Last updated: March 19, 2021
Place
East Point
Tim Hauf, timhaufphotography.com
Quick Facts
Amenities
1 listed
Scenic View/Photo Spot
Rich tidepools mixed with sandy beaches blanket the East Point area making it a popular hiking destination for visitors.
Munchkin Dudleya
The munchkin dudleya or munchkin live-forever (Dudleya gnoma) is a rare species of succulent plant in the stonecrop family that is endemic to Santa Rosa Island. It exists in only one single population composed of about 3,200 plants in three colonies near East Point.
The NPS protected this unique species by fencing off the population from nonnative herbivores. Today, with the nonnative herbivores removed, the munchkin dudleya along with another nearby endemic, the Santa Rosa Island live-forever (Dudleya blochmaniae subsp. insularis), are both recovering. However, with a limited gene pool and the fact that a single severe event, such as a drought, could eliminate the entire population, monitoring and research of these species still continues.