#51 May 5, 2026

[Eric Zimmerman]

 

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IMPORTANT REGISTRATION DATES & DEADLINES:

 

5/6/26              ES Manley Lecture w/Wade Crowfoot @ 3:30-5:30 
in UCSB’s Corwin Pavillion  RSVP if you can here!

 

5/11/26            Fall Registration Pass #1 starts. Check GOLD for your exact
pass day and time!

 

5/15/26            ES Darcy Lecture on “Oil and Water on the Central Coast”
@ 5:30-7:30 pm, CEC Hub, 1219 State Street, SB
RSVP here!

- View SPRING Quarter Registration Deadlines here.
- View Registration Pass Times & Info here.

- View Info & Deadlines for Declaring Candidacy to Graduate

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GRADUATING ES SENIORS – SAVE THE DATE!

For the 2026 Environmental Studies Commencement Celebration and Awards Presentation on Friday, June 12th, 3:30-5:00pm in the Bren Hall Courtyard. Each academic year the Environmental Studies Program enjoys hosting a celebratory reception and awards presentation in honor of the year's graduating Environmental Studies seniors. If you're graduating this year, we invite you, your family, and friends to join us.  During the reception several Environmental Studies faculty say a few words as well as present the Environmental Studies Program's senior awards to students who've demonstrated outstanding academic performance and service. Recipients of these awards will be announced in late May.  So be sure to 'Save the Date' now and you can find more information about the last year's award winners and this year’s celebration on the ES Commencement & Awards Webpage.

 

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INDEX:

 

1)  LATE NOTICE, BUT TONIGHT: Santa Barbara Audubon Society SB Museum 
    of Natural History hosting Scott Weidensaul “Saving Birds to Save the Planet”
    - Tuesday, May 5 | Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Fleischmann Auditorium
    7:00 PM  NOTE:  $10 general admission.

 

2)  Exciting Opportunity:  Fireside Chat on Ocean and Environmental Policy 
    Issues with U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02), Ranking Member of 
    the House Natural Resources Committee and distinguished UC Santa Barbara alumnus.

    - Thursday, May 7th, 9-11 AM  UCSB Marine Science Institute Auditorium

 

3) STEM Faculty Panel on Experiences of Professors of Color
    - Wednesday, May 6th at 5:30 PM in ESB

 

4)  The UCSB Edible Campus Program is offering volunteering opportunities to 
    members of the Isla Vista and UCSB communities. We aim to teach sustainable 
    gardening practices and address food insecurity in the IV community through 
    volunteers in our community gardens.

 

5)  The UCSB Geography Club is hosting an undergraduate research 
    symposium and we would love to spread the word to folks in the ES major.

 

6)  The Bren Environmental Justice Club invites you to attend the 8th Annual 
    Environmental Justice Symposium: Power, Place, & Possibilities in Environmental Justice.

    Date: Friday May 15, 2026. 12:00 to 4:30pm. Bren Hall 1414, UCSB.

    Registration: Free! Please register via the form → EJ Symposium registration form 

 

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CONTENT:

1)  LATE NOTICE, BUT TONIGHT: Santa Barbara Audubon Society SB Museum of Natural History hosting Scott Weidensaul “Saving Birds to Save the Planet”
- Tuesday, May 5 | Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Fleischmann Auditorium | 7:00 PM  NOTE:  $10 general admission.

 

In his newest book, The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet, best-selling author and ornithologist Scott Weidensaul shows why we should never underestimate the resiliency of birds, and why creating a world that works for birds will work for everything, including us.  He’ll trace this inspiring arc from a tiny island off the Maine coast to the bird-rich Danube Delta on the Ukrainian border where even war has not stopped progress; from vulture restoration in the mountains of Bulgaria to oases of sanctuary for endangered seabirds in the highlands of Hawaiʻi, and across the world’s largest and most intact forest in Canada where Indigenous communities are permanently protecting hundreds of millions of acres of some of the most important migratory bird habitat on Earth, a win as well for social justice. This is a dose of optimism we all need.

 

Scott Weidensaul is the author of nearly 30 books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Living on the Wind and his the New York Times bestseller A World on the Wing. His latest book, The Return of the Oystercatcher, just released one week ago in April 2026, showcases what’s working for bird conservation around the world. Weidensaul is a contributing editor for Audubon magazine, a columnist for Bird Watcher’s Digest, and writes for a variety of other publications including Living Bird. 

 

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2)  YOU’RE INITED:  Fireside Chat on Ocean and Environmental Policy Issues with U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and distinguished UC Santa Barbara alumnus.

- Thursday, May 7th, 9-11 am,  UCSB Marine Science Institute Auditorium

 

(fireside chat 9-10 AM to be followed by a reception 10-11 AM)

We anticipate a rich discussion on current ocean and environmental policy topics affecting our local Santa Barbara community, state, and nation. 

