Far From What it Once Was, Santa Cruz Island, CA (#112)

 

Twenty-five miles off the California coast, I disembark and wander into the wrong group. “The hikers are meeting under the eucalyptus trees,” someone tells me. Only later do I realize that the helpful woman giving directions is Jennifer Morris, president of The Nature Conservancy. Our boat’s manifest, it turns out, included her and several major donors on a private tour of the island. I was already in awe of Santa Cruz’s beauty as we approached the dock—but learning that it draws conservation leaders and benefactors only deepened my sense that this is one of the most enchanting places I’ve ever visited.

 

Santa Cruz Island, the largest of the Channel Islands, lies off Ventura in California’s southwest corner. For me, it marks the third of four “corner-of-the-country” Nature Conservancy sites I’ve visited—after Great Wass in Maine (2018) and Blowing Rocks in Florida (2022). Half of Santa Cruz belongs to Channel Islands National Park, the other half to TNC—a partnership that protects high peaks, deep canyons, and miles of wild coastline.  It’s also a place of internationally renowned conservation success. 

 

Decades ago, Santa Cruz was in crisis—its habitats trampled by feral pigs and its waters tainted by DDT dumped offshore. Bald eagles vanished; endemic scrub-jays and island foxes barely hung on. Since the 1980s, TNC and partners have reversed that decline—eradicating pigs, reintroducing eagles, restoring native vegetation, and even vaccinating wildlife against West Nile Virus. As I wait beneath the eucalyptus shade, the results are plain: this island feels alive again.

 

Our group sets out for Pelican Bay, a pristine cove reached by a strenuous trail through the island’s peaks and canyons.  We’re free to roam at our own pace.  The safety net is knowing TNC will sweep the trail for stragglers and strugglers and count heads before reboarding the ship later this afternoon.  I start fast but soon slow, caught up in a naturalist tendency to photograph, observe, and absorb the curious plants and animals and sweeping views.  A stubborn marine layer brings a slight overcast for much of the day – ideal though for photography and mitigating the suns howl. 

 

 

I reach Pelican Bay more exhausted than expected.  The ravines on this island are steep.  For most of the trek though, the stunning views fuel my motions.  Knowing I’m amid such a unique experience and location both pushes me on to see more and slows me down to take it all in. 

 

I find a log on a cliff atop Pelican Bay and make this my recharge station before turning back.  I watch endemic scrub-jays flit through the brush—species found nowhere else on Earth. Birders come here just to add them to their lists.  Happy little birds, living like royalty, on a protected island at the corner-of-the-country.  I’ve come to add scrub-jays too, but more so to understand why places like Santa Cruz Island matter, and to see how far it is from where it once was. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SANTA CRUZ ISLAND HERE.