August 16, 2010

UCSB's Sedgwick Reserve is Off-Limits to Deer Hunters

Deer-hunting season opened on Saturday, August 14, in many parts of Santa Barbara County, and hunters are reminded that the 5,900-acre Sedgwick Reserve in the Santa Ynez Valley is an off-limits, no-hunting zone. Managed by UC Santa Barbara for the University of California, the reserve is used year-round by university researchers, students, schoolchildren, and others. The potential for a serious accident from any hunting activity at the site is very high.

Violators of the Sedgwick Reserve's ban on hunting face felony prosecution.

The California Department of Fish and Game coordinates efforts to keep poachers off the reserve, in conjunction with the UCSB Police Department, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department. UCSB police officers plan to increase their patrols of the reserve throughout the hunting season to protect university facilities and personnel. The deer-hunting season continues through September 26.

The Sedgwick Reserve is one of seven natural reserves managed by UC Santa Barbara. The University of California is responsible for oversight of 36 reserves throughout the state.

For more information concerning the Segwick Reserve, contact Kate McCurdy, reserve director or Sue Eisaguirre, education coordinator, at (805) 686-1941. They can be reached by e-mail at mccurdy@lifesci.ucsb.edu and eisaguirre@lifesci.ucsb.edu.

For more information about the hunting ban, contact Sgt. Matthew Bowman, UCSB Police Department, at (805) 893-4063 or matt.bowman@police.ucsb.edu.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.