Vaccine for 650 Island Foxes!

You did it!

NPS wildlife camera photo

 

Your donations have purchased vaccine to protect 650 island foxes from canine distemper and rabies across 4 Channel Islands in 2026.

Vaccinating island foxes is an annual need. The canine distemper virus vaccine only protects them for approximately 10 months.

 

Vaccine to protect a single island fox costs $25.

This year $15,656 was raised by a community of caring island fox Friends. The vaccine will be used in island fox health checks over the next few months. Thank you to:

Fresno Chaffee Zoo Wildlife Conservation Fund

Island Fox Ambassador Projects 

• Recycling 4 Foxes & the Planet
• Buckley Lower School students 
• Lincoln Elementary students

FIF Island Trip 2025 participants & a long list of private donors!

Every effort helps make a positive difference! 
 

  

Blackwood Wines Helping Island Foxes

Protecting Channel Island foxes is a community effort. 

In the wake of the historic Santa Rosa Island wildfire, a local winery has stepped in to help island foxes.

Blackwood Wines is a small winery run by husband and wife duo, Patrick and Emma. Only making a couple of barrels per year, they say "our goal is to create and share our favorite styles of wines with our favorite people: friends and family."

 

Blackwood Wines and Bolt To Wines Island Fox Chardonnay

Their Island Fox Chardonnay is a collaboration with their friends at Bolt To Wines! The chardonnay is a blend of two vineyard sites in the Santa Rita Hills, which "come together beautifully to remind one of a French chardonnay."

Patrick & Emma say: "To help support conservation, education and recovery efforts after the fire, all profits from the sales of our 2024 Collaboration Chardonnay through the end of June will be donated to the "Island Fox - Fire Fund" managed by the Friends of the Island Fox."

To find out more visit blackwoodwines.com or follow them on Instagram @blackwoodwines 

Good News - Near Containment of Santa Rosa Island Fire

As of Tuesday, May 26, 2026 – The wildfire on Santa Rosa Island is 97% contained !

A historic 18,837 acres were burned, making this the largest wildfire recorded across the California Channel Islands.

Santa Rosa Island May 25, 2026

 

A huge thank you to the firefighters that fought and contained this fire. In places were firebreaks were carved out by small earth-moving equipment, efforts have been made to mitigate environmental disturbance–like the wattle rolls placed on the hillside in the above photo from US Wildfire.gov.

As the firefighting wraps up, we hope to hear from scientists on the ground about island foxes and other Santa Rosa Island species.

For official wildfire reports and additional photos: 

link https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cacnp-santa-rosa-island-fire  

Drone images flying over Santa Rosa Island Torrey pines and other still photos and maps can by found at the link above. 

Santa Rosa Fire Update - Sat., May 23, 2026

As the updated incident map from U.S. Wildland Fire Service shows, the edge of the active fire has been contained to the areas of bold red line. (Click on image to go to link.) The fire is considered to be 72% containment. Firefighting aircraft have been released, though they remain available if needed. The active fire edge and hot spots will be the focus over the weekend.

Drone footage of the rare Santa Rosa Island Torrey pine grove has been made public at:

https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-videos-gallery/cacnp-santa-rosa-island-fire

The videos provide hopeful images of pines still standing.

Information on island foxes will not be available until the firefighting effort has concluded. FIF hopes to have more information, soon.

While the active fire seems to be coming under control, this has become the largest fire documented in modern times on the California Channel Islands with 18,379 acres burned.

Island fox footprints

 

 

Update on Santa Rosa Fire and Island Foxes

 

As of Thursday, May 21, 2026:

The fire on Santa Rosa Island has now burned 17,554 acres, but is reported to be 44% contained. Specific news on wildlife and rare plants remains limited. This is what we know:

Official report from government agencies 5/21/26 on the fire (https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cacnp-santa-rosa-island-fire)

Highlights: Increased humidity has assisted firefighting. Today firefighters along the western fire edge are concentrating on the Cloud Forest area and working south. The fire has passed through Water Canyon, but damage to the campground was minimal. 

