Island Foxes Teaching the Next Generation of Field Biologists

For the past two years, Friends of the Island Fox has had the honor of funding all of the new and refurbished fox tracking collars for Santa Cruz Island–but this summer, these collars were able to support more than just island fox monitoring and research.

 

As part of Paso Robles High School's Field Studies Collaborative program, a group of 25 students ranging in age from 15–18 spent a week on Santa Cruz Island, learning about its history and ecosystems. The program includes student presentations, expert workshops on a variety of topics, and field experience, like vegetation sampling and plant identification.

 

This past year, FIF board member Justin Purnell expanded the program to include trapping and working with island foxes, giving students an opportunity for hands-on experience working with the island's (very adorable) apex predator.

Justin isn't new to Paso High's program. Taking the class, during his junior year at Paso High, inspired his own path forward in wildlife biology. Since then, he has been a volunteer and chaperone on the trip, which is now in its 34th year.

 

The students (and other chaperones) were blown away by the experience of working with the island foxes. For many of the students, it was their first time seeing wildlife up close–and the impact cannot be overstated. Some were moved to tears and many of them expressed an interest in continuing their education in not only wildlife biology, but a host of other careers that support conservation.

Here are some of their reactions, in their own words:

• "Working with those foxes was such an amazing experience and changed my life. I thought I had my future figured out, but seeing what Justin does on the island threw a wrench in my plans. Now I think I want to go to college and study forestry. I would never have looked into or even thought about this as my career path if I didn't go on this trip." - Hannah, 16
• "It was hard to believe that doing something so special as a career could be more than a dream, but after getting to experience working with the foxes firsthand, I now know that doing work like this could be my reality." - Jordan, 17
• "It was incredible to see the foxes close up and to be a small part of helping to preserve this endemic species. This is one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to do, and it really drove home for me the importance of preserving nature. I get emotional thinking about it! I am forever grateful for this experience." - Ava, 15
• "When I was younger, I was absolutely obsessed with animals and was set on working with them as an adult. As I grew up, I lost faith that I would be able to have a stable career working with wildlife. Watching Justin work was super emotional because I felt that love and interest in wildlife return. This trip totally changed my plans for my future–I am now planning to go into wildlife conservation." - Divy, 17
  

 

These experiences, and the impacts that can ripple out from them, are the reason that we do this work. We are happy that our funding of the collars was able to help support this experience for Paso High's field studies program and are excited to find other ways to support both the island foxes and the next generation of wildlife conservationists. Article by Justin Purnell 

Island Fox F257 is Back and Beautiful at Middle Age

 

F257 August 2024

Channel Island National Park biologists are on Santa Rosa Island this week capturing island foxes, counting them, checking their health, and updating radio-tracking collars. Biologist Juliann Schamel contacted FIF with great news: Female island fox 257 was captured for the 5th year in a row and she's looking great! Here's Juliann's update:

F257 was born in 2019, and has spent her entire life in her natal area, which overlooks the East Point estuary [as] Santa Cruz Island floats on the horizon.  Every year since 2019, she has gone into traps at our long-term monitoring site at Old Ranch.  She has spent a total of 18 nights in our "island hotel."  Every year, she moves between Trap 1, Trap 11, and Trap 12, which are in a triangle 200 meters apart from each other.

F257 is five years old now, and remains in great health.  She has been monitored with VHF collars throughout her life, and is currently wearing her third collar.  She has Age Class 2 tooth wear.  As an adult, she has fluctuated in weight between 1.8–2.2 kilograms (4–4.9 pounds). 

 

island fox whisker sample

This year, during her health check ... she also contributed samples to microbiome, leptospirosis, and stable isotope research (gut swab, urine, and whiskers).

 

In 2023, she had signs of nursing pups for the first time.  This year she does not show signs of having had pups.  (As pictured, her belly is white.) Data from our long-term monitoring sites has allowed us to document fox recovery to carrying capacity, which was reached in 2020. (What is carrying capacity?) 

 

Since then, the population has displayed density-dependent reproductive suppression (which I think is SO COOL!!!!) - very few pups were weaned in 2021, 2022, and 2023, adult survival remained high, and the total population has remained around 2,500.  Collecting long-term data during this time period has allowed us to document which adult females reproduce and which do not in this high-density landscape (how old are they? what habitat do they live in? how dense are the foxes in their local area?), which will provide further insight into what environmental factors influence fox biology, and how fox ecology in turn influences the landscape.  Old Ranch, where F257 lives, has a high density of adult foxes with high survival, and this area has not produced many pups in the past several years.  With the VHF collar, we will be able to monitor F257's health and status for years to come!

It's been so lovely to see F257 again! - Juliann Schamel

Schamel is not only a fox biologist out on the northern Channel Islands, she's also researching the complex interactions between island foxes and the landscape on Santa Rosa Island. 

 

"Date with a Fox" with Juliann Schamel

More on island fox density

Your Donations funded F257's radio collar and 

vaccinations for rabies and distemper!