We barely know what's been lost from the fire on Santa Rosa Island
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When I saw the headlines that flames were ravaging Santa Rosa Island, sadness washed over me.Many of the news stories highlighted the threat to the unique plants and animals inhabiting the island off the coast of Santa Barbara, from plucky, pint-sized foxes to the rarest pine trees in North America.To me, the loss wasn’t theoretical.
I saw these and many other otherworldly species while on a life-changing backpacking trip to the island five years ago, which I chronicled for this newspaper.Looking at the fire map, I could see much of the path I charted was now seared.That includes my first wilderness campsite near Ford Point, where a several-thousand-pound elephant seal roused me from slumber with its jarring bark.
It wasn’t pleasant moving a tent after hiking for 10 hours, but seeing the behemoth (and his mate) in the gauzy morning light made it worth it.The fire also passed through a grove of critically endangered Torrey pines, which I had hiked up to and gazed down on the island’s crystal blue water.It burned through Water Canyon Campground, where I spent my final night in relative comfort after roughing it in the backcountry.
Beyond the sights, the trip brought me closer to my husband, who had transformed into a bona fide outdoorsman during the pandemic.Now fear clouds the memories: Does the rugged, magical place of my mind’s eye still exist? As The Times’ wildlife and outdoors reporter, I felt immediate concern for the island’s critters and plants.
I was a visitor, but this is their home.Would it still be hospitable?Among the good news is that the fire is now fully contained, after igniting three weeks ago.
But before it was vanquished, the blaze chewed through about a third of the island, one of five that comprise Channel Islands National Park.While the cause remains under investigation, the U.S.
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