Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve protects a wide variety of coastal and estuarine habitats. Largely undisturbed coastal dunes support a rich assemblage of dune vegetation and has become a nesting site for the endangered Snowy Plover. In the heart of the reserve, Devereux Slough is a seasonally flooded tidal lagoon that dries out in the summer to form salt flats and hypersaline ponds and channels. A
variety of intertidal habitats occur along the sandy beach and the large rocky reef at the point. Coal Oil Point Reserve is part of Audubon's designated Goleta Coast Important Bird Area (IBA). Located adjacent to the Santa Barbara campus, the reserve provides a unique and accessible research and teaching resource. It is used by many university courses for field studies. The reserve is also used and enjoyed by school children for field trips, birders, and the general public.
