SRI

Above are images from a field trip to Santa Rosa Island via small plane out of Camarillo airport. The focus of the trip was island botany led by Steve Junak of the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden. Junak has literally written the book listing and describing the flora of California's islands, he is the guy on the flora of all of the islands including those off the Baja coast. It was quite windy out there, but we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves for 6 hours and we were fortunate to have a vehicle and my good friend and CHIS volunteer Carolyn to drive us around to explore the island.

Like Ed Abbey said, don't burn yourself out, be a part time crusader. So with all the challenges at home and abroad it's always necessary to get out there and explore, find adventure wherever you can, and as Abbey promises we will out live the bastards!

Pictured above from top to bottom:

1) The wild West End of Santa Cruz Island.
2) Junak plotting the day while trying to hang on to the map with the wind gusting.
3) Bald Eagle wearing tag #98.
4) Bechers Bay and botany party.
5) Skunk Point.
6) East end of Santa Cruz, showing contact of the Monterey Shale and Conejo Volcanics formations (Conejo is denoted by the reddish coloring and is on left).
7) Two Santa Rosa Island endemics the Santa Rosa Island Manzanita and SR sub species of the Torrey Pine which also occurs as another sub species in La Jolla.