Santa Cruz Field School 1999

GEOLOGY The Isthmus (Narrow area between main body of island and the East End) is a land mass that is comprised of Monterey Shale	INTRODUCTION You are about to visit one of the most unique areas in the world. Santa Cruz is an island in the Pacific Ocean, twelve miles of the coast of Ventura County. It has a number of endemic species of both flora and fauna, such as the Island Fox, the Scrub Jay, and the Santa Cruz Island Ironwood.There are introduced plant species of notable interest, the Eucalyptus trees and Fennel to name but two. Human habitation can be traced back to the Chumash and their predecessors. Discovered by Europeans in 1542, it quickly came into the hands of first William Barron, then was sold to Justinian Caire, followed by the Stantons. Ranching has been practised with both cattle and sheep. Feral hogs are still present. “With every step I stream from my body. By the time I reach the top of the hill, I’m a brook flowing the other way.”– Morton Marcus Click here for shockwave version
“They were singularly tame and unsuspicious for a Blue Jay and we had no trouble in securing all the specimens we desired”	Formation sedimentary rock, (observed as buff-white chalky siliceous, embedded with chert and bentanite) overlaying the volcanic base rock. There is one major fault at the East end of the isthmus at El Montanon; there are other larger faults such as that in the Central Valley. At Prisoners Harbour the rock is predominantly Santa Cruz Island volcanic, which has a dark grey, dacitic andesite flows and embedded with bluish-green tuffaceous sandstone (Miocene). Heading inland toward Campo del Norte and the rest of the isthmus, the rock is younger comprising of quaternay terrace gravel, and quarterney landslides. One feature of the Monterey formation is that it is prone to landslides.	It is difficult for some plants to have a firm hold, in an area of such high levels of soil erosion. Manzanita (arctostaphylos) is a shrub common to the Monterey Shale of the Isthmus. Many plants that occur on Santa Cruz are common on other islands and on the mainland, but there are some that the only place in the world that they occur are here on Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz Island Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus) is a 20m tall tree which has red-brown bark, during fires it has a tendency to shed its bark as a protection from the flames, which directs flames to the floor rather than the canopy. It tends to prefer igneous rock.
The Island Oak (Quercus) can be found here, but has varieties and hybrids spread over many of the Channel Islands. Chumash culture had ritual use of some of the plants found on Santa Cruz, Datura wrightii (Momoy) was a plant used as a hallucinogenic, it has a cream-white trumpet- like flower and is common over much of the island. And Nicotiana clevlandii had a similar purpose. Two notable animals that are endemic to the islands are the Island Fox (urocyon littoralis) which is a smaller version of the mainland Grey Fox; these are inquisitive creatures with a territory of about one half a square mile. Fossils of the fox have been found dating back 16,000 years, in its present form. The Chumash are believed to have kept the foxes as pets. One of the most obvious endemic creatures are the Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens insularis) discovered in 1875 they are larger and darker than their mainland relatives, they are extremely inquisitive. Willett wrote of them.		Many plants have been introduced in the last 150 years, during the Ranching Era: Grape vines, olives, fig, garden vegetables, citrus trees. At the East End close by Smugglers and Scorpion Ranches wheat, was grown along with potatoes, beans, barley, onions and hay. Today another of the introduced plants has become one of the most common weeds on the island, that is Fennel. It is a large plant with frond-like leaves which harden over the winter and gives the countryside a grey-blue hue. It is most common in areas that were heavily grazed by sheep and cattle in the past. Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus Labill) An aromatic tree imported for timber and as windbreaks, as it is a rapidly growing tree. The wharf at Prisoners Harbour is made of Eucalyptus.
