Santa Rosa Island, California

Coordinates: 33°′″N 120°′″W / 33.965681, -120.108369

Santa Rosa Island

Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 53,195 acres (215.27 km² or 83.118 sq mi). Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block 3009, Block Group 3, Census Tract 29.10 of Santa Barbara County, California, the 2000 census showed an official population of 2 persons. ^[1] It is part of Channel Islands National Park. Highest peak is Vail Peak, at 1589 feet (484 m).

Santa Rosa is located about 26 miles (42 km) off the coast of Santa Barbara, California in Santa Barbara County.

It is occupied by rolling hills, deep canyons, a coastal lagoon and beaches adorned with sand dunes and driftwood. The Chumash, a Native American people who lived in the Channel Islands at the time of European contact, called the driftwood wima because channel currents brought ashore logs from which they built tomols (plank canoes).

There are a variety of recreational activities to take part in on Santa Rosa Island, including kayaking, camping and hiking. A private boat charter company offers a number of trips to the island year round, and camping reservations can be made through Channel Islands National Park offices in Ventura, CA.

History

Orcas at Santa Rosa Island

During the last ice age, the four northern Channel Islands, including Santa Rosa Island, were conjoined into Santa Rosae, a single island that was only five miles (8 km) off the coast. In 1960, archaeologists discovered the remains of 13,000 year-old Arlington Springs Man, among the oldest human remains in the Americas, on the island. Pygmy mammoths (Mammuthus exilis) have also been excavated there.

Santa Rosa Island was originally part of a Spanish land grant. The island was used as a sheep ranch during the mid-1800's by the Moore family.

The United States Air Force maintained a radar base on the island during the Cold War.

In the late 1970's Mobil Oil Corporation was granted exploration rights on the island. Both explosive and vibroseis exploration methods were used. Extensive surveys and geological maps were made at that time.

In 1978, the island was taken away from the ranchers Vail & Vickers of Santa Barbara, the island's owners since 1902, by an act of Congress without their consent. Vail & Vickers used the island for cattle ranching and private hunting reserve. Vail & Vickers was compensated for the loss by the U.S. federal government for $30 million in 1986. As part of this agreement, operations were to cease by 2011, including the removal or extermination of the non-native game and stock animals. Cattle were shipped off the island in 1998 after the National Park Service was sued by environmental groups. The National Park Service permits the former landowners to continue their hunting operation on the island, hunting non-native Kaibab Mule Deer and Roosevelt Elk.

In 2006 U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) introduced a provision into the annual defense policy bill that would allow disabled veterans to continue hunting elk on the island past 2011, without the consent of Vail & Vickers or the National Park Service. The provision stayed in the bill and was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The fate of this provision is unclear at the moment.

Wildlife

Munchkin Dudleya

A variety of the Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana var. insularis) grows on the island. The population has grown from about 100 trees in the early 20th century to over 2000 trees today. The Island Oak (Quercus tomentella) is native to the island.

Flightless geese, giant mice and pygmy mammoths are extinct, while the island fox, spotted skunk, and munchkin dudleya (Dudleya gnoma) (one of the six endemic plant species on the island) still live there.

Its surrounding waters serve as an invaluable nursery for the sea life that feeds larger marine mammals and seabirds.

Images of Santa Rosa Island

Beach by the pier	Pier at Santa Rosa Island	White sand beach	View from the top of Torrey Pines Hill
The northern part of the island	View of the island	Whale watching around the island	Seals by the pier