SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S MEDITERRANEAN BIOME PARKS - CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA CABRILLO NATIONAL ...
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®
April 2008
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S
MEDITERRANEAN BIOME PARKS
CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK
SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
CABRILLO NATIONAL MONUMENT
A Resource Assessment
®
Center for State of the Parks
More than a century ago, Congress established Yellowstone as the
world’s first national park. That single act was the beginning of a
CONTENTS
remarkable and ongoing effort to protect this nation’s natural,
historical, and cultural heritage.
Today, Americans are learning that national park designation INTRODUCTION: SOUTHERN
alone cannot provide full resource protection. Many parks are CALIFORNIA’S MEDITERRANEAN
compromised by development of adjacent lands, air and water pollu- BIOME PARKS 1
tion, invasive plants and animals, and rapid increases in motorized
recreation. Park officials often lack adequate information on the
CHANNEL ISLAND S
status of and trends in conditions of critical resources.
The National Parks Conservation Association initiated the State of NATIONAL PARK 6
the Parks® program in 2000 to assess the condition of natural and
cultural resources in the parks, and determine how well equipped the SANTA MONIC A
National Park Service is to protect the parks—its stewardship capac- MOUNTAINS NATIONAL
ity. The goal is to provide information that will help policymakers, RECREATION AREA 50
the public, and the National Park Service improve conditions in
national parks, celebrate successes as models for other parks, and
C ABRILLO NATIONAL
ensure a lasting legacy for future generations.
For more information about the methodology and research used MONUMENT 84
in preparing this report and to learn more about the Center for State
of the Parks®, visit www.npca.org/stateoftheparks or contact: NPCA, WHAT YOU C AN DO
Center for State of the Parks®, P.O. Box 737, Fort Collins, CO 80522; TO HELP 115
Phone: 970.493.2545; E-mail: stateoftheparks@npca.org.
APPENDIX: METHODOLOGY 116
Since 1919, the National Parks Conservation Association has been
the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhanc-
ing our National Park System. NPCA, its members, and partners work
together to protect the park system and preserve our nation’s natural,
historical, and cultural heritage for generations to come.
* More than 340,000 members
* 22 regional and field offices
* 35,000 activists
A special note of appreciation goes to those whose generous grants
and donations made the report possible: MSST Foundation, Dorothy
Canter, Ben and Ruth Hammett, and anonymous donors.
COVER: PHOTO OF SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL
RECREATION AREA, COURTESY OF TONY VALOIS
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S
MEDITERRANEAN BIOME PARKS
LANE CAMERON/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
1
Southern California’s Mediterranean Biome Parks
The Mediterranean biome is one of the rarest are called matorral in Chile, fynbos in South Bigpod ceanothus
and most biologically diverse ecotypes on the Africa, and mallee in Australia. In the blooms in the hills of
Santa Monica
planet, and because it has been favored by Mediterranean regions, they are known as
Mountains National
humans for thousands of years, it is one of the maquis. Americans know them as California’s Recreation Area,
most highly altered as well. Covering a mere 2 chaparral. which is within
percent of Earth’s total land area in five distinct The climate of the Mediterranean biome California’s
regions, this biome is characterized by evergreen includes rainy winters and dry summers. Mediterranean biome.
This ecotype is known
or drought-resistant deciduous shrublands, Because of the proximity to large bodies of
for harboring high
located on western coasts between 30° to 40° water and the presence of fog, temperatures are biodiversity.
latitude—north and south. These shrublands moderate; the temperature in winter will rarely
MEDITERRANEAN BIOMES
SOURCE: UNEP (2007). THE GEO DATA PORTAL. UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME
HTTP://GEODATA.GRID.UNEP.CH
2
Southern California’s Mediterranean Biome Parks
reach freezing, and snow almost never falls. Recreation Area, which encompasses thou-
Each of the world’s Mediterranean biome sands of acres of private lands, four state
regions expresses an island-like isolation, due to parks, and other public lands managed by
their limited size and the existence of geograph- more than 70 agencies, offers Los Angeles resi-
ical barriers that separate them from one dents and visitors countless recreational
another. This translates into high degrees of opportunities and provides critical habitat for
endemism—the existence of plant and animal numerous species coping with encroaching
species found in one place and no other. For urban development. Located at the tip of a
this reason, the Mediterranean biome regions peninsula in busy San Diego, Cabrillo
are considered “hot spots” of biodiversity. National Monument, while small by many
In the United States, three national parks park standards, provides an oasis of wilder-
are part of the Park Service’s Mediterranean ness for city dwellers and tourists. Visitors to
Coast Network and exist entirely within the these parks are treated to a wealth of cultural
Mediterranean biome: Channel Islands attractions as well. Southern California’s
National Park, Santa Monica Mountains prehistory and history are represented there,
National Recreation Area, and Cabrillo from American Indian subsistence on these
National Monument. While these three south- coastal lands to Spanish incursion, America’s
ern California Mediterranean biome parks westward expansion, and the golden age of
share ecosystem traits, each has its own char- moviemaking.
acter and its own challenges. Channel Islands The National Park Service must manage and
National Park, due to its relative isolation, has protect natural and cultural resources within
been described as “the North American this rare ecosystem, the Mediterranean biome,
Galapagos” for its wide variety of unique while dealing with surrounding development,
species. Santa Monica Mountains National non-native species, marine harvests, pollu-
tants, and rapidly expanding southern efforts to more efficiently manage park
California metropolitan areas. Understanding archives and collections.