HISTORY & PREHISTORY The four most northerly of the Channel Islands were once one large island, one present day maps the light colour of the inshore area was once the coastline The Chumash and their predecessors have inhabiting this island for thirteen thousand years. They had their own language, related to the Hokan group of languages. There was a great deal of trade between the island and the mainland, by means of plank boats, to exchange the beads that were made on the island for goods. It is thought that the Chumash were reliant on the sea for their needs, the shellfish Abalone was used not only for food but for beads and even fish hooks. The Shamen would have used localised plants in certain ceremonies, such as the Datura and Nicotiana which are both halucinogenic, and can be found over most areas of the island. Today we see remains of where the Chumash lived often by the debris that they left in middens. These contain items such as beads, or abalone shells and hooks as well as other everyday objects. The Spanish European settlers started arriving in 1542. By 1852 the first of the ranches started to appear, this was at Prisoners Harbour. By the 1850s sheep had been brought from Spain and England. In 1861 the Wharf at Prisoners had been built, it was essential to the running of this rapidly expanding sheep ranching island. The Santa Cruz Island Company took Possession of the island in 1869; one of the ten investors was Justinian Caire. It is his daughter Delphine who planted, and gave her name to the grove of Cypress trees located above Scorpions Ranch. Delphine died on the island, during the only snowfall ever to be recorded, in 1949. Facts & Figures Fennel introduced in the 1850s 500 species and subspecies of native plants. 8 endemic plants 1st flight to the island April 17th 1928 landing at Campo Grand near Scorpions, by Earle L. Orvington. Navy base here since February 1949 Gloria Swanson made her first starring role in a film that was shot here. Peter Pan and Male and Female was also shot here.	The East End was known as the Granary as it grew many of the crops for the Island. The rough, rocky soil of the island coupled with its Mediterranean climate makes it suitable for growing olives. 1884 the vineyards had been planted and wine producing grapes such as Burgundy, Mataro and Grinache were grown but the most prevalent were the Zinfandel grapes (all reds). White grapes included Burger and then Muscatel. Fruit Juice was produced on the mainland in the prohibition era but not to the same extent as the wine. Look out for the stone walls in the drainage’s which were designed to control soil erosion. The Stanton Era started when Edwin Stanton bought 90% of the island in 1939 while the Gherinis kept 10% of land at the East End. By now the sheep farming had been abandoned and they were replaced with Cattle.The System of bringing water to where it was needed was not an easy task to undertake there are a number of ways in which water is provided.Firstly there are five permanent drainages or streams on the island, Canada del Media, in the Central Valley, the Canada del Puerto, which flows to Prisoners Harbour. The Canad la Cuesta and Los Sauces at the Western End of the Island, and Aguaja at the Eastern End. In the volcanic rock, which covers most of the island in differing forms, except on the Isthmus, where there is the sedimentary rock of the Monterey Formation. In the volcanic rock, water works its way to the surface through the fissures or cracks. These springs can either be a permanent water source flowing all year round from a water table, or as I found today a channel that water had obviously flowed through from a hole in the mountainside. This is a spring that can only flow when the water table is high, e.g. in the wet, winter months, and therefore cannot be relied upon	Other Users of the Island 1965- General Motors leased 1 acre 1965-Santa Cruz Hunt Club, to eradicate the feral sheep and hogs 1965- U.C.C. Field station established. 1973-Santa Cruz Island Communication Company- Subletting Communication Space. 1978-The Nature Conservancy took over the running of Stantions lands and in 1987 on his death the Conservancy became the sole owners of the Santa Cruz Island Company. As a result the Santa Cruz Island Foundation was created. Imagining the Future: 1 Scorpion Ranch to Prisoners Harbour DISTANCE: 10 Miles Terrain: Rugged This may be done as a day hike, but makes a pleasant overnight trip suitable for families with a campground and running water available at the new China Flats campground. There is also basic hostel accommodation with cooked meals. The private hostel provides simple bunk rooms (two family rooms are available), a sitting room with fireplace and hot showers as well as a study centre and native plant garden. You may use the hostel guest kitchen to prepare your own food, but the warden is famous for her Santa Cruz cuisine. Fennel baked fish, tip with roast vegetables from the wood-fired adobe bread ovens and that infamous island mango salsa, fresh sourdough rolls, Vacquero stew and, wild salads and wine from the newly restored vineyards can be sampled before you finish your meal with a prickly pear sorbet. Group bookings and special interest courses are available. A yurt camping complex available for year round use at Pelican Bay will open in the fall. Plans are afoot to provide a twice-daily tram service between Scorpion and China Harbour. Check with Park Headquarters in Ventura for the latest information. Pack mule trips through the spectacular Central Valley and on to the ranch and cottage complexes at Christy’s and the yurt village at Forney’s Cove take five days via the Ridge, or can be done as a brisk 3 day weekend on the old Portazuela trail. The pack station