California Mediterranean Research Learning Center

Research Categories:
Biological Cultural Fire Ecology	Paleontology Physical Science	Restoration Ecology Social Science

National Park Service volunteers

Channel Islands National Park Facts:

• Over 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found in Channel Islands National Park (145 of which are found nowhere else in the world)

• Seventeen animals and fourteen plants that occur in the park are on the federal list of threatened and endangered species

• The park, totaling approximately 250,000 acres, is ½ land and ½ marine water

• Created in 1980 because of its outstanding natural and cultural resources

• Designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976

• Recognized for its genetic diversity and importance for research

• The largest and most diverse island is Santa Cruz Island, with an area of 96 square miles (approximately one-fifth the size of the City of Los Angeles)

• The park receives 30,000 visitors and an additional 60,000 people visit its waters every year

Please contact the Channel Islands National Park for more information at (805) 658-5730, or visit their website at www.nps.gov/chis.

Cultural Resources

One of the most dense and most significant collections of archeological resources in the world is located in Channel Islands National Park. The park exhibits many major prehistoric and historic themes associated with human interaction on the islands and with the marine environment:

• Some of the earliest known prehistoric sites in North America

• Seafaring Chumash Indians

• Russian, British, and American fur traders

• 19th and 20th century sheep and cattle ranchers

• Chinese fisheries and other maritime activities

• Military use and occupation

These archeological sites, historic buildings, and landscapes are listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Numerous and valuable cultural resources provide opportunities for researchers interested in the various aspects of cultural resource management and research, and historic preservation.

Current Research
Cultural resource research in Channel Islands National Park has focused on the rich history of native peoples dating back over 13,000 years:

• The Chumash people and earliest inhabitants of the islands

• European exploration and exploitation

• Maritime history and resources

• Ranching and agricultural activities that dominated into the 19th and 20th centuries

For the past century, individuals and researchers have been recording and studying these resources. Current studies are focusing on: identifying and documenting archeological resources (including shipwrecks), studying the interaction of maritime adapted peoples with their changing environment, the influences of environment and cultural evolution through time, documenting the historic architectural and landscape resources and their change over time, and chronicling the human history of the islands.

Research Opportunities
Because of the depth, diversity, and complexity of the cultural history of the Channel Islands, studies only scratch the surface of needed cultural research. The National Park Service is especially interested the following research topics:

• Detailed looks at the people who owned, occupied and used the islands, their ethnicities, the remains and influences of their period of use

• Identification and analysis of museum collections

• Examination of prehistoric and historic settlement patterns and changes in subsistence, trade, and political economy through time

Themes:

• Migration to North America

• Human settlement and historical ecology

• Fishing and maritime adaptations (pre-historic and historic)

• Ethnography and ethno-history: the various groups who occupied the islands and/or exploited the island resources

• Historic, economic and social aspects of sheep and cattle ranching

• Military and Coast Guard uses of all islands