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.
The Channel Islands are open for visitors. Here are a few things to remember when visiting island foxes.
Keep your food safe!
Island foxes evolved with humans. They know how to read your actions and they know where you put food.
They are smart.
Zippers, snaps, plastic latches, and Velcro are not fox proof. If food is not within your reach, it should be locked up in metal fox-proof lockers provided in campgrounds and visitor areas.
Do you see the island fox that the man in the photo is not paying attention too?
It unzipped the backpack and took a sandwich.
Watch this video taken this week:
Your food and its packaging are dangerous to island foxes. A young fox who eats a food wrapper might end up with intestinal blockage and die. Potato chip bags get stuck on small heads and have caused island fox fatalities. Use fox-safe trash bins on Catalina Island and remember to pack out all trash from Channel Island National Park and The Nature Conservancy islands.
Be a Fox Friend!
Island foxes are small animals with big personalities. Be aware when island foxes are near:
watch
appreciate
give them space
photograph
Fox Friends do not chase or try to touch island foxes. They stand still and let island foxes walk past them
Island foxes are wild animals who don't mind sharing spaces with humans. Let's help keep them that way.
Visit island foxes and enjoy sharing the Channel Islands with a charismatic wild animal.
Island foxes evolved with Native peoples in a relationship of mutual respect. Let's protect the island fox, its island home, and its special relationship with people.
It's hard for people to believe that you can easily see an island fox in the wild on Santa Cruz Island. This island fox was walking across the dirt road near the visitor center. It was happy to give us time to take its photo.
The unique relationship between island foxes and people began around 9,000 years ago. The Chumash and other native peoples living on the islands regarded the island fox as an important neighbor. They did not hunt the island fox or confine it as a pet. People are surprised when they view wild island foxes going about their daily lives with little regard for the human visitors. Maintaining this relationship means respecting the island fox and its right to live safe from threat or interference on its island home.
Please join us when we visit Santa Cruz Island for a tour
with our educators. We will look for the endangered island
fox, plus the many other endemic species, both plants and animals, found only
on this island and nowhere else.
On the trip over to Santa Cruz (about 1 hour) there is the possibility
of seeing many marine species.
Tickets for adults will be $65.00 per person, children
$55.00. 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 noon and returning around 5 PM on Saturday May 5,
2012. Check in will be required at 11:15 AM
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.
Before the island visit you
are welcome to join us at 9:30 AM at the Channel Islands National Park Visitors Center at 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura. We will tour the native plant garden, visit the Center and you
will have the chance to view the Channel Islands National Park film
“Treasure in the Sea” narrated by Kevin Costner.
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 above. Food items will need to be secured at all time. What to remember when visiting the island fox.
Summer is a great time to visit the California Channel Islands. As island fox populations recover from disease and predation by golden eagles that nearly pushed them to extinction, more people are having the opportunity to see island foxes in the wild. (Why island foxes are endangered) Observing an endangered animal in the wild is a rare experience and it comes with responsibility. Here are a few important tips to remember when encountering an island fox:
Do Not Feed Them - Island foxes are smart and they know people have food. But feeding an island fox can threaten its life. Human food is not good for island foxes and does not provide the necessary nutrition. Wild foxes, especially juveniles, that become dependent on handouts never learn to forage for natural food and can die when their free food source disappears.
Store Food Appropriately - Island foxes are clever. Even campers who do not intentionally feed island foxes can sometimes become a source of food. We have heard cases of a single island fox taking an entire plastic bag with eight hamburger buns right off of a picnic table. Plastic and food wrappers can appear to be food and cause injury to island foxes. (see island fox and fishing hook) The NPS campgrounds offer food lockers to secure food items.
Island Foxes Are Wild Animals - Even though the island foxes are cute and friendly, they are wild animals. A woman feeding an island fox on Santa Catalina Island was bitten. The Center for Disease Control can require that any fox that bites a person be euthanized to insure that it is not carrying rabies.
Leave Your Pets At Home - Island foxes can acquire diseases from domestic dogs and cats. The distemper virus, which can be carried by dogs, caused the death of over 88% of the island foxes on Catalina in the late 1990s. As wild animals, island foxes can also carry diseases that are dangerous for pets–parvovirus, coronavirus and internal parasites. Some of these diseases can be transferred simply through animal droppings and do not require animal-to-animal contact. While many island foxes are vaccinated for rabies and distemper, not all of them are. It is illegal to take pet dogs or cats on to any of the islands that make up Channel Islands National Park. On Catalina Island dogs are required to be leashed. Several island foxes have been attacked and killed by free-roaming domestic dogs.
Watch for Wildlife on Road - The increase of island foxes on Santa Catalina means that more foxes are being seen along the islands few roads. Because of their small size and gray coloring, island foxes can be hard to see especially at twilight. The number one cause of death for island foxes on Catalina is being hit by a car. Roadsigns
Southern Californians have worked very hard to save the island fox from extinction. The reward is that now we can see island foxes in the wild again. If we all act with respect and responsibility toward our friend the island fox, we can insure their continued success toward sustainable populations.
On Santa Catalina Island, the increase of island foxes means that more individuals are being seen around the town of Avalon and the golf course. Island foxes can also be seen in the island’s interior. Catalina Island Conservancy
If you can’t travel out to the Channel Islands, you can visit island foxes in several local zoos.
