FIF 2024 Trip To Santa Cruz Island

What do these smiling people have in common?

 

They joined Friends of the Island Fox on a trip to Santa Cruz Island

Join in the Fun and Experience Island Foxes in the Wild

 

Saturday, September 14, 2024

We'll check-in at Ventura Harbor at 8 am 

and return around 5 pm

The $78 registration fee includes: boat fare, FIF naturalist guides on the island, and a donation to support island fox conservation. 

Trip is Sold Out

 It's a full day of exploring Santa Cruz Island and each trip has unique experiences.

an island fox follows a raven

watching an island fox

 

 

The endemic island scrub jay is now easily seen in the Scorpion Landing area where we are headed. Late summer is also a great time to see marine mammals.

Reservations are taken on a first come basis. For more info follow the button...

Trip is Sold Out

 See island foxes, experience the Channel Islands, and support important conservation.

Join FIF on a Trip to Santa Cruz Island

Spring is a great time to visit the Channel Islands!

Friends of the Island Fox is headed to Santa Cruz Island for the day on:

May 20th, 2023

We'll check-in at Ventura Harbor at 8:15 am 

and return around 5 pm.

The $75 (per person) registration includes: boat fare, FIF naturalist guides on the island, and a donation to support vaccinating island foxes against canine distemper virus.

4/14/23 Trip is SOLD OUT

Each trip to the islands is an adventure...

 

... and we never know for sure what wildlife we might see. Island foxes and island scrub-jays are typically seen where we are headed.

The dock at Scorpion Landing is new and only requires two steps on the boat to access a ramp; no more metal ladder to climb.

Reservations are taken on a first come basis. 

4/14/23 Trip is SOLD OUT

Come enjoy the islands, see island foxes, and help protect their future.

Visiting the Island Fox on Santa Cruz Island

What is like to visit the island fox at home? Walk along with our guest blogger - Douglas E. Welch

Island Journal - My First Visit to Santa Cruz Island

It took me over 25 years living in California to make my first visit to Santa Cruz Island. The Channel Islands have always intrigued me, but they seemed so difficult to visit.

Finally, the day arrived when our entire family boarded a boat for Santa Cruz Island. This was a trip sponsored by the Friends of the Island Fox. They took care of organizing our transport and acted as interpreters for all we hoped to see that day. The sun was shining brightly when we left Ventura Harbor, but as we got closer to the island a deep fog set in. Santa Cruz had to be out there somewhere, but we also could have been in the middle of the Pacific for all we knew. It was only by looking at my gps position on my iPhone that I knew we had to be close.

Suddenly a pier faded into view and then a shoreline and then Santa Cruz Island’s mountains. Within a few minutes, we were on dry land again and beginning our exploration of this very wild portion of California.

Because of the island’s isolation, everything looked familiar–but different. Of course, the island foxes only inhabit the Channel Island; they were completely new to me. It was amazing to see something so rare (and so darn cute) up close. They are smart, too. One fox even tried to raid a backpack while its owner napped nearby. Something you always need to be on-guard about when you visit the islands.

The flora and bird life were slightly different too. The giant coreopsis takes on huge proportions when compared to their mainland counterparts. What looked similar to a mainland scrub-jay turned out to be an island scrub-jay, also endemic to the islands. Again, familiar–but different.

For me, another unique feature of the island was the sound the cobbled rocks made as the surf washed them first onshore and then retreated. The stones rolled back and forth clinking and clunking like a stone xylophone. I watched and listen to that sound for quite a long time as we waited to board our boat home. I was amazed at its musicality.

Listen to the sounds of rocks and surf from Santa Cruz Island

Since this visit, I now take every opportunity to visit the Channel Islands. It is always an amazing day of unique flora and fauna and striking scenic vistas that seem to faraway, but are right here in our own backyard. - Douglas E. Welch  

Other Island Journal entries:

Santa Cruz Island in spring

Island Fox Numbers Increasing 2009

Santa Cruz Prisoner's Harbor

San Nicolas Island

Santa Rosa Island

 

 

 

Island Fox Awareness Day This Weekend !

