Natural history collections and collection-based research are vital to discovering, understanding, and documenting biodiversity and to informing public policy on such issues as invasive species, climate change, evolution, and emerging public health threats. Natural history collections represent the irreplaceable documentation of life on Earth. The Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) houses the UCSB Natural History Collections including herpetology, other vertebrates, vascular plants, lichens, algae, invertebrate zoology and several other small botanical and zoological collections. The collections are available for use by university faculty, researchers, staff, and students as well as community members, including biological consultants, governmental agencies, and K-12 educators and their students. Gifts to the UCSB Natural History Collections support the curation, maintenance, and access to these valuable collections.