Yep, he’s back. Professor Ed Keller is a UCSB Professor of Environmental Studies, Earth Science, and Geography, and his latest weekly column about the natural history of Santa Barbara appears on page 2 of the Santa Barbara News Press every Thursday. Ed’s column is part of the public service mission of UCSB, without payment from the News Press, and your editor is proud to contribute to this outreach effort by continuing to edit Ed’s articles.
In his inaugural column on September 8, Ed stated: “The stories we will present in this column in coming weeks are an extension of my imagination, training, and wish to communicate the natural history of Santa Barbara where I have lived and worked for over 40 years. The column is dedicated to the people of Santa Barbara today and to the next generation who will become responsible for the land we love.”
“The purpose of the stories is to present the complex natural history and environment of Santa Barbara within a framework of sustainability. Over the coming weeks, I will discuss some of the interesting aspects of our landscape, including: the “Big Picture” of the Santa Barbara landscape; the history of Mission Creek; the origin of Skofield and Rocky Nook Parks; the origin of our coastal lagoons and salt marshes; our natural hazards, especially earthquakes, landslides, and wildfire; and long-term management of land and water resources, such as Goleta Beach and Shoreline park, among others. The stories will come from previous columns that I presented in the SBNP over a year ago, updated with material from a book I have recently finished called “Santa Barbara, Land of Dynamic Beauty: A Natural History.” The book is being sold at my cost as it is a public service project as part of my UCSB professional activity. I acknowledge the assistance of Valery Rivera Keller for content and ideas and Bill Norrington of the Department of Geography for helpful comments and editing.”
