The Islands

Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, San Nicholas, san Clemente

Resting in what resembles a megalodon-sized shark bite out of the California mainland, the Channel Islands lie within the Southern California Bight, a curvaceous expanse of water abutting three hundred miles of coastline. Because these semi-wild islands first rose from the sea two million years ago, there evolved eight unique ecosystems, each surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. One hundred forty-five plants and animals that have made their home on the Channel Islands are found nowhere else on the planet—hence their nickname: North America’s Galapagos.

Wildlife

Evolution In Isolation

The Channel Islands are critically important to twelve species of seabirds who use the islands to forage and nest in relatively predator-free environments. Ten species of mammals, excluding bats, are indigenous to the islands. The island fox, spotted skunk, Santa Catalina ornate shrew, deer mouse, harvest mouse, and Beechey ground squirrel exist today, while the giant island deer mouse, San Miguel Island vole, Anacapa mouse, and both the Columbian and pygmy mammoth are extinct. Pygmy mammoths, together with the likes of the island fox and the Santa Cruz Island scrub-jay, demonstrate an ingenious attribute of island evolution that contributes to the allure of island life and lore.

Archaeology

ISLANDS OF DISCOVERY

“The Channel Islands contain an archaeological record capable of playing a role in research issues and questions of global significance.” Torben Rick, Smithsonian Institution.

The National Park Service deems the archaeological sites located on the Northern Channel islands, “among the most valuable in North America, if not the world. . . .[because they] have the potential to inform on aspects of prehistory and history that cannot be adequately revealed through archaeological research on the mainland.”