HISTORIC DIVERSITY : MILLENNIA OF UNIQUE LIFE : CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Excerpt:  The northern Channel Islands were home to Native Chumash communities for at least 12,000 years. The eight islands and their encircling waters host over 2,000 species of animals and plants – 145 found nowhere else on Earth. Often referred to as the Galapagos of North America, isolation over thousands of years and the mingling of warm and cold ocean currents has given rise to this rich biodiversity. Today, five of the islands, their submerged lands, and the waters within one nautical mile of each island are protected as Channel Islands National Park, which was established in large part to protect these unique natural and cultural resources. Enjoy this virtual presentation about the diverse history, geography, and unique flora and fauna of the islands and the people who protect them.

CALIFORNIA CHANNEL ISLAND and MARINE PROTECTED AREAS EXPANSION PROPOSED

SBCK OUR WORK ADVOCACY click for the details and how you might get involved!

The Santa Barbara Channel is protected by a network of 19 MPAs, five along the coast and 14 surrounding the Channel Islands. Each MPA was designated to set aside a particularly special area of the marine environment to create a robust network of protection covering over 350 square miles.

There is now a drive to expand these areas: KEYT NEWS SANTA BARBARA 

Excerpt:  Last year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) publicly released the first 10 year comprehensive review of the MPA Network, and how to prioritize management of the area. It included 28 adaptive management recommendations and potential changes spanning 2023 to 2033.

... the proposal could impact commercial and sport fishing off Anacapa Island, Santa Cruz Island and, Santa Rosa Island by expanding current restrictions.

EXPLORE - LIVE CAMS - OCEANS - CHANNEL ISLANDS KELP FOREST OFF ANACAPA

Check out this site which also has live cams for many other ocean environments and more. It's exciting!  

EXPLORE - LIVE CAMS - OCEANS

CHANNEL ISLANDS MARINE SANCTUARY : TWENTY SEVEN DIFFERENT SPECIES OF WHALES AND DOLPHINS and PINNEPEDS GALORE!

CHANNEL ISLANDS NOAA MARINE SANCTUARY 

• Twenty-seven different species of whales and dolphins visit or call Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary their home including the world's largest congregation of blue whales. Other species include fin, humpback, and gray whales. Common dolphins, orcas, and Risso's dolphins also frequent the region.

• Five species of pinnipeds, including California sea lions, elephant seals, and harbor seals depend on the sanctuary for feeding and breeding.

• Sixty species of seabirds including the rare Scripps's murrelet and California brown pelican nest, feed, and migrate here.

KELP FORESTS : PARTNERSHIP FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES OF COASTAL OCEANS (PISCO) FOUR CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITIES INVOLVED IN LONG TERM RESEARCH

 PISCO; KELP FORESTS

Excerpts: Much of the extraordinary production of kelp falls to the ocean floor, like leaf litter in terrestrial forests.  There, it either remains to support productive and species rich detritus-based forest food webs, or is exported by currents to adjacent ecosystems where it fuels food webs on sandy beaches, deep rocky reefs or submarine canyons.  Among the many species that inhabit kelp forests are a wide variety of economically important species such as sea urchins, abalone, lobster, sea cucumbers, rockfishes and other finishes, as well as s endangered species including abalone and southern sea otters.  The kept itself is harvested to feed abalone in aquaculture facilities and for use in a number of human products.  The forests also support economically important eco-tourism, including kayaking, bird and marine mammal watching and scuba diving.

_____________

PISCO was established in 1999  by scientists from four core campuses,  Oregon State University, Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station, University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Clarify Santa Barbara.