Santa Barbara Island
Santa Barbara Island
General Information
Far south of the other channel islands, Santa Barbara is a windswept 260 hectarer triangular island with a rugged coastline and steep cliffs which rise to a marine terrace. These terraces are topped by two peaks with its highest peak rising to 194 meters in elevation. The landscape of this island is dominated by non-native grasses such as oats, barley, and brome (Greer 1). Northern elephant seals were first seen on this island in 1948 and started breeding here in the early 1950's. Eleven pups were counted during a census in 1964 and a mere 94 counted in 1991 (Le Boeuf et al. Chapter 2).
Channel Islands General
Santa Barbara Home