How small is an island fox?
Who has bigger ears, an island fox or a fennec?
How do you fit a radio tracking collar on a wild island fox?

Discover these answers and more at the annual

Santa Barbara Zoo 
Island Fox Awareness Day

Sunday, February 19

11 AM - 3 PM

See the Zoo's two young brother island foxes. They were rescued from San Clemente Island as abandoned pups.

 

Friends of the Island Fox (2/18/17 Update - we will not be at the Zoo due to the weather) will have booths and activities:

• Balance the Island Fox's Island Ecosystem
• Learn How A Wild Island Fox Receives a Health Check

There will be other crafts and activities and the Animal Care Staff has scheduled the following:

• 11 AM Island Fox Talk with Vet Technician
• 11:30 AM Island Fox Talk with Animal Care Staff and enrichment
• 12 PM Island Fox Talk with Animal Care Staff and enrichment
• 1 PM Fennec Talk with Animal Care Staff and enrichment
• 1:30 PM Fennec Talk with Animal Care Staff and enrichment

African fennecs

Come enjoy a day of foxes.

All activities included with Zoo admission. Rain may cancel. (Friends of the Island Fox will not be at the Zoo because of the weather 2/18/17 Update)

Channel Island Fox Awareness Day at Santa Barbara Zoo

Take your valentine to see a Channel Island fox!

February 14, 2016

11 AM - 3 PM

Come Celebrate

Channel Island Fox Awareness Day

at the Santa Barbara Zoo

Friends of the Island Fox will have two booth locations during the Santa Barbara Zoo's celebration.

COME EXPERIENCE

• Challenge yourself to put the island fox's ecosystem in balance
• Compare a Channel Island fox to an African fennec
• Participate in our Discovering Science activity to answer a question regarding the human sense of smell 
• Create in fox-themed crafts
• Discover information about the island fox's home in Channel Islands National Park  
• Support Channel Island fox conservation: Friends of the Island Fox T-shirts & pins will be available for purchase

Channel Island fox at Santa Barbara Zoo

 SEE LIVE FOXES (the following events are planned for the day)

• 11:30 AM - Keeper Talk at Fennec Exhibit
• 12:30 PM - Meet "Beau" the Channel Island Fox on Amphitheater Stage
• 1:30  PM - Training Session at Channel Island Fox Exhibit
• 2:00 PM - Enrichment for the Island Fox, at Exhibit
• 2:30 PM - Keeper Talk at Channel Island Fox Exhibit

Fennecs at Santa Barbara Zoo

Make it a sweet day with the Channel Island fox.

All activities and programs are included with regular admission.

Observing Channel Island Fox Behavior on Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

Participants in the Friends of the Island Fox trip to Santa Cruz Island on June 20th had a beautiful day and an opportunity to observe behavior between individual wild Channel Island foxes. Fifteen years ago, when this subspecies of Channel Island fox was facing extinction, such an opportunity was unthinkable.

The island foxes on Santa Cruz Island have made a strong recovery. A baby boom of foxes occurred on Santa Cruz between the fall count in 2007 and 2009. The population jumped from 350 to 1,200. Adult survivorship has been very high, which means we are seeing an increasing number of island foxes between the ages of 5 and 8 years old. These are mature individuals. Island foxes are believed to be in their prime between 2-5 years of age and are estimated to live 8-10 years in the wild.

This trip two elderly animals were noticeable by their broken-down ears and minor injuries to legs and tails. These injuries were most likely inflicted by younger adult island foxes protecting territory. The campground offers an area where infirm animals can potentially find resources, while having some protection from other foxes. 

We observed this older island fox lying down on the ground between campsites where people were active at tables. His coloring camouflaged him well in the dappled shade.

When some campers left their site, a healthy adult island fox checked out their table area. We watched as the slightly larger, but older animal, approached. We didn’t know what to expect.