the extent to which park resources are affected Recognizing the unique natural and cultural
by various threats in the region is vital to their resources resident in the Mediterranean biome,
protection. The three parks comprise the the Center for State of the Parks has endeavored
Mediterranean Coast Network, a group identi- to determine the conditions of natural and
fied by the National Park Service that has cultural resources in Channel Islands National
similar resource concerns and opportunities to Park, Santa Monica Mountains National
work more efficiently together. Through the Recreation Area, and Cabrillo National
network, park scientists and cooperating Monument. Researchers used established,
researchers study the status and trends of peer-reviewed methodologies to rate condi-
marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the effects of tions of both natural and cultural resources at 3
urbanization on species and their habitats, and these parks. The following pages describe these
Southern California’s Mediterranean Biome Parks
the effects of non-native species invasions. parks and their significance and summarize
They are also involved in studies that evaluate resource conditions. Also noted are funding
restoration and other resource management and staffing considerations, park planning
actions. The Mediterranean Coast Network efforts, resource education opportunities, and
parks also share expertise and experiences in external support provided by volunteers and
cultural resource identification, restoration, partner organizations.
and protection, and they have combined
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Southern California’s
Mediterranean biome
parks provide criti-
cally important
habitat for a host of
wildlife species
ranging from seals,
whales, and sea stars
to peregrine falcons,
bobcats, and moun-
tain lions.
THREE CALIFORNIA PARKS SHARE SOME SIMILAR
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
NPCA’s assessment of Channel Islands birds, seals, and sea lions delight visitors at
National Park, Santa Monica Mountains the Santa Monica Mountains National
National Recreation Area, and Cabrillo Recreation Area. All three parks offer a
National Monument brought to light a variety of educational programs that teach
number of common themes shared among visitors of all ages about subjects such as
the parks. They include resource manage- archaeology, American Indian history,
ment successes, common resources, and wildlife, and underwater ecosystems. A
4 similar resource threats. Following is an favorite educational site is the Satwiwa
overview of some of these shared themes. Native American Culture Center in Santa
Southern California’s Mediterranean Biome Parks
All three Mediterranean biome parks are Monica Mountains National Recreation
known for providing excellent recreational Area, which receives more visitors than the
opportunities for surrounding community park’s main visitor center.
members and visitors, many of whom reside Each park is also recognized for efforts to
in highly urbanized areas. Whale watching is restore native ecosystems by removing non-
popular at both Channel Islands National native plants and animals and reintroducing
Park and Cabrillo National Monument, while native ones. Channel Islands National Park
has targeted a host of non-native species
such as horses, pigs, sheep, cows, cats,
CATHY NORRIS
donkeys, European honeybees, rabbits, and
rats, which were damaging park ecosystems.
In 2002, the Park Service began a program
to reintroduce bald eagles to the Channel
Islands. At Santa Monica Mountains
National Recreation Area, there are more
than 800 native plant species and about 300
non-native plant species; park staff target
the 19 non-native species that pose the
greatest threat to native biodiversity. At
Cabrillo National Monument, staff have
planted native vegetation around the Old
Point Loma Lighthouse and removed most
of the aggressive ice plant from the park.
Though each of the parks has achieved
significant successes in combating non-
native species, each suffers from staffing and
funding shortfalls that limit what can be
done. In some cases, the parks are unable to
keep up with the spread of certain invasive
plants and animals.
All three parks are affected by past and
current land uses both within the parks andadjacent to their boundaries. At Channel
ROBERT V. SCHWEMMER/NOAA
Islands National Park, a history of grazing by
non-native species dramatically altered
ecosystems, in part, by limiting native plant
communities and contributing to erosion and
the spread of non-native grasses. As noted,
staff continue to work to repair this damage.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation
Area is within the Los Angeles metropolitan
area, it is surrounded by private property, and
more than 70,000 acres of private lands lie
within its boundaries. Urban growth and 5
development, with associated issues such as
Southern California’s Mediterranean Biome Parks
habitat fragmentation and human-caused
fires, threaten the park’s ecological integrity.
At Cabrillo National Monument, adjacent
development has isolated native habitat from
other natural areas. As a result, some wildlife
species are no longer found there.
Water quality is also a concern for preservation and interpretation of resources All three parks
Channel Islands National Park, Santa Monica ranging from historic structures and provide an array of
recreational activities
Mountains National Recreation Area, and museum collections to cultural landscapes
for visitors.
Cabrillo National Monument. Pollution from and human connections.
shipping vessels and urban, agricultural, and As indicated, all three parks suffer from
industrial runoff is a threat for all three parks. funding and staffing shortfalls that affect the
Water quality monitoring is minimal at these Park Service’s ability to fulfill its mission of
parks due to funding shortfalls, which makes preserving and protecting the parks and
it difficult for the Park Service to achieve a providing enjoyment and educational
comprehensive understanding of conditions opportunities to the public. Channel Islands
and the scope of threats. National Park reported a shortfall of 24 full-
The human history of each park also time equivalent employees in its 2004 busi-
includes shared themes. Spanish explo- ness plan. As a result of this shortfall, exist-
ration and settlement brought changes ing staff are burdened with additional
to the lifestyles of native peoples such as duties. At Santa Monica Mountains, there
the Chumash, Gabrielino/Tongva, and are not enough staff to run the visitor center,
Kumeyaay. Missionaries sought to convert so staff from other divisions must supple-
many of these people to Catholicism, while ment, which takes them away from their
foreign diseases brought by the settlers other duties. Cabrillo National Monument
struck a severe blow to many native groups. might have to cancel two of its popular
Archaeological resources and historic struc- annual events—the Cabrillo Festival and the
tures in each of the parks document the Whale Watch Weekend and Intertidal Life
span of human history, dating from prehis- Festival—partly because it does not have
toric times to the present. At each of the funds to hire needed interpreters to serve
three parks, funds are needed to support visitors or to cover other expenses of
cultural research that would help guide hosting these events.You can also read
