organization is a result of a grassroots effort which recognized
A need for these funds in the local community to care for its coast. Our hope
Is that students on other college campuses can form similar groups that will
Benefit the unique needs of their local communities."
The goal of the Shoreline Preservation Fund is to preserve, protect, and enhance the terrestrial and marine habitats associated with the shoreline of the University of California, Santa Barbara. The SPF provides funds for projects that seek to preserve, enhance, or restore these areas or to educate the community at UCSB about the ecological value of this coastal ecosystem. The SPF also provides funds to create safe and open access to the UCSB shoreline and to
Help keep these areas clean. Projects will be considered on the basis of merit, importance to the goals of the SPF, and the qualifications of the applicants to
Carry out the proposed project.
Applications for funding and general information can be obtained by
Contacting (805) 893-5166 or downloaded electronically at
Http://orgs. sa. ucsb. edu/spf/ (http://orgs. sa. ucsb. edu/spf/). Applications are due on April 7, 2000 for Fall
Quarter 2000 Funding.
The Shoreline Preservation Fund was formed as a result of a ballot measure
Passed in the 1999 UCSB elections, which locked-in $3.00 of Undergraduate and
Graduate fees for the preservation and maintenance of the UCSB shoreline.