From Pacific to Prairie and Pole to Pole

Our project makes up only a fraction of the Xantus’s murrelet and Santa Barbara Island restoration projects.  Many of the Channel Islands were disturbed by agriculture and ranching before they became protected. While the feral cats that preyed on the native, nesting seabirds are no longer there,  

 

The Santa Barbara greenhouse in May.

Laurie tending her plants.

The greenhouse even has a solar-powered irrigation system. Because it is on the island, there is no risk of invasive insects or seeds being transported from the mainland (that happened in an early-attempt). Laurie replants huge segments of the island with coreopsis, buckwheat, and other native species- often more than 1,000 seedlings are planted at a time! She is always looking for volunteers to help plant and water!

Baby coreopsis in the greenhouse.

A restoration site- complete with coreopsis, native grasses, and the R/V Shearwater in the background.

By replanting native plants, and getting rid of the evil ice plant and other invasive species, Laurie and her team are making the island more inhabitable for murrelets and other seabirds. Cassin’s auklets nest under these native plants, and cannot effectively burrow under the invasive species. SBI was once a thriving Cassin’s auklet colony, but for several years there have been no known nest sites. To encourage auklets to return to Santa Barbara, they have installed a sound system that plays Cassin’s auklet calls at night.  This year they have been attending sites on the island! Check back later for more about Cassin’s Auklets!

 

The auklet sound system. The car battery powers the CD player that is attached to a few camoflaged speakers on the hillside.