Submissive behavior of elderly island fox toward another adult.

However, when the older fox got within five feet of the table area, it lowered its head submissively to the younger animal. The younger fox did not chase the older animal or show aggression, yet it physically communicated to the older fox not to approach any closer. Without any direct contact, the older fox was sent off into the bushes.

photo courtesy of Daniel Mekonnen, 2015

We saw 8 - 10 adult island foxes (none were radio-collared individuals). 

We watched island foxes searching for food, retrieving figs, and eating them (Check out the video by Douglas Welch). (The fox jumps up into a shrub at ~2:48) A large percentage of the Santa Cruz Island fox’s diet is fruit.

We’ll have more on the status of the Santa Cruz Island fox in an upcoming Island-by-Island Update. At the Island Fox Conservation Working Group meeting, biologists from The Nature Conservancy reported that a female island fox, born during captive breeding on Santa Cruz, recently passed away at age 12. She is the oldest wild island fox scientifically documented on Santa Cruz Island. Biologists were able to accurately date her age and follow her life because of her ID microchip.

We also had a fantastic encounter with common dolphins on our boat ride home. Hundreds of these colorful dolphins were feeding and swimming right next to us. Look closely and you will see a youngster swimming beside its mother. We saw numerous young dolphins.  (Video of the common dolphins by Douglas Welch).

More photos of the Friends of the Island Fox Trip to Santa Cruz Island:

• Panoramas of Santa Cruz Island by Douglas Welch
• Blog Post with Trip photos by Douglas Welch
• 1-Minute Trip Overview by TheEarthMinute.com

A special thank you to trip participants Eric Gotthelf, Douglas Welch, Michael Solomon and Daniel Mekonnen for their photos.

FIF 2015 Trip to See Channel Island Foxes

Early summer brings island fox pups out of their dens to explore their world. Parents are busy providing for growing youngsters and teaching them how to find their own food.

The successful recovery of endangered Channel Island foxes means there are greater opportunities to see these rare island predators in their wild habitat. 

TRIP SOLD OUT as of 5/7/15
Join Friends of the Island Fox for a day of discovery and adventure as we travel to:

Scorpion Cove, Santa Cruz Island

Channel Islands National Park

June 20, 2015

Day Trip Itinerary:  

• 8:15 AM: Check in with Friends of the Island Fox at the Island Packers’ Ventura Harbor dock, at 1691 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, for a 9 AM departure to Santa Cruz Island, Scorpion Cove.

• Arrive on Santa Cruz Island mid-morning and explore with Friends of the Island Fox leaders to view island foxes and other endemic plants and animals. 
• 4:00 PM: Island Packers’ boat departs Santa Cruz Island, returning to Ventura Harbor around 5:00 PM

Tickets are $65.00 per person. 
(A percentage of the fee will go to support island fox recovery efforts.)
 

View from the bluff on Santa Cruz Island

Reservations are limited and will be provided on a first come basis. To book reservations, please download the Reservation Form.

Send the completed form with your check, made payable to the "Friends of the Island Fox" to the address on the form.  Reservations will be taken in the order received, and no reservations can be accepted without payment.

At the time of booking you will receive further trip details, including: maps of where to meet, what to pack, suggested clothing and other items of interest. 

Look closely at this photo. Island foxes are smart and curious, food items must be secured at all times.

If you have questions, contact FIF at islandfoxnews@gmail.com
or (805) 228-4123


What to remember when visiting the island fox. 

Previous trips to Santa Cruz Island:

May 2014 Trip
June 2013 Trip and Items on the Beach 
May 2012 Trip 

Island Fox at Santa Barbara Zoo

Join Friends of the Island Fox at the

 Santa Barbara Zoo

Fox Festival

Sunday, February 15th

11am - 3pm

The Santa Barbara Zoo provides a home to Channel Island foxes that are unable to survive in the wild. Throughout the recovery of endangered island foxes, the zoo's Veterinary staff and Animal Care staff have participated in conservation efforts across the islands and have helped write the book on how to care for this rare California species.

