National park in California, United States
Channel Islands National Park
consists of five of the eight
Channel Islands
off the
Pacific
coast of the
U.S. state
of
California
. Although the islands are close to the shore of the densely populated state, they have been relatively undeveloped. The park covers 249,561 acres (100,994 ha), of which 79,019 acres (31,978 ha) are federal land.
[2]
Santa Cruz Island
, the largest of the eight, is divided between
The Nature Conservancy
and the National Park Service. The Nature Conservancy owns and manages the western 76 percent of the island, while the eastern 24 percent is owned and managed by the National Park Service.
[5]
The islands are home to significant natural and cultural resources, resulting in several designations.
Anacapa
and
Santa Barbara
islands were made a
national monument
in 1938. All eight islands became a
biosphere reserve
under
UNESCO
in 1976.
[6]
And five ? Anacapa, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz,
San Miguel
and
Santa Rosa
? were made constituent to the new national park on March 5, 1980.
[7]
[8]
Of these, all but Anacapa are in
Santa Barbara County
, the latter being in
Ventura County
.
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
encompasses the waters six nautical miles around Channel Islands National Park.
Park purpose
[
edit
]
As stated in the foundation document:
[9]
The purpose of Channel Islands National Park is to protect and connect the public to the nationally significant natural, scenic, wildlife, marine, ecological, historical, archeological, cultural, and scientific values of the Channel Islands in the state of California.
History
[
edit
]
Radiocarbon dating
of a fire area near Arlington Canyon on the northwest coast of Santa Rosa Island shows human habitation from at least 37,000 years
BP
, while a burned mammoth bone was dated at 30,000 years BP. Similar fire areas in the same vicinity were dated at 27,000 years BP and 17,000 years BP, also believed to have been made by man. Additionally, a burned dwarf mammoth in a shell
midden
was dated to 12,500 years BP. A fire pit in a midden-
humus
layer was dated at 11,900 years BP, while above this layer was a
stone chopper
with a butchered and burned mammoth dated 11,800 years BP. Several more fire areas were dated at 11,000 years BP, while human bones,
Arlington Springs Man
, are dated to 10,000 years BP. A circular fishhook was dated at 4,800 years BP. Huge shell mounds appear at 2,000 years BP, while a camp fire in Skull Gulch was dated at 330 years BP.
[10]
[11]
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo
first observed the islands in 1542. The three northern channel islands were inhabited by an estimated two to three thousand
Chumash
, with eleven villages on Santa Cruz, eight on Santa Rosa, and two on San Miguel.
[12]
[13]
[14]
In 1938 the
Santa Barbara
and
Anacapa
islands were designated a
national monument
.
San Miguel
,
Santa Rosa
and
Santa Cruz
islands were combined with the monument in 1980 to form modern-day Channel Islands National Park.
[13]
Oil spill
[
edit
]
On January 28, 1969 an
oil rig
belonging to
Union Oil
experienced a
blow-out
6 miles (9.7 km) off the coast of California.
[15]
The resulting spill was, at the time, the largest oil spill to occur in United States territorial waters. Crews took approximately 11 days to seal the rupture using a cement plug, during which approximately 200,000 US gallons (760,000 litres; 170,000 imperial gallons) of
crude oil
spilled into the
Pacific Ocean
, creating an
oil slick
with an area of about 800 square miles (2,100 km
2
).
[13]
[16]
Following the spill, tides carried the oil onto the beaches of the Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands.
[16]
This spill had a large impact on native wildlife of the Channel Islands. Much of the islands' seabird population was affected, with over an estimated 3,600
avians
killed. Meanwhile, seals, dolphins and other sea life died and washed ashore on both the islands and the mainland.
[16]
[17]
This spill is the third largest oil spill in the United States, only surpassed by the
Deepwater Horizon
and the
Exxon Valdez
oil spills.
[15]
It resulted in a 34,000 acres (14,000 ha) expansion of the
Department of the Interior
buffer zone in the channel and contributed to the formation of the
Environmental Protection Agency
.
[18]
The
State of California Department of Oil and Gas
noted 29 natural
oil seeps
between
Point Conception
and
Rincon Point
. The seeps were first noted by Father Pedro Font in 1776. Additionally,
tar
mounds are concentrated off the coast at Point Conception,
Coal Oil Point
, and
Carpinteria
. A natural oil seep also exists off the west coast of San Miguel Island. Finally, the distinctive odor of the
petroliferous
Monterey Shale
is evident on the eastern end of Santa Cruz Island. The Chumash used the tar and oil from these seeps for caulking and adhesives.
