Scavenger Hunt in the Channel Islands National Monument: Travel through the
lobby for the answers!
San Miguel:
1. Prince Island is known for what? Densest sea bird population
2. What endangered bird is found on San Miguel? Peregrine falcon
3. In 1542, who explored the islands? Where is the monument to this explorer
located? Cabrillo, Cuyler Harbor
4. What was found on the island in 1995? What is unique about this find? Sea grass
basket, oldest on Pacific Coast
5. Why did the black abalone population decline 99% in the years 1985-1990?
“withering foot disease”
6. What is the difference between the endemic island fox and the mainland fox?
What type of genetic drift does this demonstrate? The island fox is smaller,
geographic isolation
7. Name two pinniped populations found on the island. Seals, sea lions
8. What is the caliche forest? Prehistoric vegetation that calcified
9. What boat shipwrecked in 1987 off the coast? Ex Tortuga
10. Name one additional fact you discovered about San Miguel.
Santa Rosa
1. What endangered animal is found off the coast May through November?
Humpback whale
2. What was Johnson’s Ice? Describe the structure now. Air Force buildings from
1951-1963. Gone, the buildings have been removed and the area revegetated.
3. What is castilleja mollis? What is unique about this species? A flower, only found
on this island
4. How many plants are endemic to the Channel Islands? How many of these are
found on Santa Rosa? 80, 6
5. What was found in 1994 on the island? Pygmy mammoth, 5 foot 5 inches, dated
more than 12,000 years ago
6. What three islands have Pacific tree frogs? Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Catalina
7. What evidence of Chumash Indians is found on the island? Midden (trash pile)
8. Santa Rosa is a working ranch with a special permit through 2011. How do cattle
get to the island? Special barge that lands at a specific point on the island to
unload
9. Where are the torrey pines located on Santa Rosa? Bechers Bay
10. Name one additional fact you discovered about Santa Rosa.
Santa Cruz
1. What avian species is only on Santa Cruz? What is unique about this bird? Island
scrub jay, 1/3 bigger and darker
2. What is Picacho del Diablo? Highest peak at 2434 ft.
3. What effects have feral sheep had on the island? What reaction did the National
Park Service have to prevent further problems? Destroyed natural vegetation, by
1988 ensured the western 90% of island had no sheep or cow
4. What other islands have Santa Cruz ironwood? Santa Rosa, San Clemente
5. What was Scorpion Ranch? An efficient ranch and agricultural center on the east
end of the island at the turn of the 20th century
6. What geologic age does the Bishop pine come from? pleistocene
7. What snake is only found on Santa Cruz? Racer Snake
8. What is the Painted Cave? One of the largest sea caves on pacific coast, ¼ mile
long and 100 feet wide with a ceiling of 160 ft.
9. What is Canada de la Siesta? Stream running through the island
10. Name one additional fact you discovered about Santa Cruz.
Anacapa
1. What happened to the brown pelican in the 1960’s? How has the species made a
comeback? Polluted by DDT, anacapa has become the primary rookery for the
species
2. This island is the largest nesting site in the US for what bird? Western seagull
3. What bright yellow plant found on Anacapa can often be seen from the mainland?
Giant coreopsis
4. What is the Fresnel lens part of? How many years has this landmark been there
and how many rotations has it made? Lighthouse, more than 60 and 52 million
5. How big is Arch Rock? 40 ft. tall
6. How many protected shipwrecks are found in the Channel Islands? 100 +
7.
What is this? Garibaldi, fish found in kelp
8. What naval structures are on East Anacapa? Housing for Coast Guard, 16 men
live there to maintain the lighthouse
9. What other island is visible from Inspiration Point? Santa cruz
10. Name one additional fact you discovered about Anacapa.
Santa Barbara
1. What is the highest peak? Signal at 635 ft.
2. What is the habitat of the live-forever plant? Steep, rocky cliffs
3.
What is the connection between this bird and Santa Barbara
Island? The island has the largest breeding population of this bird
4. Name two effects of soil disturbance. Badlands with no vegetation and non-native
plants being introduced
5. The Chumash are thought to have never settled on this island but evidence
suggests they visited. What evidence exists? Fishing equipment
6. How many kelp forests exist in Channel Islands National Park? 16
7.
What islands does this creature appear on? San
Nicholas, San Clemente, Santa Barbara
8. What is the migration route of the gray whale? Baja to Arctic Ocean (12000
miles)
9. Santa Barbara Island ranks 3rd out of the Channel Islands for what? Breeding area
for pinnipeds
10. Name one additional fact you discovered about Santa Barbara.
Travel up the stairs to the observation tower and record the following information
about each level of the ocean:
Level
Name
1
Abyss
2
Deep Ocean
3
Blue Water
Species at Level
Depth
Pressure in
PSI/atm
4
Shallow Shelf
5
Subtidal
6
Upper Subtidal
Continue into the Native Garden and match each picture with its name, purpose
(Chumash use or adaptation).
Picture
Name
Purpose