Feeling like there was an inadequate amount of greenspace in and around the UCSB, ELI students, Tanner Ellison and Emily Hernandez, got to work on adding a small garden study space to the campus. Tanner and Emily wanted to encourage people to spend more time outdoors amongst plants and sunlight. The hope was that this could help provide a bright spot in a person’s day and they can feel a little better having enjoyed some time outside.
The garden features exclusively California native plants such as the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum). The poppies in the garden are actually the specific genotype for Goleta poppies. These plants were acquired through the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) to ensure that they were, in fact, all native. The selection of which plants to use was a collaboration with CCBER as well as the American Indian and Indigenous Student Association (AIISA). Tanner and Emily wanted to feature native plants to showcase the beauty that Californian plants have to offer and show that we don’t need to bring in plants from all over the world to make a stunning garden. Local plants can be used and still look fantastic without the danger of accidentally introducing non-native or invasive species to a region.
This new study space is located just east of Building 477 at the Annex. It lies on a small patch of previously unused grass. Now, the space features a wooden picnic table and three garden beds, all made of long-lasting redwood. The beds are irrigated to provide a slow trickle of water to the plants.
The garden was funded by Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA), the Coastal Fund, the Environmental Leadership Incubator, and The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF). With the amazing support of those three groups, what began as a small idea blossomed into a much larger project. Once this location was chosen, the original plan was for a single table and garden bed, but after Tanner and Emily had some very successful meetings, the scope of the garden grew. Health and Wellness has volunteered to keep the garden going in the long run, after the student organizers graduate. Tanner and Emily hope that people will continue to make use of this space and enjoy their contribution to the UCSB campus.
