With much sadness, we have learned that Geoffrey Jewel, CIR Board Member and a beloved advocate for environmental science and conservation in our community, has recently passed away.

His passing leaves us shocked and saddened and he will forever be remembered as part of the CIR family. Our thoughts go out to Geoffrey’s spouse; his family; his colleagues at UCSB, and our broader CIR community who knew and loved Geoffrey.

Geoffrey loved native plants and especially focused on species that sustain insect and bird fauna. At home, he invested tremendous effort in growing native milkweeds to attract monarch butterflies to lay eggs on the plants that provided food for the caterpillars.

Geoffrey paid attention to the health of plant communities. I have never met anyone more enthusiastic than Geoffrey about pulling invasive weeds to allow natives to thrive.

Geoffrey freely shared his knowledge of natural history and led many field trips to his beloved Channel Islands and other field sites to explore and restore native habitats.

CIR, together with the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UCSB, have set up the Geoffrey Jewel Memorial Fund as a way to commemorate and celebrate Geoffrey’s life in support for an organization and a cause that he loved.

All donations will go toward remembering Geoffrey’s legacy and continuing to build upon the environmental conservation and educational outreach that he cared deeply for and supported.

Our shared memories of Geoff and his many lasting contributions will endure as a remarkable part of our vibrant community in Santa Barbara.

Please consider a donation to CIR in memory of Geoffrey. If you would like, your donation will be memorialized on this page and our quarterly newsletter.