at Prisoner’s Harbour takes bookings direct from March through November. If you pack in to Christy via Portazuela, there may be a stop for swimming at La Cascada our very own waterfall pool. A ranger naturalist will be on site at China on weekends from April till October and will run a campfire program there on Friday and Saturday evenings. This guide and the accompanying tape are keyed to the interpretative displays found at shade ramadas located at 6 points along the trailas well as at the Prisoner’s Harbor Centre and Shop. Emergency phones with direct link to the Scorpion ranger station are to be found at the ramadas . Be sure to book your pick up by water taxi from Prisoner’s Harbour before you leave Scorpion. On busy weekends visiting boaters may make heavy use of the new taxi service. For those planning kayak rentals at the Prisoner’s Harbor Centre, booking a week in advance is recommended. Sheep Ranching The arrival of the first international students to the UCSB Field Station on Santa Cruz Island in June 1999, corresponded with the last drive to rid the island of sheep, something which particularly interested me. As we approached the island, I thought about what I knew of its history as well as over the research I had been doing while back in Wales to find out about a mystery to do with the original sheep brought to the island. Standing on the deck of the Sundown and staring at the steep harsh terrain above Prisoners Harbour, the natural cove that was once a settlement for the Chumash Indians I wondered how much did they use these hills? First they were trading from the island in their large planked boats, Tomols, and then later the Mexicans and Spanish landed on their beach. Were the Mexican and Spanish really the first to think about grazing animals here? The Mexican governor of California gave the island to the Andres S. Castillero in May 1839 and during the later part of Castilleros’ ownership he hired Dr. James Barron Shaw, an English physician residing in Santa Barbara as a sort of factor and it was increasingly Barron Shaw who supervised the island. He brought in the sheep that were to become such a scourge later. It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. From the experience of sheep on lush and rainy British hillsides it would be imposssible to imagine the kinds of problems that would come with overgrazing in a dryer climate here. Castillero sold the island to William Barron of Barron, Forbes & Co. in 1857 who may have been Barron Shaw’s nephew. A Lonk Ram – the “Lancastershire”? Dr Shaw continued to supervise the island for an additional twelve years and he imported sheep from the Balearic Islands and England. During these years [Dailey: 84 Santa Cruz Island Anthology]. John Gherini stated that these were Lancastershire sheep. And this is a mystery, because there is no such place name and no such breed. [Gherini: 43] This statement fascinated me because in Britain there are two adjoining counties; Lancashire and Leicestershire. There is no county of Lancastershire. The local breed of Lancashire is the Lonk (see illustration) a hardy hill type with a black face, and although the Merino cross Scotch Blackface is a white faced sheep, the fact wool production was of prime importance, it would appear more likely that it was probably the white faced English Leicester would have been favoured by Dr Shaw. A Leicester ram He was already importing Merinos, including the bigger improved French Merino sometimes called the Rambouillet after the royal farm in France where the breed was developed. The English Leicester was famous for it’s wool quality and good confirmation for meat production also “…In disposition, the sheep is naturally tame, quiet and inoffensive. It is possessed of less means of defence than most other animals being more timid and this induces it to seek the society of the flock ….” P.607 Practical agriculture : by R.W. Dickson M.D. written in 1807 These English Leicesters were being imported to North America as well as to Australia and New Zealand during the 19^th century, and research shows that the breed was being exhibited along with French Merinos, Southdowns and Cotswolds at the California State Fair as early as 1856. (America’s Sheep Trails p.558) The Lonk Sheep Society Flock Book was not founded until 1901 however and as the illustration shows, these sheep are a very different proposition from anything recorded on Santa Cruz. All these factors make me feel that the “Lancastershire” sheep referred to were almost certainly Leicesters. It would not have been worth the great expense of importing non pedigree stock when the aim was to improve the flock. In spite of a large scale fencing program, the remains of which are still in evidence today, the sheep were getting out of hand. The corridas or round ups were considered a success if 50% of all the sheep were gathered in. In 1938 10,000 domestic sheep were inported in an attempt to domesticate the flock but the plan proved unsuccessful. Edwin Stanton, who had purchased a substantial portion of the island from the Gherinis then decided to turn his attention to cattle and in 1939 began a systematic roundup of all the sheep, shipping all those caught to the mainland. This program of eradication was followed by his son Carey Stanton as well who also encouraged hunters to the island to shoot “trophy sheep”. A distressed Carey Stanton was helpless to prevent this program, having signed over the management of the sheep. He suggested that he was entitled to $20 per sheep and that he had not expected all these animals to be shot and not marketed. His serious quarrel with the NC over this matter led to an estrangement between them and it was after this that Stanton set up the Santa Cruz Island Foundation.