[11]
: 1?2
Geography
[
edit
]
The islands within the park extend along the Southern California coast from Point Conception near
Santa Barbara
to
San Pedro
, a neighborhood of
Los Angeles
. Park headquarters and the
Robert J. Lagomarsino
Visitor Center are located in the city of
Ventura
.
The park consists of 249,354 acres (100,910 ha), half of which are under the ocean, and includes the islands of:
Climate
[
edit
]
According to the
Koppen climate classification
system, Anacapa Island has a
Warm-summer Mediterranean climate
(
Csb
).
Climate data for Anacapa Island, elevation 36 ft (11 m), 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1981-2019
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °F (°C)
|
81.5
(27.5)
|
77.8
(25.4)
|
83.5
(28.6)
|
90.8
(32.7)
|
86.0
(30.0)
|
97.4
(36.3)
|
85.1
(29.5)
|
81.6
(27.6)
|
90.4
(32.4)
|
92.6
(33.7)
|
94.1
(34.5)
|
77.9
(25.5)
|
97.4
(36.3)
|
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)
|
62.4
(16.9)
|
61.4
(16.3)
|
62.0
(16.7)
|
63.6
(17.6)
|
64.9
(18.3)
|
66.8
(19.3)
|
68.8
(20.4)
|
69.7
(20.9)
|
70.1
(21.2)
|
69.0
(20.6)
|
65.9
(18.8)
|
61.8
(16.6)
|
65.6
(18.7)
|
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)
|
51.6
(10.9)
|
52.3
(11.3)
|
52.4
(11.3)
|
51.7
(10.9)
|
54.6
(12.6)
|
57.3
(14.1)
|
59.7
(15.4)
|
60.9
(16.1)
|
60.7
(15.9)
|
59.1
(15.1)
|
55.3
(12.9)
|
52.0
(11.1)
|
55.7
(13.2)
|
Record low °F (°C)
|
37.0
(2.8)
|
39.5
(4.2)
|
40.5
(4.7)
|
39.7
(4.3)
|
47.6
(8.7)
|
49.7
(9.8)
|
53.7
(12.1)
|
53.1
(11.7)
|
53.3
(11.8)
|
47.5
(8.6)
|
44.6
(7.0)
|
36.9
(2.7)
|
36.9
(2.7)
|
Average
precipitation
inches (mm)
|
2.70
(69)
|
3.03
(77)
|
1.87
(47)
|
0.72
(18)
|
0.11
(2.8)
|
0.01
(0.25)
|
0.02
(0.51)
|
0.03
(0.76)
|
0.35
(8.9)
|
0.54
(14)
|
0.96
(24)
|
1.55
(39)
|
11.89
(302)
|
Average
dew point
°F (°C)
|
45.2
(7.3)
|
47.0
(8.3)
|
49.1
(9.5)
|
49.1
(9.5)
|
52.9
(11.6)
|
55.9
(13.3)
|
58.6
(14.8)
|
59.6
(15.3)
|
58.7
(14.8)
|
55.0
(12.8)
|
48.4
(9.1)
|
44.1
(6.7)
|
52.0
(11.1)
|
Source: PRISM
[19]
|
Geology
[
edit
]
Weaver describes the
geologic province
of Anacapia as consisting of the islands of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa, plus the western portion of the
Santa Monica Mountains
. The province is to the south of the Santa Barbara
embayment
, and north of the Catalinia geologic province.
Mesozoic
in origin, the Anacapia province consists of
Late Cretaceous
to
Miocene
age
marine sedimentary
up to 23,000 feet thick, including 8,000 feet of
volcanic
rocks, overlain by
Pleistocene
terrace
formations
. Aligned with the Santa Monica mountains, the Northern Channel Islands form a mountain system 130 miles long. This island chain appears to be a
faulted
east-west trending
anticline
. Major faults include the Santa Cruz Island Fault and the Santa Rosa Island Fault.
[11]
: 1, 9
A
stratigraphic column
would start with the oldest rocks, the Santa Cruz Island
schist
, forming an elongated core of the island, 10 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. This schist is
intruded
by the
metamorphosed
Alamos
Tonalite
, which has been dated 145
Ma
. Just to the south of this schist is the Willows
Diorite
, also of the same age as the tonalite, or
Late Jurassic
. The only
Cretaceous
rocks consist of the
Jalama Formation
, found on San Miguel Island.
