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Eastern Santa Cruz Island illustrates the processes of a national park in transition. Although Santa Cruz Island was included as part of Channel Islands National Park when it was designated on March 5, 1980, it wasn't until February, 1997, that the entire eastern 10% of the island (6,200 acres) came under public ownership and management by the National Park Service. The other 90% of Santa Cruz Island is owned by The Nature Conservancy, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of natural diversity. Together, the Park and The Nature Conservancy have teamed to preserve and protect the island's cultural and biological diversity, it's pre-historic and historic resources and to restore vital habitat for scores of marine and terrestrial plant and animal species.

BRINGING BACK THE NATIVES

To protect the island’s natural and cultural resources and begin the restoration of native communities, the National Park Service has begun removing the non-native feral sheep from the island. After 130 years of sheep grazing, large portions of eastern Santa Cruz Island have been overgrazed, devastated and reduced to non-native grasslands, with smaller islands of chaparral and coastal sage scrub. Grazing also has greatly accelerated natural erosion throughout the area. As personal property of the former owners, the sheep are being rounded up and shipped off the island.

Although The Nature Conservancy successfully eradicated sheep on its property in the 1980s, the entire island is impacted by non-native, feral pigs. Pigs occur island-wide and are extremely destructive to native vegetation and animal life. Their rooting, likened to rototilling, when looking for food causes increased soil erosion and has directly impacted several plant species proposed for listing as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Archeological sites, especially those located in caves, have also been heavily impacted by rooting and bedding behavior. The pigs, as an alien species, also must be removed for the process of restoration of native communities to begin. The park hopes to begin eradicating pigs this year. Once the sheep and pigs have been removed, the resulting improvement in native vegetation cover on eastern Santa Cruz will not only greatly improve the visitor experience, but also will increase habitat for native animal species like the endemic island jay and fox.

REDUCING THE FLOODS

In the long term, revegetation, reduced erosion and healthier riparian zones should result in less flooding of historic ranch buildings at Scorpion Ranch and primary visitor use areas. However, with the current situation, flooding continues to be a problem. Last year’s El Nino phenomenon had a huge, devastating impact. During the night of December 5, 1997, over 12 inches of rain fell on eastern Santa Cruz Island, sending over 560 million gallons of water down the valley.

Flood waters crested at almost four feet above the valley floor, inundating the area with mud and alluvial deposits over two feet high. This torrent destroyed the campground and caused extensive damage to trails, property and the structures in the historic ranch area. The morning after the deluge Scorpion Valley resembled a delta.

RESTORATION

To date, completed work to restore the damaged areas has included: removing hazardous trees that had been severely weakened by the flood; finding and removing barbed wire and ranch implements displaced and buried by mud; clearing the creek and campgrounds of mud deposition and debris; replacing picnic tables and fire rings; repairing the well and constructing a new pumphouse; and restoring and replacing the historic bunkhouse, built in 1918, back on its foundation--flood waters had moved it 30 feet.

The restoration process, however, is not over. Current projects include: retrofitting and restoring the historic adobes and gardens at the Scorpion and Smugglers Ranch to their early 20th century state so that they can be preserved and opened to the public; constructing temporary housing for park employees in order to move them out of the historic structures; replacing and bringing up to code the outdated septic systems; removing trash and debris left over from the previous owners and the flood; non-native weed control; restoration of native vegetation; and construction of a pier for visitor access.

Please be aware of and understand the need for restoration and construction activities during this period. Although the National Park Service staff will make every effort to limit the impact of these activities upon your island experience, some disturbance may occur. Please remember that all of this work, from non-native feral animal removal to vegetative restoration, will help protect, preserve and provide for your enjoyment of the natural and cultural wonders of east Santa Cruz Island, the newest addition to Channel Islands National Park.

PLEASE PARDON US DURING THIS RESTORATION AND CONSTRUCTION PERIOD

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