Potato Harbor This inlet can be seen from your location at an elevation of between three and five hundred feet above the current sea-level as we approach from Scorpions, The Larco Fish Company had legal fishing camps here, dedicated to catching lobster. High Mount At an elevation of 1581 feet this is the highest point on your trail. From here you have views back towards Scorpions (where you started from) San Pedro Point, South of Scorpions, and further south is Smugglers Ranch, which was also the site of the Chumash village of Nanawani. If you turn West you are able to see (mist depending) to your right the sweeping bay of Chinese Harbour and your camp site tonight. Chinese Harbor A long distinctive bay that was the home to a number of Chumash villages, including Lu’upsh. As you approach the Harbour you will pass a number of chumash sights, again look out for the dark Midden soil. In the days of the cattle and sheep ranching the upland area of the Isthmus was used extensively to graze the animals. Look for the dense areas of Fennel, which like the disturbed soil that grazing causes. And above the bay is a Woodland of Bishop Pine (Pinus muricata D.Don) Campo del Norte After the early uphill start to bring you back onto the ridge path of the Isthmus you carry on walking at about an elevation of 700-800 feet. The ranch at del Norte, is painted in the traditional white with yellow highlights on the doors and windows, and a red roof, it is the only ranch built in the Stanton Era. It is situated on a hill with the stockyards below. The water to this part of the island comes from a well that is in Prisoners harbour and pumped up to the holding tank that you can see on the South ridge in front of Campo del Norte. At the corner of the enclosure fence for the ranch house is a tree, look again, it isn’t, it’s an Ivy (Hedera) which has developed into a tree-like state. Prisoners Harbour Named after a group of Mexican convicts who were abandon on the island in 1830. They only left the island by making rafts to sail to the mainland to escape a fire. Bancroft (1884). “Those on the island after being there for some time, lost what they had by fire. We saw the flames from here (Santa Barbara). A long time passed before succour could be sent to them because the Schooner which was used to carry supplies to the island had not arrived. The convicts made some rafts and came here on them.” At the Harbour is the Wharf which has been used since 1861, built of Eucalyptus it saw the last round up of cattle on the island in 1988. The Harbour also possessed a Post Office which employed a man to signal to passing ships that mail needed to be collected. A man- powered Narrow Gauge railway was also employed, to bring goods to and from ships in dock. There are also remains of the holding pens, used for the stock before they were shipped. Justinian Caire bought a number of ships to travel to the island; the Santa Cruz was purpose built to take mail and supplies to the island. She was launched on May 9th 1893 and made weekly runs for 67 years, she now lies off the coast at Prisoners Harbour. The Unanswered Questions These queries were collected from the group as a whole. Although I can not claim to have conducted an entirely scientific survey of peoples’ opinions, I hope that this gives a generally fair overview of the sort of questions that are still puzzling people about Santa Cruz Island. Some of these are more original and controversial than others. Some, particularly concerning the future of the island are deeply philosophical and wide-ranging. I have included as many as possible, modifying and stretching them as I did so. Wildlife Of the feral pigs that we have seen, the larger ones are hairy with large spots, and the smaller, totally black and sleek. Is this difference due to age, or are there two varieties of pig? We have seen small penned off sites all over the island, designated for testing the effects of the feral pigs upon the local fauna. What have the results of these tests been? What is the Nature Conservancy’s reason for conducting an elimination program of the sheep but not of the pigs? Do they have proof that the sheep are more harmful to the environment than the pigs, or was the decision based upon a different set of criteria? Two biologists we spoke to were of the opinion that the golden eagle will soon be culled because of its consumption of the rapidly diminishing fox population. Both species are uncommon. Does the nature conservancy have a set of criteria for deciding which rare species will survive? Prior to the mass killing of twenty two thousand sheep, the Golden Eagle was known to be feeding off lambs. What food source did the Nature Conservancy originally predict would replace lambs in the golden eagles’ diet? There is currently an attempt underway to eliminate the island’s voracious fennel population, a plant introduced by the Italians. How long