[11]
: 11?14, 119
Lower Tertiary
sequence of rocks are found within the Christi Anticline on the southwestern part of Santa Cruz Island. The sequence includes the Pozo Formation, Canada Formation, Jolla Vieja Formation, and the
Cozy Dell Formation
. San Miguel and Santa Rosa islands have the Middle to
Late Eocene
South Point Formation, while the Cozy Dell Formation is present on Santa Rosa, along with the
Sespe Formation
.
[11]
: 17?19, 37, 45?46, 120?121
Middle Tertiary formations found on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz include the
Vaqueros Formation
, while those two islands plus San Miguel have exposures of the
Rincon Formation
, and Monterey Formation. Santa Rosa and San Miguel have exposures of the basaltic and dacitic San Miguel Volcanics, which include
pillow structures
, while the San Onofre
Breccia
is found on Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa. Santa Rosa Island Volcanics consist mainly of basaltic breccia, which erupted about 19 Ma. San Miguel Volcanics consist of basalt and andesite flows, which erupted between 17-18 Ma. Santa Cruz Island (SCI) Volcanics on the north side of the island consist of
andesitic
flows and
volcaniclastics
, overlying the San Onofre Breccia, and dated at about 16 Ma. The eruptive center is east of Devils Peak, and juxtaposed against the west-northwest trending
strike-slip
Santa Cruz Island Fault to the south. These 2400 m of SCI Volcanics have been further subdivide into four
members
, consisting of the lowermost Griffith Canyon, followed by Stanton Ranch, Devil's Peak, and Prisoner's Harbor, the uppermost. The Griffith Canyon Member consists of
basaltic
and
andesitic
epiclastic volcanic breccias. The Stanton Ranch Member consists of andesitic flows, flow breccias, and
tuff
breccias. The Devil's Peak Member consists of
scoriaceous
andesitic and
dacitic
flows. The Prisoner's Harbor Member consists of andesitic and dacitic transitional to
rhyolitic
flows, flow breccias, and tuffaceous volcaniclastic beds.
Middle Miocene
Conejo Volcanics correlate with the bulk of Anacapa's lava flows, volcanic and volcaniclastic breccias, which consist of
vesicular
and
porphyritic
andesite erupting about 16 Ma. About 1700 m are exposed, with two strata of San Onofre Breccia interbedded at the base. Cores taken from the east end of the island are andesitic in composition. Santa Barbara Island consists of basalt-basaltic andesite and andesite volcanic flows, which erupted 15-17 Ma.
[11]
: 17, 48?55, 68?69, 80?83, 91, 121?122
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
During the
Late Pleistocene
, all of the islands were much closer to the mainland due to lower sea levels, and between 11,000 and 20,000 years BP, the islands remained connected to each other as
Santa Rosae
. The Pleistocene mammoths swam to Santa Rosae. However, the
pygmy mammoth
underwent
dwarfing
as the Channel Islands became isolated. Another species which became extinct was the
"giant" mouse
. Mammoth remains include those of
Mammuthus columbi
, while the remains of
Mammuthus exilis
have been found on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz, ranging in age from 12,840 to >47,000
YBP
. The 1994
Mammuthus exilis
discovery on Santa Rosa near Carrington Point, was the first example of an
in situ
, almost complete, articulated skeleton.
[10]
: 319, 320, 323
[11]
: 2, 83,
[25]
Other geologic features of note on the islands include
beachrock
,
eolianite
, and
caliche
pseudomorphs
.
[11]
: 84, 105?108
Flora and fauna
[
edit
]
More than 2,000
species
of plants and animals can be found within the park.
[26]
However, only three land
mammals
are native to the islands, one of which is the
deer mouse
(
Peromyscus maniculatus
) which is known to carry the
sin nombre
hantavirus
. The
spotted skunk
and
island fox
also are native, with the fox endemic to the islands. The
island fence lizard
[27]
is also endemic to the Channel Islands.
[28]
Other animals in the park include
island scrub jay
,
harbor seal
,
California sea lion
,
island night lizard
,
barn owl
,
American kestrel
,
horned lark
and
meadowlark
and California
brown pelican
. One hundred and forty-five species are unique to the islands and found nowhere else in the world. Marine life ranges from microscopic
plankton
to the endangered
blue whale
, the largest animal on earth. Archeological and cultural resources span a period of more than 10,000 years.