According the official report: "Resource Advisors continue working alongside firefighters to ensure that sensitive species and the island's cultural assets are accommodated as effectively as possible throughout firefighting operations." 

The Santa Barbara Independent reports that members of the Chumash Fire Department have joined the firefighting effort and will work with Resource Advisors on protecting Chumash cultural resources.

Containment lines are being established along Telephone Road in the area of Cherry Canyon.  

Regarding island foxes:

Like the rest of us, NPS biologists are watching the firefighting effort from the mainland. They hope to check on the status of collared foxes as soon as possible. From a small plane they will fly over the island searching for the signals of radio-collared island foxes and accessing survivorship. 

Once it is safe for biologists to return to the island, they'll be able to determine what their population wide response and capacity will be.  

Fire of this size on Santa Rosa is unprecedented since the island became part of the National Park and the full impact may not be known until island-wide island fox monitoring takes place later this summer.

When FIF has more info on specific needs for Santa Rosa Island foxes, we will post it here on islandfox.org and through our social media. 

 

Grove of Santa Rosa Torrey Pines (at right, along ridge) before the fire.

Regarding the Torrey Pines:

The fire is believed to have burned quickly through the stand of rare Santa Rosa Island Torrey pines. In 2015, approximately 10,000 pines were counted in the single grove. Fire has not accessed these trees since the National Park was established. Firefighters report that the fire burned less intensely as it came down the slope. Preliminary firefighter reports are that pines are still standing and the grove remains. The full extent of the damage, however, will not be known until ecologists and tree experts can access the island.

Fire brings mixed impacts  

  

Fire Burning on Santa Rosa Island Impacts Island Foxes

image source: CalFire Santa Rosa Island 2026-05-19 at 3.41.57

 

As of 4:30 pm Tuesday, May 19, the wildfire on Santa Rosa Island continues to burn. CalFire estimates 16,938 acres have burned so far. The fire is being fought by federal fire fighters and, today, winds have decreased allowing aircraft to assist with firefighting. (CalFire is not fighting this fire, but their website is posting updates)

While the ignition of the wildfire is officially under investigation, the blaze was most likely human-caused. Early Friday morning, flames spread quickly through dry grassland vegetation. 

photo source: USCG Air Station Ventura Coast

 

When similar wildfire events have occurred on other Channel Islands, adult island foxes have been able to flee the fire's edge and survive. (Burnie Boots - 2007) We are hopeful that the same will be true in this case.

Unfortunately, pups born in April are currently in dens and not able to flee. In other spring-time wildfire events, pups did not survive. It is highly likely that fox pups in the fire zone will be lost.

Santa Rosa Island foxes are currently at carrying capacity for the island. The 2025 population was estimated at over 2,000 individuals. While this will most likely cause a temporary decline in the island population, island foxes and island spotted skunks have shown resilience to wildfire. Following smaller wildfire events both species have been quick to return to burned territories and able to find food resources. 

Santa Rosa is the only island were island foxes are currently monitored and studied with GPS collars. These GPS-collared individuals may provide insight into exactly how island foxes react in the face of wildfire. This data may help us understand what is important for them to survive fire events.

Island fox on Santa Rosa Island

Our thoughts are with our National Park friends as they work to protect rare plants, like the Santa Rosa Island Torrey pine and other endemic island species, and to preserve infrastructure that enables biologists and researchers to study the island ecosystem.   

 

 

"Date with a Fox" - Holly Gamblin and Arctic Fox Research

Join Friends of the Island Fox for 

"Date with a Fox" on Zoom

originally Tuesday, May 12, 2026

with PhD candidate Holly Gamblin

 

In this "Date with a Fox," Holly Gamblin shares her research titled "Changing biomes: Implications of a rapidly shifting landscape on Arctic fox dynamics." 

Holly Gamblin is a PhD Candidate at the University of Manitoba in the Biological Sciences Department, and her thesis examines the impacts of climate change on Arctic foxes. Holly's previous position as the Island Fox Project Manager on San Clemente Island inspired her to pursue this research, as the Channel Island fox conservation story demonstrates the importance of evaluating the impacts of a novel species at the community level.