 

Please see the attached flyer for details and registration; a few spots remain in this highly-anticipated event! Register here: https://forms.gle/PRHqG5qpF7TtMjaaA

 

See attached flier for more info!

 

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3) STEM Faculty Panel on Experiences of Professors of Color
- Wednesday, May 6th at 5:30 PM in ESB

 

World News 4 Dummies, a student-run news organization here at UCSB.

 

We’re currently collaborating with Los Ingenieros to host a panel centering the experiences of professors of color in STEM, and we would really appreciate your help sharing our flyer with your department.

 

The goal of this panel is to uplift and support students of color in STEM by giving them a space to hear directly from faculty who share their backgrounds. Students will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance and sit in while the panelists discuss their experiences navigating STEM fields and predominantly white academic spaces.

 

The panel is currently planned for Wednesday, May 6th at 5:30 PM in ESB, and will last about an hour. 

See attached flier or contact Jasmina Patchell <jpat...@ucsb.edu>

 

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4)  The UCSB Edible Campus Program is offering volunteering opportunities to members of the Isla Vista and UCSB communities. We aim to teach sustainable gardening practices and address food insecurity in the IV community through volunteers in our community gardens.

 

As a volunteer for the Edible Campus Program, you have the flexibility to choose where and when you would like to help out in our gardens, making it easy to fit into your schedule. 

 

We are hosting group volunteering events throughout May at our different IV and campus gardens. Below are links with more information for each upcoming event this quarter!

 

May 9th SML - FSH West Campus Garden

May 10th - St.Mikes Volunteer Day

May 13th - FSH Storke Volunteer Day

May 16th SML/Stewardship Saturday - Sueno Orchard Partnered with IVRPD

May 17th - UCSB Greenhouse and Garden Project Volunteer Day

May 23rd SML - Three Sisters Four Directions Garden

May 30th SML - FSH West Campus Garden

 

Every person's contribution counts in creating a better community through sustainable gardening! We look forward to seeing you in the Gardens :)

 

Contact Connor: sa-ecpv...@ucsb.edu

 

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5)  The UCSB Geography Club is hosting an undergraduate research symposium this month and we would love to spread the word to folks in the ES major.

 

The event is composed of undergraduate poster presentations in Ellison Courtyard and it is a good opportunity to practice scientific communication skills and networking. The event is open to any majors.

 

Here’s the quick rundown of the timeline for the event:

- Sign-ups are due exactly 1 week from today, undergraduates must fill out this form by the end of Friday, May 8th.

- Once they’re signed up, there’ll be a separate google form for them to submit their abstracts, due by Friday, May 15th.

- Then, if they’re a recipient of a poster printing scholarship (see form), we’ll need the posters in by Wednesday, May 20th (potentially 1-2 days earlier, we’re still figuring it out with SB print) to ensure they’re printed in time.

- The actual event will take place on Friday, May 22nd from 1-3 PM in the Ellison Courtyard.

 

Thank you for the help in advance! If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to shoot them at this email, geog...@ucsb.edu.

 

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6)  The Bren Environmental Justice Club invites you to attend the 8th Annual Environmental Justice Symposium: Power, Place, & Possibilities in Environmental Justice.

Date: Friday May 15, 2026. 12:00 to 4:30pm. Bren Hall 1414, UCSB.

Registration: Free! Please register via the form → EJ Symposium registration form 

 

The event will be followed by a reception.

 

Since 2019, the Bren EJ Symposium has been a graduate-student-led event that brings together students, faculty, activists, and local organizations involved in environmental justice. This year's theme is Power, Place, & Possibilities in Environmental Justice. The event will deconstruct and (re)imagine systems of power, focusing on global forces, domestic challenges, and the future of environmental justice in a critical moment. 

 

These are heavy times. Finding and holding onto community and purpose can feel impossible when there's so much to face. Showing up for each other, the work, and the future takes real effort, but gatherings like this stand as a reminder of what is possible when we create space to learn from one another and refuse to face these challenges alone.

 

We will host three student-moderated panels: 

 

The Power panel examines the intersection of power structures that shape environmental inequities through the lens of resource extraction. 

Panelists: Julie Maldonado & Mona Damluji

 

The Place panel will explore the relationship between communities, land, and water in Central California.

Panelists: MariaElena Lopez & Nayamin Martinez

 

The Possibilities panel will (re)imagine the future of environmental justice, education, activism, and the interconnections between them. 

Panelists: Timnit Kelefa & Kimiko Russell-Halterman

-- 
Eric D. Zimmerman  (he/him)
Student Services Manager, Lecturer
Environmental Studies, UC Santa Barbara

To schedule a Zoom advising appointment visit:
https://tinyurl.com/8nrcckds

       "Work Hard ~ Play Harder!"