page_title: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
section_title: Chumash
hierarchical_section_title: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary / Chumash
caption_attribution_description: English: Chumash Tomol 'Elye'wun paddlers crossing at Santa Cruz Island. California, Channel Islands NMS, Santa Cruz Island.
context_page_description: The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is a sanctuary off the Pacific coast of Southern California. The National Marine Sanctuary program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
  Established May 5, 1980, the sanctuary in the Santa Barbara Channel is an area of national significance because of its natural environment and resources. It also had removed sheep from the islands to conserve vegetation among the islands to keep its natural environment, grass and plants. It has an area of 1,470 square miles and encompasses the waters that surround Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands, extending from mean high tide to 6 nautical miles offshore around each of the five islands. The sanctuary is home to a diverse array of marine species, including whales. It also provides protection to more than 150 historic shipwrecks and is a place of important cultural significance for the Chumash people. Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary provides protection for its natural and cultural resources through education, conservation, science, and stewardship.
context_section_description: The northern Channel Islands have been home to the Chumash people for millennia, with the earliest known human remains dating back more than 13,000 years ago. The Chumash community continues to celebrate their maritime heritage through local cultural events, such as an annual crossing of the Santa Barbara Channel on traditional plank canoes known as tomols.
caption: Chumash Tomol 'Elye'wun paddlers near Santa Cruz Island, CINMS 2006
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