one more note...i have just finished training on Santa Barbara Island to lead hikes. I am now certified on 4 of the 5 islands. I hope to complete San Miguel Island as scheduling permits. (this is landing cove...it was a lovely day)

Santa Rosa Island and Santa Barbara Island

The hikes out to the outer islands (Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa and San Miguel) are few and far (at lease a 2.5 hour boat ride) between. 

This summer i took my two youngest sons to explore SRI a few days before i lead a hike! We had a super hike and sighted a deer bounding away from the sound my middle son was making with his metal canteen. He was using it as a bat hitting rocks off it and it actually sounded like a loud bang. If you are a deer...maybe it sounded somewhat like a gun shot?

The ranching era is at the very end of its history on this island. The Vail/Vickers have their final hunts arranged and the park service will remove (shoot) the remaining animals (deer and elk). I believe the horses will live out their natural lives on the island. When a google search is done on this topic, the results are a bit in favor of the ranching era. I do want to point out that there is a flip to the coin and those interested can with due diligence find the other side to the story.

There is a story as to why the island was purchased. There is also a restoration story of getting the island to come back from ranching period (introduced animals and plants and their effects) to a natural balance. There are two sides (at least) to every story.

Pier construction almost complete, which will make landing easier!

A very quiet campground (water and showers available)

Marine cut terrace

Common dolphin on the way

Beautiful white sandy beaches

1/2 way through the Cherry Cyn Loop hike

VIP Anacapa Island

Approximately once a month (or so) i am fortunate to have a weekend volunteering on Anacapa Island as the overnight VIP. If i am the only volunteer on the island i do the morning report, meet the boat(s) and lead the hikes, and in general help out where needed. The times i have been out have all been fantastic and have been meet with different experiences.

Can you imagine being on an island by yourself?  I have come close and post when that actually happens. The summer months are way busy with western gull nesting season, live dive programs and the newly introduced live hikes!  This of course is intermixed with the campers, kayakers (doesn't like my spelling here) and day visitors!

Work Leader Anacapa Island (ice plant removal)

Some processes in life take patience, but the completion of Work Leader for Anacapa Island had been accomplished. Work Leader volunteers partner in conjunction with Channel Islands Restoration (CRI) and the National Park Service with the eventual goal of eradicating the introduced plant by 2016. The trips are free on the national park service boat, i believe most months go out twice.  www.nps.gov/chis and look for volunteer opportunities!

School group volunteers!

Western Gull resting on introduced ice plant

Anacapa Island lighthouse

Open Classroom visits Santa Cruz Island

The "goal" for me this past year at open classroom was to introduce students to the national park they look at everyday but is an ocean crossing away.  Since my son has graduated from middle school i will no longer be volunteering at this school's location. However, i can comfortably say that the parents and teachers felt engaged by the final field trip. Of course this type of excursion is not everyone's cups of tea, but those who went got to find out in personal experience which i am so thrilled about. The middle school science teacher Jeff hopes to start a hiking club, and wow what a great location the islands are for this! It was an awesome year, thnx OC.

Open Classroom visits Santa Cruz Island

Island Fox

After orientation, time for snack, guess whose visiting then...endemic island fox

Up to Cavern Point

The students had a lovely hike lead by Island Packer's naturalists, both reported the students engaged and had awesome behavior :)

AN UPDATE :)

Two sessions have followed my last update. Open Classroom has played Island Jeopardy and made prints of island endemics. 

The Jeopardy game was played with an answer sheet in each category the kids could pick from. I have to say if I could do it again I would use smaller groups. The questions were from the park website and hike narrative but easy enough so the kids could deduct the answers from the answer sheet. Even with my partner it was way wild!

The island endemic prints were made after a very quick talk about Andy Warhol. Some of the prints ended up with realistic colors but the intent was to use unrealistic colors and just have fun with creating art. My partner Callie (who loves the island theme this year will carry it on next year) showed a park movie (from website) and did a talk while we were going wild in another room. It took me awhile to make the stencils from pictures i have taken in the past. This was a very labor intensive project, but also the most fun so far!