Mrs. Pérez's Field Report

Exploring the California Channel Islands

Located off the coast of southern California there are eight Channel Islands, five of which comprise the Channel Islands National Park – Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara. Together with their surrounding ocean they form a marine sanctuary providing refuge for such animals as sea lions, brown pelicans, harbor seals, cormorants, and dolphins. In addition, there are many species of plants native to the islands that are protected. The Chumash made their homes here possibly as far back as 13,000 years ago until they were removed to the missions in the early 1800s.

It was a cool, cloudy day in August when I had the opportunity to board an Island Packers boat and sail out to Anacapa Island which supports a lighthouse plus a few other buildings belonging to the U.S. Coast Guard. While only 14 miles from Ventura Harbor, the trip took about 2 ½ hours partially due to the fact that we stopped on numerous occasions to circle among a pod of about 1000 common dolphins and engage them in play. I was anxious to see the island. When the fog lifted and it finally came into view, I learned that it actually has three sections aptly named East, Middle, and West Anacapa. We sailed slowly along the shores which have no beaches only shear uprisings of rocky cliffs. The water is incredibly clear and blue-green revealing to the careful observer a variety of tropical wildlife. Brown pelicans were nesting on Frenchy’s Cove. A number of scuba divers were active at the Landing Cove where we disembarked. Once off the boat, we immediately had to climb 154 steps to the top of the island. Our guided tour covered the island’s full length -- one square mile -- out to Inspiration Point and back. Along the way, we learned much about island wildlife, plant life, and history. Our guide, Jean, had also prepared several living specimens to share with us from a dive on the previous day – various star fish, a sea slug, a sea cucumber, a sea anemone, and kelp. Our return trip was somewhat shorter but much rougher since the clouds had settled back over the ocean. It was windy, cold, and wet, but we were escorted safely into the harbor by a friendly bottlenose dolphin.

We spent the rest of our time in the beautiful coastal city of Santa Barbara. Our next expedition led us to the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. Similar to the Living Desert Reserve in the Coachella Valley, the Gardens’ 65 acres feature over 1000 species of native California plants arranged by their natural habitats – meadow, canyon, redwood forest, desert, and island. We hiked through the Island Section and were instructed about many of the different types of plants found on the Channel Islands including the Torrey Pine and Ironwood which is different from our desert variety. Later, docents gave us information regarding the many Chumash uses of plants such as the yucca with which they made food, shelter, clothing, ceremonial, and other utilitarian objects.

The last stop on our adventure was the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The museum houses several displays including insects, birds, and, of particular interest to us, Chumash Indian artifacts. We spent time looking at many things they used in their daily life on the islands. I was most fascinated by the fact that they are primarily recognized for their creation of bead money used by a wide range of Native American tribes throughout the area. We learned about how they constructed their bright red tomols, driftwood canoes, and viewed one that was created for the museum. There was also a discussion of the significance of rock art found in many caves around the islands. Later, we were given a tour of the anthropology department at the museum where artifacts are studied and preserved. We were even allowed entrance to a special climate controlled room where a large collection of Native American baskets are stored.