On Sunday, March 6, from 11 am to 4 pm, the Museum of Ventura County, in partnership with the Channel Islands National Park, hosts a fun-filled day for families with the theme “Tales of Island Life.” This is one of the occasional Sundays that the two organizations will jointly host in celebration of the Channel Islands National Park’s 36th anniversary, as well as the commemoration of the National Park Service’s 100th Anniversary.
“Tales of Island Life” is an all-day event on March 6 that will celebrate the human history of the Channel Islands.
All-day children’s activities include:
A large “touch tank” that introduces kids to the real sea life that exists on the islands in the tide pools—SEE and TOUCH sea anemones, sea urchins, starfish, sea cucumbers, and hermit crabs.
Meet Buddy, a red-tail hawk (aka Buteo jamaicensis) from the California Hawking Club. The red-tailed hawk is widespread in North America, partially due to historic settlement patterns, which have benefited it. On the Channel Islands, the red-tail hawk is mostly found on San Miguel Island.
All day crafts: make fish prints, make a fox origami, participate in an archaeological dig, and make your own Channel Islands button.
Ranger-led demonstrations tell kids about the Junior Ranger program, and kids can meet Tigran Nahabedian, the Channel Islands’ first underwater Junior Ranger.
Other all-day activities for kids include a career scavenger hunt, photo ops with a cutout pinniped, fox or park ranger.
A living history program will be presented that will feature the story of sea captain’s wife, Margaret Eaton.
National Park Service staff will share how they protect the park resources at stations on island fox recovery, kelp forest monitoring, shipwreck surveys, historic preservations, and more. Attendees can ask divers, scientists, archeologists, and others about their careers.
Timed events
- At 12:00 pm, Betsy Lester Roberti will give a program that describes her childhood memories growing up on the remote, rugged, and windswept San Miguel Island in the 1930s and 40s.
- At 2:00 pm, Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Russell Galipeau will lead a conversation about the past, present, and future management of the park. Visitors are encourages to ask Superintendent Galipeau anything they want to know about the islands!
- The park film, Treasure in the Sea, will be shown at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm.
The event on March 6 is free for all, as part of the Free First Sunday program at the Museum of Ventura County. Refreshments will be available for sale from Aaron’s Tacos food truck, West Bar-B-Que and Kona Ice.
