Channel Islands National
Park - California
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Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park consists of five of the eight
Channel Islands off the coast of California,
in the Pacific Ocean. Although the islands are close to the
shore of densely-populated Southern California, their isolation
has left them relatively undeveloped. Channel Islands National
Park is home to a wide variety of significant natural and
cultural resources. It was designated a U.S. National Monument
on April 26, 1938, and a National Biosphere Reserve in 1976. It
was promoted to a National Park on March 5, 1980.
More than 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found
within the park. However only three mammals are endemic to the
islands, one of which is the deer mouse which is known to carry
the sin nombre hantavirus. Spotted Skunk and Channel Islands Fox
also are endemic. The Island fence lizard is also endemic to the
Channel Islands. Other animals in the park include Island Scrub
Jay, harbor seal, California sea lion, island fox, spotted
skunk, island night lizard, barn owl, American kestrel, horned
lark and meadowlark and California brown pelican. One hundred
and forty-five of these 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 ever to live on earth. Archeological and cultural
resources span a period of more than 10,000 years.
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Welcome from the Channel Islands National Park's
Superintendent
The park staff and I wish to welcome you to Channel Islands
National Park, one of North America’s magnificent treasures.
Close to the California mainland, yet worlds apart, the park
encompasses five of the eight California Channel Islands (Anacapa,
Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara) and
their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth
of natural and cultural resources. The park bridges two
biogeographical provinces, and in a remarkably small place,
harbors the biologic diversity of nearly 2,500 miles of the
North American coast. The Channel Islands and their
encircling waters are home to over 2,000 plants and animals,
of which 145 are found nowhere else in the world. Like the
Galapagos Islands of South America, isolation has allowed
evolution to proceed independently on the islands. Marine
life ranges from microscopic plankton to the blue whale, the
largest animal to live on earth. Archeological and cultural
resources span a period of more than 10,000 years of human
habitation.
The protection of these fragile island resources was ensured
when Congress, in the act that created Channel Islands
National Park in 1980, established a long-term ecological
monitoring program to gather information on the current
health of resources and predict future conditions. This
information provides park and natural resource managers with
useful products for recreation planning, conservation and
restoration programs, and early identification of critical
issues.
Channel
Islands National Park Website
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