Partners celebrated at the Channel Islands National Park visitor center.
Partners from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy, California, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and Naval Base Ventura County came together to celebrate the delisting of two island plant species on the Channel Islands due to committed, collaborative conservation efforts of many.
At a celebration at the Channel Islands National Park visitor center in Ventura, Kaylee Allen, senior advisor for resources with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region said, “Today’s celebration is the culmination of decades of work to restore the health of the Channel Islands natural landscape. The delisting of the Santa Cruz Island dudleya and Island bedstraw, two plants known only to exist on Santa Cruz Island and San Miguel Islands, comes as we also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. This landmark legislation has helped prevent the extinction of 99 percent of the species under its protection and has provided the mechanism for agencies, organizations and individuals to forge a path towards recovery of more than 100 species so far. The accomplishment being recognized here today is the culmination of everyone’s collective passion, partnership and problem-solving skills, and I am very proud of what has been achieved.”
Island bedstraw (Galium buxifolium) is a long-lived woody shrub with small flowers that lives on coastal bluffs, steep rocky slopes, sea-cliffs, and occasionally pine forests, of Santa Cruz and San Miguel Islands. At the time of listing, population estimates were in the hundreds. Helicopter surveys from 2017 estimate more than 15,000 individual plants now occur on the islands. San Miguel Island is owned by the U.S. Navy and managed by the National Park Service.
The Santa Cruz Island Dudleya (Dudleya nesiotica) is a flowering succulent perennial that lives on the marine terraces of Santa Cruz Island. Scientists say after its initial recovery the population has remained relatively stable over the last 25 years, with current estimates around 120,000 individuals.
Santa Cruz Island is collaboratively managed by The Nature Conservancy and Channel Islands National Park as a single biological unit.
Established in 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ventura field office works to conserve and protect threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants across the southern and central California coast, collaborating with communities and conservation partners to build a future that supports both people and our unique and diverse natural landscapes. To stay up-to-date on the conservation work of our staff like us on Facebook.