Headquarters and mainland visitor center
[
edit
]
The visitor center is located in the
Ventura Harbor
. The visitor center contains several exhibits that provide information regarding all five islands, native vegetation, marine life and cultural history. Also, visitors can enjoy a short film, free of charge, that provides an overview of all five islands. The visitor center is open every day, except Thanksgiving and Christmas, from 8:30AM?5:00PM.
[29]
The average annual visitation to the mainland visitor center was around 311,000 in the period from 2009 to 2018, with 366,250 visiting in 2018.
[4]
Recreation
[
edit
]
Channel Islands National Park recreational activities include backpacking, camping, day hiking, scuba diving, and spearfishing. Channel Islands National Park is renowned for its large number of complex, beautiful
sea caves
. Kayaking through the sea caves is popular.
Within the National Park, divers can also visit several wrecks, including the
Grumman TBF Avenger
and the
SS Winfield Scott
that are situated on the seafloor of
Anacapa State Marine Reserve
, on the north coast of Anacapa Island.
[30]
[31]
Based on ocean conditions and ferry availability, Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island is the most visited area in the park for day and camping visitors. Camping visitors arrive at Prisoners Harbor
[32]
on the north shore and stay in the valley beyond. A new island visitor center opened at Scorpion Ranch on Santa Cruz Island on April 6, 2009.
[33]
Although most visitation occurs in the summer, migrating gray whales and spectacular wildflower displays attract visitors in the winter and spring. Autumn is an excellent time to travel to the park, as well as for diving, as the days are usually sunny, with minimal winds and clear ocean water.
It is recommended that inexperienced visitors use caution when visiting the national park due to changing ocean conditions in this unique ecosystem. The National Park Service authorizes a small number of guide and outfitter services.
[34]
Visitation includes about 30,000 visitors traveling to the islands and another 60,000 who sail within park waters.
[
citation needed
]
Gallery
[
edit
]
Vessels
[
edit
]
The CINP unit operates several vessels in the waters of the park, including the following:
- Surf Ranger
LCM-8
landing craft, 74 ft.
[35]
- research diving boat
Pacific Ranger
56 ft.
[36]
- Sea Ranger II
58 ft.
[37]
- Ocean Ranger
100 ft.
[38]
[39]
- Sea Ranger
41 ft (retired).
[40]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Channel Islands"
.
protectedplanet.net
. Protected Planet
. Retrieved
May 29,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Listing of acreage ? December 31, 2012"
(XLSX)
. Land Resource Division, National Park Service
. Retrieved
September 22,
2013
.
(
National Park Service Acreage Reports
)
- ^
Carlson, Cheri (September 2, 2016).
"Bringing Channel Islands National Park to the people"
.
Ventura County Star
. Retrieved
September 5,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report"
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
March 6,
2019
.
- ^
"Santa Cruz Island"
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
July 13,
2011
.
- ^
"Biosphere Reserves ≫ United States of America - Channel Islands"
.
unesco.org
.
UNESCO
. November 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^
"Channel Islands National Park"
.
The National Parks: Index 2009?2011
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
July 13,
2011
.
- ^
96th U.S. Congress.
"An Act To establish the Channel Islands National Park, and for other purposes"
(PDF)
.
United States Government Printing Office
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
(
Pub. L.
Tooltip Public Law (United States)
96?199
, 94
Stat.
67
, enacted
March 5, 1980
)
- ^
"Foundation Document Channel Islands National Park"
(PDF)
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
May 25,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Orr, Phil (1967).
Geochronology of Santa Rosa Island, California
. Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens: Proceedings of the Symposium on the Biology of the California Islands. pp. 317?325.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Weaver, Donald (1969).
Geology of the Northern Islands
. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Special Publication. p. 2.
- ^
Chiles, Frederic (2015).
California's Channel Islands
. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 12,99.
ISBN
9780806146874
.
- ^
a
b
c
Channel Islands. (2016). In
Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^
Channel Islands National Park. (2016).
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
, 1p. 1.
- ^
a
b
"Brief Oil and Gas History of Santa Barbara County"
. Energy Division, Santa Barbara County. Archived from
the original
on May 27, 2011
. Retrieved
December 12,
2008
.
