DRAFT

Dan Richards, 26 June 1997

COASTAL RESOURCES

**[(Here include ]{.underline}["]{.underline}[the Channel Islands
Naitonal Park contains X amount of
coastline]{.underline}[...]{.underline}["]{.underline}[)]{.underline}**

Coastal areas are the meeting grounds for the two major life zones at
Channel Islands National Park: the marine and the terrestrial. Erosion
perpetually scours the windswept landscape and sediments and nutrients
continually make their way down streams and rivers to the ocean.
Sediments are then redistributed, replenishing beach sand and providing
diverse habitats along the shore. Nutrients become part of the elaborate
marine food web as plants and animals cycle them through the complex
ecological system. Terrestrial animals consumate the ancient chain,
foraging along the sea shore and taking advantage of the extrvagant
productivity of the marine ecosystem. A robust and dynamic web of life
exists on the Channel Islands; at the interface between land and sea the
circle is completed.

Seabirds probably best exemplify the marriage between the ocean and the
land. Dependent on the sea for food, many species spend most of their
lives offshore, plying the rich waters of the Santa Barbara Channel.
They must, however, come ashore to breed. The islands, with their
relative lack of terrestrial carnivores and protected offshore rocks and
craggy outcroppings, make excellent nesting sites where a multitude of
breeding colonies find sanctuary. Western gulls, which, during the
nesting season, aggressively defend their chicks against perceived
threats (like picknicking tourists), and endangered, but rebounding,
brown pelicans are common sights for most visitors.

Water-loving cormorants are also common around the islands, nesting on
sea cliffs and diving for small fish in the surrounding kelp beds. There
are also a wide variety of shorebirds, from oystercatchers with their
gaudy orange bills to tiny snowy plovers, who spend their days combing
the beaches and tidal zones.

Sea otters, seals, and sealions inhabit the coastal areas of the islands
as well. Harbor seals, so shy on land, are often quite curious in the
water where they move with the grace of a true marine animal. Whether in
the water or on land, California sea lions seem always to enjoy showing
off their acrobatic tendencies, often climbing high on the steepest
cliffs. Northern elephant seals, returning from the brink of extinction
in the early century, migrating twice each year to feeding grounds in
the Bering Sea, then returning to the Channel Islands breed or to molt.
Northern fur seals make their southern-most colony on the wind-swept
shores of San Miguel Island.

Due to past hunting and over-harvesting, some species are no longer as
common as they once were. Otters and Guadalupe fur seals are still
uncommon at the islands, but may be seen occasionally, especially around
San Miguel Island. Stellar's sea lions have declined more recently for
reasons that are not yet clear.

The rocky intertidal zone is a favorite for many visitors, offering a
chance to see marine life without getting wet. The Channel Islands
harbor the least disturbed tidepools in southern California and host a
broad diversity of organisms, owing to the range of sea conditions
across the archipelago. In the struggle for space on the rocky shore,
algae and invertebrates may be specially adapted to specific levels of
exposure and dominate distint bands, or zones, on the reef. Black
abalone were very common until the late 1980's when disease wiped out
most of the population. El Niño conditions that occur periodically may
have played a role in their demise, bringing pathogens with the warm
waters from the south. Rock weeds, mussels, barnacles, surf grass, and
limpets are a few of the many different organisms one can find exposed
by the receding tide.

Coastal lagoons are a rare feature in southern California, mixing
terrestrial and marine habitats. Small lagoons are found on the islands
and serve as focal points for some fish and water birds. Animals that
live in the lagoons must be able to tolerate water that may range from
fresh to hypersaline. These productive habitats supply bountiful
populations of insects to hungry shore birds and resting places for
migrating ducks. Specialized plants, such as pickleweed, Jaumea, and
alkali heath, that live here must also tolerate salty conditions.

Sandy beaches are more common on the southern California mainland than
on the islands; however, there are some fine examples of crescent-shaped
white sandy beaches on the northern islands. At first glance, the
beaches may seem relatively lifeless and inhospitable. But a closer look
at the water's edge reveals the presence of a fascinating diversity of
life. Sand crabs can be seen sifting the water for nutrients, then
quickly burying themselves in the sand. Living higher up the beach, are
creatures which burrow under the sandy surface: sandworms, beetles, and
beach hoppers. Look under a piece of fresh kelp that has washed onto the
beach and you may find hundreds of beach hoppers doing their part to
keep the beaches clean by consuming the dead algae.

Unfortunately, all that washes up on the beaches isn't natural. Marine
debris, mostly plastic, washes ashore after being discarded from ships
and careless boaters. Another source of trash is from city streets.
Cups, straws and other debris wash out from city streets through the
infamous southern California storm drains, and get carried to the island
beaches. Animals may become entangled in plastic rings, nets, or thrown
away fishing line. Birds and fish may be attracted to plastic bags or
small bits of plastic or Styrofoam; consuming these items often blocks
their digestive system, causing them to starve. Some debris, however,
may actually have historical value, having come from boat wrecks,
orhaving been carried from far off places by ocean currents: literally,
messages in a bottle.

The coastal zone is one of the most beautiful and fascinating
environments in the world. At the meeting of land and sea are all the
wonder and diversity of both. The land is always and everywhere
influenced by the ocean, and the ocean's inhabitants are directly
dependant on terrestrial processes. At Channel Islands National Park
over (FIND OUT ABOUT COASTLINE) miles of coastline are managed and
protected for the enjoyment of all people, present and future, and for
the health and well-being of the non-human members our ecological
community.