John Gherini, great-great-grandson of Santa Cruz Island ranch owner Justinian Caire, will share images and stories of Santa Cruz Island during the June From Shore to Sea lecture.
Gherini recently published the two-volume Santa Cruz Island: An Illustrated History, the most comprehensive illustrated history of the island ever to be released. Together, both volumes contain almost 600 images of life on the island, some of which have never been previously published.
During his lecture Gherini will recount the fascinating history of the island, from the time of the Island Chumash to the Spanish-Mexican period, to the Caire family ranch era, and ending with the transfer of the island for conservation by the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy.
Gherini’s unique blend of natural and cultural history is supplemented by his personal experiences on the island, as well as the experiences of generations of his family members; Gherini’s family owned the eastern ten percent of Santa Cruz from 1926 until 1996. His lecture will provide an exclusive insight into the struggles and triumphs of life on Santa Cruz Island.
John Gherini was born and raised in Santa Barbara and currently works there as an attorney. The island has long been a part of his life; growing up, he traveled there often and spent time building and repairing fences, herding sheep, sacking wool, and performing other ranch tasks.
The talk will be held on Thursday, June 8. The From Shore to Sea lecture series is sponsored by Channel Islands National Park to further the understanding of current research on the Channel Islands and surrounding marine waters. The 2017 lecture series will take place at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday of each month, January through December, at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker in Ventura Harbor. The programs are free and open to the public.
This lecture can also be viewed live online, at: Shore to Sea lecture series.