- ^
a
b
c
"1969 Oil Spill ? Summary Articles and Images"
.
www.geog.ucsb.edu
. Archived from
the original
on November 7, 2016
. Retrieved
October 14,
2016
.
- ^
"The 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill that changed oil and gas exploration forever"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
ISSN
0458-3035
. Retrieved
October 14,
2016
.
- ^
The 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill. (cover story). (2010).
Parks & Recreation
,
45
(11), 42.
- ^
"PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University"
. Retrieved
February 21,
2019
.
- ^
scholl, D.W. (1959). "exposures of San Onofre Breccia on Anacapa Island, California".
AAPG Bulletin
.
43
(1): 222.
- ^
Weigand, Peter (1993). Hochberg, F.G. (ed.).
Geochemistry and Origin of Middle Miocene Volcanic Rocks from Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands, Southern California Borderland
(PDF)
. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. pp. 22?26.
ISBN
9780936494050
.
- ^
Crowe, Bruce; McLean, Hugh; Howell, David; Higgins, Ralph (1976). Howell, David (ed.).
Petrography and Major-Element Chemistry of the Sanat Cruz Island Volcanics, in Aspects of the Geologic History of the California Continental Borderland, AAPG Miscellaneous Publication 24
. Pacific Section, American Association of Petroleum Geologists. p. 196.
- ^
Weigand, Peter; Savage, Karen; Reid, Tom; Chinn, Barbara (1998). Weigand, Peter (ed.).
Composition of Volcanic Rocks on Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara Islands, California, in Contributions to the Geology of the Northern Channel Islands, Southern California, MP-45
. Bakersfield: Pacific Section, American Association of Petroleum Geologists. p. 37.
- ^
Luyendyk, Bruce; Gans, Phil; Kamerling, Marc (1998). Weigand, Peter (ed.).
40Ar/39Ar Geochronology of Southern California Neogene Volcanism, in Contributions to the Geology of the Northern Channel Islands, Southern California, MP-45
. Bakersfield: Pacific Section, American Association of Petroleum Geologists. p. 15.
- ^
Agenbroad, Larry (1998).
New Pygmy Mammoth (Mammuthus exilis) Localities and Radiocarbon Dates from San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz Islands, California, in Contributions to the Geology of the Northern Channel Islands, Southern California, MP-45
. Bakersfield: Pacific Section, American Association of Petroleum Geologists. pp. 169?175.
- ^
Carlson, Cheri (March 6, 2015).
"Lookout tower gives glimpse underwater as Channel Islands park turns 35"
.
Ventura County Star
. Archived from
the original
on September 7, 2015
. Retrieved
March 7,
2015
.
- ^
William, Flaxington (2005).
"Photograph of the Island Fence Lizard"
. Calphotos
. Retrieved
September 22,
2013
.
- ^
Hogan, C. Michael (2008). Stromberg, Nicklas (ed.).
"Western fence lizard (
Sceloporus occidentalis
)"
. Globaltwitcher. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2012
. Retrieved
September 22,
2013
.
- ^
[1]
, Channel Islands National Park Basic Information
- ^
"Anacapa MPA"
.
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
. Retrieved
December 1,
2023
.
- ^
"Shipwrecks: The Winfield Scott"
.
National Park Services
. Channel Islands National Park California
. Retrieved
December 7,
2023
.
- ^
"Boating ? Channel Islands National Park"
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
September 22,
2013
.
- ^
"Public to Enjoy New Visitor Center and Exhibits on Santa Cruz Island"
. National Park Service. 2009
. Retrieved
April 13,
2014
.
- ^
"Visitor Services List ? Channel Islands National Park"
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
April 13,
2014
.
- ^
"Environmental Leadership In The National Parks"
(PDF)
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
September 22,
2013
.
- ^
"Channel Islands National Park Business Plan"
(PDF)
. National Park Service. 2004
. Retrieved
September 22,
2013
.
- ^
"20100604 - Channel Islands National Park - Anacapa Island - California (Travel)-A258973.JPG"
. Jason O. Watson Photography, LLC
. Retrieved
March 7,
2015
.
- ^
media at
https://www.nps.gov/chis/boatsafety.htm
- ^
"Announcement Details"
. Archived from
the original
on September 27, 2013
. Retrieved
June 1,
2013
.
- ^
Press release (October 17, 2001).
"Channel Islands National Park Christens New Boat"
. Retrieved
March 7,
2015
.
External links
[
edit
]
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