UC Santa Cruz begins building biology center this fall

By Kara Guzman

kguzman@santacruzsentinel.com @karambutan on Twitter

SANTA CRUZ >> Construction will begin in November on a $54 million UC Santa Cruz coastal biology building on the marine science campus.

Expected to be complete by fall 2016, the 40,000-square-foot building the new home for UCSC's ecology and evolutionary biology department includes a marine life teaching lab, greenhouses and a 125-seat classroom.

The state-funded project also includes a $19 million upgrade to roads, parking, pathways and underground utilities on the marine science campus, located near Natural Bridges State Beach.

The project is the first on UCSC's Coastal Long Range Development Plan, approved by the California Coastal Commission in 2009 after an eight-year process.

Next up is the $6.8 million expansion of UCSC's marine mammal pools, likely to start in 2015, said Gary Griggs, director of UCSC's Institute of Marine Sciences. Funds are still being raised for the last major project, a new wing for the Center for Ocean Health, he said.

According to the plan available at lrdp.ucsc.edu 72 of the marine science campus's 98 acres are set aside for environmental preservation as part of the Younger Lagoon Reserve. The new building will overlook this lagoon, beach, marsh and coastal bluff habitat.

Peter Raimondi, ecology and evolutionary biology department head, said the building's natural surroundings will offer students good research and field experience.

But perhaps the location's biggest advantage, said Raimondi, is its proximity to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Marine Fisheries Service and nonprofits such as the Nature Conservancy.

More here:
UC Santa Cruz begins building biology center this fall