Channel Islands (California)

The Channel Islands of California, also called the Santa Barbara Islands, are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America.

The eight Channel Islands of California, off the west coast of North America
Island	Area mi²	Area km²	Population Census 2000	County	Highest peak feet (m)
Northern islands
Anacapa	1.14	2.95	3	Ventura	Summit Peak 2, 930 (283)
San Miguel	14.57	37.74	-	Santa Barbara	San Miguel Hill, 831 (253)
Santa Cruz	96.51	249.95	2	Santa Barbara	Devils Peak, 2450+ (747+)
Santa Rosa	83.12	215.27	2	Santa Barbara	Soledad Peak, 1589 (484)
Southern islands
San Clemente	56.81	147.13	1)	Los Angeles	Vista Point, 1965 (599)
San Nicolas	22.75	58.93	2)	Ventura	unnamed, 907 (276)
Santa Barbara	1.02	2.63	-	Santa Barbara	Signal Hill, 634 (193)
Santa Catalina	74.98	194.19	3696	Los Angeles	Mount Orizaba, 2123 (648)
Channel Islands	350.89	908.79	3703		Devils Peak, 2450+ (747+)
1) Navy installations, itinerant military and civilian population 300 2) Navy installations, itinerant military and civilian population 200

Description

County jurisdiction boundaries of the Channel Islands are depicted on this map of California

The eight islands are split between the jurisdictions of three separate California counties: Santa Barbara County (four), Ventura County (two) and Los Angeles County (two). The islands are divided into two groups, the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern Channel Islands. The four Northern Islands used to be a single landmass known as Santa Rosae.

The archipelago extends for 160 miles (257.5 kilometers) between San Miguel Island in the north and San Clemente Island in the south. Together, the island's land area totals 221,331 acres, or about 346 square miles.

Five of the islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara) were made into the Channel Islands National Park in 1980. The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary encompasses the waters six nautical miles (11 kilometers) off Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands.

Santa Catalina Island is the only one of the eight islands with a significant permanent civilian settlement—the resort city of Avalon, California, and the unincorporated town of Two Harbors.

Beach of Santa Cruz Island

Lighthouse at Anacapa Island

The Channel Islands at low elevations are virtually frost-free and constitute one of the few such areas in the continental US. It never snows except rarely on higher tops of mountains.

Military use

The United States Navy completely controls San Nicolas Island and San Clemente Island and has installations elsewhere in the chain. During World War II all of Southern California's Channel Islands were put under complete military control—including the civilian-populated Santa Catalina where tourism was halted and established residents needed permits to travel to and from the mainland.[1] San Miguel Island was used as a bombing range [2] and Santa Barbara Island as an early warning outpost under the presumed threat of a Japanese attack on California.[3]

Legislation is now being proposed in the United States House of Representatives that would make Santa Rosa Island a military resort and training facility. Under the proposal the island would keep its National Park status though public access would be limited.[4]

Wildlife

Main article: Notable wildlife of the California Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are part of one of the richest marine biospheres of the world. Many unique species of plants and animals are endemic to the Channel Islands, including fauna such as the Island Fox, Channel Islands Spotted Skunk, Island Scrub Jay, Ashy Storm-petrel, Island Night Lizard, Channel Island Slender Salamander, Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, San Clemente Goat, San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike and flora including unique subspecies of Torrey Pine and Oak and the Island Tree mallow.

Controversy

Peruvian Historian Ricardo Melgar, stated that the Seven Islands belong to Mexico and where taken away by the United States during WWII for military strategic reason and have never been returned.

Wildlife gallery

• Bluebanded Gobies, San Clemente Island
  Bluebanded Gobies, San Clemente Island
• 
  Garibaldi, Catalina Island
• Juvenile Garibaldi, Catalina Island
  Juvenile Garibaldi, Catalina Island
• 
  Diver and juvenile Sea Lion, Anacapa Island
• California Moray Eel
  California Moray Eel
• Kelp forest and sardines
  Kelp forest and sardines
• 
  Giant Black Sea Bass, San Clemente Island
• Sea Fan, Anacapa Island
  Sea Fan, Anacapa Island
• Hermissenda Nudibranch, San Clemente Island
  Hermissenda Nudibranch, San Clemente Island
• Anemones, Catalina Island
  Anemones, Catalina Island
• Bat Ray in kelp forest, San Clemente Island
  Bat Ray in kelp forest, San Clemente Island
• Spanish Shawl nudibranch
  Spanish Shawl nudibranch

See also

• Guadalupe Island and the Coronado Islands of Baja California, Mexico share the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion with the Channel Islands
• Channel Islands (similarly named islands in the English Channel, off the coast of France)
• Dwarf elephant on Channel Islands

External links

• Channel Islands National Park
• Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
• Catalina Island Life During WWII
• "Military Wants Santa Rosa Island" LA Times 12/10/05
• Volunteer on the Channel Islands
• Kayaking the Channel Islands
• Channel Islands Weather
• "The Channel Islands: Special Places in the Garden's History," Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Newsletter: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 (Part 1 not online)

• http://mx.news.yahoo.com/s/20102007/38/nacional-m-xico-debe-reclamar-soberan-7-islas-tomadas-ee.html

34°00′58″N 119°48′14″W