Holly overseeing island fox health checks on San Clemente Island

 

On the Channel Islands, feral pigs facilitated the presence of golden eagles in unprecedented densities. Feral pig eradication led to a rapid reduction of prey resources for golden eagles and contributed to  hyperpredation of three island fox subspecies. Island foxes on Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel Islands faced near extirpation in less than ten years.

Island fox on Santa Rosa Island

 

This "out of the frying pan and into the fire" invasive management scenario illustrates the importance of taking a holistic approach to invasion ecology that incorporates a broader understanding of food-web dynamics and the cascading effects that may occur at a biological community level. With the recent expansion of red foxes from the boreal forest onto the tundra, the Arctic fox serves as an excellent study species for examining a species-level response to the arrival of an ecologically similar competitor. 

 

Holly's research takes a species-level approach to investigate patterns of space use, niche partitioning, and competition, as the arrival of a novel species, whether through range expansion or an invasion, can have cascading effects that extend to the community level. Holly will share how her role on the Channel Islands inspired her to pursue research in the Arctic, discussing how the expansion of red foxes onto the tundra and a reduction in sea ice availability may impact Arctic fox persistence. 

For more on Arctic foxes compared to island foxes 

Holly Gamblin "Date with a Fox" about San Clemente Island Foxes 

Rescuing Island Fox Data for the Future

When island foxes were dying on Santa Catalina Island in 1998, their bodies were sent to Dr. Linda Munsen at the University of California at Davis' School of Veterinary Medicine for evaluation. Dr. Munsen was the first to uncover canine distemper virus as the cause of island fox deaths across the island.

When island fox bodies were found on the northern islands with distinctive puncture wounds. This physical evidence of golden eagle predation was kept for future reference at UC Davis. The individual island foxes that fell prey to golden eagles also provide a genetic snapshot of a population before it plummeted toward extinction.

Checking fox ear canal during health check

From chronicling the rise of cancer in Santa Catalina Island foxes to documenting the threats from parasites and rodenticides, the island fox specimens collected at UC Davis provide data on generations of island foxes and represent generations of work done by researchers uncovering health threats to this rare California species. 

Island fox blood samples

Jump to 2026 and we have a historically valuable collection of island fox biological specimens. Unfortunately, after the retirement of pathologist Dr. Leslie Woods and the untimely death last year of Dr. Munsen's protégé, researcher Dr. Patty Gaffney, this record of island fox health no longer has a home.  

 

Coming together, the island land managers and island fox research community are acting quickly to save this valuable biological resource. Friends of the Island Fox and the Santa Barbara Zoo have summited grant applications to help pay for the transportation of frozen island fox samples to a new location and a -80 freezer to hold the specimens. Land managers are searching through stretched budgets for any available funds. Grants are still pending, but we have to move the specimens NOW.

It is a $20,000 initial endeavor to secure these specimens for future generations of researchers.

Stay tuned for updates. 

FIF 2026 Research Grant Application

 

From genetics and territorial home range to dietary patterns and microplastics in the body, we are learning more every year about island fox biology, health, and the role they play in the island ecosystem.

Friends of the Island Fox is accepting applications for our 

 

2026 Island Fox Research Grant

Applications will be accepted for amounts up to $7,000

Deadline:   June 15, 2026

Download Grant Application

 

How will you add to island fox science? 

 See past research grant recipient projects.

 

Fox Foto Friday - Sylvie Update

"Sylvie" at the Living Desert 3/8/26

This photo of "Sylvie" the San Nicolas Island fox was taken this month at the Living Desert Zoo. When we remember back to her foot injury as a young fox in 2023, it's amazing to see her run, jump, and climb!

 

This x-ray shows the compound fracture that could have cost her life. 

But school children, seniors, and people like you all rallied together to fund orthopedic surgery so she could live a protected, but long life. Find out more about Sylvie's Journey, her surgery, recovery and see video of her and the team of people that rescued her.

You can see Sylvie, too, at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. 

Without a community of friends, this little island fox would not have survived. 

Together we can solve problems and save species.