Currently there are only five island foxes in captivity and two of them live at the Santa Barbara Zoo. If you can't visit the Channel Islands, this is the closest location in southern California to see a live island fox.

On Sunday, February 15th, we will be helping the Santa Barbara Zoo celebrate all foxes. Included with zoo admission:

• Fox related activities and crafts
• Channel Island fox information booth with biofacts
• Keeper talks and animal enrichment throughout the day

Come meet the Channel Island fox. Compare it to the African fennec fox. Decide for yourself with one is smaller. Which one has the largest ears? How is their coloring adapted for their habitat?

Purchase an island fox pin, T-shirt, guide, or stuffed animal from the FIF booth and help support island fox conservation!

Visiting The Channel Island Fox

Santa Cruz Island fox (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae)

Summer is a great time to visit California's Channel Island fox.

May 3, 2014 - Friends of the Island Fox led a trip to Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park. 

The day began with a visit to the National Park Headquarters in Ventura and a tour of the Visitor Center.  As well as the island fox, Santa Cruz is home to numerous endemic plants and animals (species found only on the Channel Islands, like the island scrub jay)
 

Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center

Much of the water surrounding the Channel Islands is also protected by the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary. Kelp forests surrounding the islands provide food and shelter for a variety of marine species. Ranger Tina provided an in depth talk on tide pool creatures.

The island received six inches of rain in early April which helped to make the island green and the wildflowers bountiful.

Island foxes were also abundant. Our first island fox of the day was spotted within minutes of arriving on the island. Over the course of the day, groups saw up to 10 individual island foxes. 

 
Video courtesy of trip participant Douglas E. Welch - see more trip photos at WelchWrite.com

This trip we observed interesting interactions between island foxes:

One older individual, climbing up the hillside leaving the campground, area became alert and defensive when another fox began following it. The older fox arched its tail, making itself appear larger, and defensively turned around to face its follower. However the island fox following the older individual was smaller and appeared younger, more spry. When the smaller fox reached the defensive fox, it immediately displayed submissive behavior–licking under the chin of the older fox. The older fox relaxed. There seemed to be recognition between the two individuals. It looked somewhat like a pup with a parent, but both of these island foxes were definitely adults. It is possible that the smaller fox was either an adult offspring from another year or a female approaching a male, not her mate. The two island foxes walked side-by-side for a couple of yards along the hillside. (see video above) Then the older fox continued on its way out of the campground area. The younger fox, turned around and back tracked along the path she had just walked and went the other direction. 

In another situation, two healthy adult island foxes coming from opposite directions toward the stream bed at the edge of the campground, specifically avoided each other. They passed within ten feet of each other and actively avoided an encounter. One of these island foxes was wearing a radio collar.

Seeing multiple encounters between individuals is an exciting demonstration of the successful return of this endangered species.  (More about island foxes)

Scorpion Anchorage, Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

You can visit three of the islands where island foxes live: Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands, in the Channel Islands National Park, and Santa Catalina Island. Each island has its own unique traits and treasures, but they all have Channel Island foxes.

courtesy of Kevin Pease

Island foxes have a long relationship with humans. We can all help that relationship continue long into the future by participating in conservation efforts to protect this species and by respecting these wild animals when we visit their only home in the whole world. 

FIF Spring Trip to Santa Cruz Island

Scorpion Anchorage, Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

Spring offers beautiful days on the Channel Islands. Ocean views are made even more thrilling when you realize someone four-footed is enjoying them too.

Santa Cruz Island fox

Under the table, a curious Channel Island fox is investigating the human visitors.

The ongoing successful recovery of the endangered island fox means there are many opportunities to see this charismatic creature in its native habitat ! 

