On October 14, ten friends from the Bay Area and the U.K. traveled to Ventura to board an Island Packers ferry the next day to visit San Miguel Island (SMI). SMI is the westernmost island of the U.S. Channel Islands National Park and is one of the three Northern Channel Islands where the seafaring Chumash people lived year-round for at least 10,000 years. We were joined by members of the amazing non-profit Channel Islands Restoration for whom we’ve volunteered in the past.
Island Packers schedules a couple of day trips to SMI in the month of October only, when the ocean and the weather may be the calmest of the year. And so it was. The ocean was tranquil and there was a gentle breeze. On the seven-hour round-trip boat ride to and from SMI, large pods of mature and newborn common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) rode the bow waves of the boat. We spotted breaching humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), orcas (Orcinus orca, a.k.a. killer whales), harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), and squadrons of brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis).
Upon arrival at beautiful Cuyler Harbor, we noticed the native California fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) that are not native to SMI but rumored to have been planted by the producers of the 1935 film Mutiny on the Bounty.
We headed to the ranger station, climbing up the east side of a steep canyon covered as far as the eye could see in giant coreopsis (Leptosyne gigantea) that was no more than five feet tall, clearly sheltering from the fierce winds that regularly buffet SMI. This plant can grow to 8 or 10 feet tall in more favorable conditions. We were surprised to see all the plants leafing out already and could imagine the dazzling display when they bloom.
Along the way and in brief hikes we took along the ridgetop, where one of our crew saw an endemic island fox (Urocyon littoralis), we spotted dunedelion (Malacothrix incana), a California endemic growing only in sand dunes on Channel Island beaches and in remote areas of the coastline in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. There were carpets of live-forevers (Dudleya sp.) that are endemic to the Channel Islands and are often hybrids between Dudleya greenei and Dudleya candelabrum, along with many San Miguel Island milkvetches (Astragalus miguelensis) and the San Miguel Island endemic deerweed (Acmispon dendroideus var. veatchii).
Right: San Miguel Island milk vetch (Astragalus miguelensis). Photo by Kimberly Moses.
We came across a form of California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) with wider and softer leaves than the sagebrush that is common in the Bay Area. We also saw the northern Island morning glory (Calystegia macrostegia ssp. macrostegia) with its large blooms, alkali heath (Frankenia salina), golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum), coast Indian paintbrush (Castilleja affinis), bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus), silver bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons), red-flowered buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens), and coast goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii).
Right: coast goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii). Photo by Tom Kelly.
A star of the show was island white-felted paintbrush (Castilleja lanata ssp. hololeuca), a Channel Island endemic with yellow floral bracts.
At 4 pm, we boarded the Island Packers ferry to return to Ventura and, thanks to the calm seas, the captain treated us to a very cautious peek into Painted Cave, 1,227 feet in length and situated on the western side of Santa Cruz Island. As the boat was maneuvered into the cave, we were astounded at the stillness of the waters and the volcanic rock’s myriad of colors.
It was pure joy to spend time on San Miguel Island and we will treasure the memories.
Bay Area/UK: Liz Bittner, Anne Henny, Jane Kelly, Tom Kelly, Kimberly Moses, Margaret Norman, Richard Rollins, Britt Thorsnes, Jason Wilding, Tina Wilding.
Channel Islands Restoration: Ken Owen–Executive Director, Cindy Kimmick–President, Dennis Houghton–Board Member.
Not pictured: Tom Kelly (behind the camera).
“Little San Miguel” (our theme song for the trip)
Lyrics by Tom + Jane Kelly and Kimberly Moses, sung to the tune of “Little GTO” by Ronny & the Daytonas.
Little San Miguel
You’re in the far out West
In the Pacific Ocean
You have stood the test
We’re gonna sail out there
Through the deep blue sea-ee-ee-ees
And we’ll see Dolphins, and Sea Birds, and Seals
Through the breeze
Yeah yeah, little San Miguel
Yeah, little San Miguel
Woo-woo, little San Miguel
Yeah yeah, little San Miguel
Gonna save all my shell beads
And buy a pachyderm
She swam over from the mainland
And never did return
She shrank to meet the Island food chains
In order to survi-i-i-ive
Ev’lution might have saved the day, but we arrived
She didn’t thrive
Yeah yeah, little San Miguel
Yeah, little San Miguel
Woo-woo, little San Miguel
Yeah yeah, little San Miguel
We’ll look for the Ironwood
And the Dudleya too
Caliche Forest, and the Goldenbush
All for you!
Late Holocene Island
With the Daisy Ca-a-a-ave
Nearly 12,000 years you’ve been there, taking care
Of San Miguel!
Yeah yeah, little San Miguel
Yeah, little San Miguel
Woo-woo, little San Miguel
Yeah yeah, little San Miguel
Heartfelt thanks to Ken Owen, Executive Director of Channel Islands Restoration, and to Steve Junak, Channel Islands botanist and now-retired herbarium curator at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, for their generous guidance on the identification of San Miguel Island plants.
— Jane and Tom Kelly, Greens at Work
November 2022
