Oxnard California - 34

dynamic food chain. Key to this is the island
fox. Wildlife Biologist Laura Shaskey leads its
monitoring program. In decline by 90 percent
in the late 1990s, even down to a population of
only 15 on Santa Rosa Island, this furry creature's presence is now so robust - estimates
over 3,000 on Santa Cruz alone - they were
delisted from endangered in 2016.
Humans can all too easily disrupt this

If people care
about the islands,
it'll continue to be
protected.

NATURE RULES THE ROOST
In addition to removing feral animals left
over from ranching days, relocating aerial
predators like golden eagles, reestablishing
the bald eagle population previously decimated by DDT contamination and tracking
wildlife year-round has helped to rebuild the

5 Musts for Going
Overland and
Undersea
MIX AND MATCH ENDLESS COMBINATIONS
OF ADVENTURE FOR ALL AGES AND
ACTIVITY LEVELS.

SPEND THE DAY
AT SMUGGLER'S
BEACH
If you have two days,
a full day's activity
is the trail up over
the north side of
Santa Cruz Island
to the south side.
Along the route, you
might encounter an
island fox or two,
and maybe a bald

34

2019 | VISITOXNARD.COM

eagle. Pack a picnic
and lunch where the
trail ends, opening to
a peaceful cove with
turquoise waters.
Explore nearby tidepools, walk along
the beach and don't
forget your rented
snorkel gear.

Park Guide Bethany Szczepanski
delicate balance. Rangers recount numerous
tales of intelligent foxes and ravens bogarting
jerky, car keys and even baby bottles. For
animals to stay wild and continue learning
natural hunting skills, Shaskey especially
stresses the importance of putting food in fox
boxes. "Foxes won't run away so quickly. We
encourage visitors not to approach or feed
the foxes hanging around. Though you can
take pictures and observe them."

FRIDAY SUNSET
HIKE TO CAVERN
POINT
Treasured bits and
bobs of cultural history occupy this twomile hike on Santa
Cruz Island. Keep
an eye out for piles
of glinting shells on
the ground - artifacts that date back
to the Chumash
native Americans.
The discovery of
the 13,000-year-old
"Arlington Springs
Man" Paleoindian
on Santa Rosa -
the oldest human
remains found in
North America - has

made the islands a
point of migration
study for archaeologists.
SPRINGTIME FIELDS
OF WILDFLOWERS
Anacapa in springtime lingers in winter's shades of green.
Just before the
western gulls arrive
for breeding comes
the spectacular wildflower show. Giant
coreopsis (tree sunflowers) blanket the
landscape leading to
Inspiration Point. On
a clear day, you can
see the other islands
in the distance.

HALF THE PARK IS UNDER WATER!
Whether one-cell plankton or pods of dolphins, the rich kelp forest habitat supports
1,000 different types of marine organisms for
food and shelter, protection from predators
and as a nursery to raise their young. Native
to neighboring Catalina Island, Park Ranger/
Marine Ecology and Park Diver Kelly Moore
tracks 70 different species aboard the Sea
Ranger II, managing a database going
36-years strong. She says the kelp forest
is easy to experience: "Not everyone is
scuba certified. All you need is a mask
and snorkel. In the first five-to-ten feet,
there are tons of fish right there. Put
your head down and see it with your
own eyes."
If you can't physically get to the
islands, visit Explore.org every Wednesday for Moore's interactive live-streaming. It's not unlike a NASA astronaut
coming to you live from space ... yet in this
case, under water.
An awe-inspiring experience, this unusual
California adventure only works with smart
planning. All rangers offer the same advice:
Begin your journey at the Channel Islands
National Park website (nps.gov/chis) and
coordinate with your party to simultaneously
book boat tickets (islandpackers.com), campsites (recreation.gov) and all rentals/tours
many months in advance. O

KAYAK THE
PAINTED CAVES
AT SUNRISE
Kayak in the early
morning, when
winds are calm, and
venture inside the
sea caves out around
Scorpion Anchorage
to discover huge marine mammals. For
the full experience,
book an interpretive
guide from Channel
Islands Adventure
Company (islandkayaking.com) or
Blue Ocean Kayaking
(blueoceankayaking.
com) well in advance. (If you're
going solo, McCaulley suggests

bringing a marine
handheld radio.)
EXPLORE THE KELP
FORESTS
Santa Cruz Island's
Scorpion Anchorage
falls within marine
protection, so its
habitat is dramatically different
from open fishing
areas. Enjoy wildlife
spotting right at the
ferry landing. The
embarrassment of
riches for divers offers everything from
Anacapa's Winfield
Scott boatwreck to
spots where you'll
be met by dozens of
curious sea lions.

OPPOSITE: 1 & 3: SHUTTERSTOCK; 2 & 5: BLAKE BRONSTAD; 4 & 6:ISLAND PACKERS/DOUG MANGUM

allows everything from the shipwrecks and
artifacts to the colorful vegetation to remain
pristine. Beginning as a National Monument in
1938, designation expanded to other islands
and surrounding marine areas, Congress
named the islands and surrounding ocean a
National Park in 1980. As a boaters' paradise,
waters teeming with warm water yellowtail,
white seabass and halibut are attractive
to recreational sportfishermen and
spearfishers. Law Enforcement Park
Ranger Merrill McCauley patrols the
islands' 13 marine protected areas on a
Ranger patrol boat. He stresses the need
to obtain maps and fishing licenses in
advance through CA Department of Fish
and Wildlife. "Unless you have a GPS or
you're familiar, there's nobody out there
or landmarks to mark them," he says.
McCauley suggests visitors make use of
GPS and chart plotters, as well as downloading the Whale Alert app (whalealert.
org) that warns when you've entered waters
where you're not supposed to go.



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