Join Friends of the Island Fox for a day of discovery and adventure as we travel to:

Scorpion Anchorage, Santa Cruz Island

Channel Islands National Park

May 3, 2014

This half-day trip offers options on arrival time:

• 9:30 AM: For those who would like an early start, meet us at the Channel Islands National Park Headquarters, at 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura (right at the end of Spinnaker Drive, beyond Island Packers).  We will tour the Center, receive a Tidepool Talk, and have the chance to view the Park film “Treasure in the Sea.”  
• or 11:15 AM: Check in with Friends of the Island Fox at the Island Packers’ Ventura Harbor dock, at 1691 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, for a noon departure to Santa Cruz Island, Scorpion Anchorage.
   
• 5:00 PM: Island Packers’ boat departs Santa Cruz Island, arriving in Ventura Harbor around 6:00 PM

Tickets are $65.00 per person. 
(A percentage of the fee will go to support island fox recovery efforts.)
 

Reservations are limited and will be provided on a first come basis. To book reservations, please download the Reservation Form.

Send the completed form with your check, made payable to the "Friends of the Island Fox" to the address on the form.  Reservations will be taken in the order received, and no reservations can be accepted without payment.

At the time of booking you will receive further details of the trip, including: maps of where to meet, what to pack, suggested clothing and other items of interest. Remember the photo at the top. Island foxes are smart and curious, food items must be secured at all times.

If you have questions, contact FIF at islandfoxnews@gmail.com
or (805) 228-4123

What to remember when visiting the island fox. 

Previous trips to Santa Cruz Island:

June 2013 Trip and Items on the Beach 
May 2012 Trip 

 

Come to the Fox Festival

Where can you see island foxes and learn more about them without taking a trip to the Channel Islands?

At the...

Santa Barbara Zoo

Fox Festival

Sunday, Feb. 16th 2014

11 AM - 3 PM

Friends of the Island Fox invites you to join us in celebrating FOXES !

There will be activities, crafts, Keeper Talks, and an opportunity to see Channel Island foxes and compare them with the Zoo's new African fennec foxes. 

What do these two species of tiny foxes have in common? Which has the bigger ears? Which eats insects?

The Santa Barbara Zoo is also home to several bald eagles. 

Come out and join the Fox Fun. Friends of the Island Fox will have a booth with current island fox information and fox related activities.

FIF Trip to Santa Cruz Island!

Join Friends of the Island Fox for:

photo courtesy of Jay Dyer

A Trip to Prisoner's Harbor

Santa Cruz Island

Saturday, April 6, 2013

SOLD OUT - (as of 3/7/13)

Michael Lawshe for FIF

That's right, this spring FIF educators are leading a day-long adventure to look for both the island fox AND the island scrub-jay.

As the population of Santa Cruz Island foxes reaches recovery it is possible to observe them at more locations across the island. Santa Cruz is also the only home of the rare island scrub-jay. With its newly restored wetland area, Prisoner's Harbor is one of the prime locations to encounter this unique bird as well as many other species. Wetland on a dry island.

On the trip over to Prisoner's Harbor (about 1 and a half hours) there is the possibility of seeing many marine species as well. 

bottlenose dolphin with calf

Biodiversity at Prisoner's Harbor
 
Tickets will be $65.00 per person. A percentage of the fee will go to support island fox recovery efforts. 

We will take the Island Packers boat from Ventura Harbor leaving at 8.00 AM and returning around 5 PM on Saturday April 6, 2013.  Check in will be required at 7:15 AM.

Reservations are limited and will be provided on a first come basis. To book reservations, please download the Reservation Booking Form (Click Here to download pdf)
SOLD OUT - (as of 3/7/13)

Send the completed form with your check, made payable to the "Friends of the Island Fox" to the address on the form.  Reservations will be taken in the order received, and no reservations can be accepted without payment.

At the time of booking you will receive further details of the trip, including: where to meet, what to pack, the suggested clothing and other items of interest. Note the photo to the right. Food items will need to be secured at all times. What to remember when visiting the island fox.