does a plant have to have been on the island in order to qualify as indigenous? The Chumash brought over plants from the mainland, specifically, tobacco, do these count as indigenous or not? The sea When will the one hundred year old, now derelict pier be repaired? What is the extent of the naval involvement on the island? At Prisoners Harbour there are naval markers measuring 18 cm by 5 cm. What are these used for? Where exactly were the locations of the fishing camps? Why is ‘Cochos Prietos’ ( Black Pig ) called that? Was there an unusually large pig population there, or was it because of the shape of the bay? The Chumash* Remains of ‘ Tomols’ the Indian plank canoes have been found on the mainland. Have any been found on the Channel Islands? Have we anyway of knowing how secure these vessels were for a sea voyage of over twenty miles? Did the journey have a high or low death rate for the Chumash? Harrington made cylinder recordings of Chumash Indians whose parents had lived on Santa Cruz. What has happened to these, and have any of them been digitized? Are these available for us to have access to? When the missionaries came to ‘spread the word’ what techniques did they use on the Chumash? Did they really achieve mass conversion voluntarily, or was there a ‘join us or die’ philosophy? Similarly, we believe that the Chumash lived on Santa Cruz for thousands of years. Did they actually leave their ancestral home willingly, or were they forced? How are we to know if the historical records have all been devised by Europeans, who would have had a vested interest in presenting it as a voluntary exodus? The Chumash had ‘matrilocal’ village sites, did this reflect a more matriarchal society? What did the Spanish missionaries think of this? Has anyone done follow up studies on the lives of the descendants of the Santa Cruz Chumash? Do they have higher levels of depression than the rest of the American population? To whom do they relate most culturally? The ranches and their financial position.* The original Santa Cruz Island company contained ten shareholders. Why did nine of these drop out? Was it due to the company being unprofitable? How did Justinian Caire afford to buy out the other nine shareholders? Stanton bought Caire out in 1937. In the same year he offered to sell the island to the National Park Service, but received no reply. Had he realised that the island was in fact an unprofitable entity, that had been subsidised by the Caire merchant business? This begs the question, has this island always been run by a romantic vision, rather than a strict profit motive? What is more, will this continue? Women Of the first European women who came here, what was their influence and effect upon the land? Did they have any particular roles or positions? In 1915, Russian women were employed to pick walnuts. This is the only known example of women being hired apart from the occasional cook or maid. As there was a general philosophy that women caused unrest, why were these particular women employed? Were they fleeing the Russian revolution, or just looking for work? Did they return to Russia or emigrate to the U.S.?How long did they stay on the island for? Has there ever been an individual case study done on Allbina, the Italian wife of Justinian Caire. What was her personal history, and her life on the island like? What are the lives of contemporary women like here? Buildings At Cochos Prietos there is an old abandoned weather station, probably dating back to the 1970’s. What is going to happen to it? Who made all the crosses outside the ranches? Were they a gift or were they commissioned? What is going to happen to the old ranches which are currently being maintained, but barely used? When did the change from iron ground and water tank piping to silver piping occur and why? Food Why was flour so expensive? Why was bread chosen as a staple food instead ofsomething cheaper? Why was ‘Potato Harbor’ called this? Were potatoes grown and eaten by the ranchers? The future What is the future of the island going to be? Will it turn into a national park? Should all the buildings be razed? Are we all really tourists, masquerading as students and workers? Should humans be allowed here at all? Should all the non – indigenous wildlife be killed off? If yes, how old do animals and plants have to be to count as indigenous? The Chumash brought plants such as tobacco over. Does that count as indigenous? If yes, what about the fennel? Should that be eliminated? Is there a future for the island as a wilderness? Will this be compatible with the profit motive? Should we have modern technology on Santa Cruz? If not, why not? – Should this island be an exception to the rest of the world (where the spread of modern technology is continual)? If yes, WHY? A cross of Merino with Scotch Black face Harris Newmark mentions that “…at the time of my arrival in Los Angeles [1853] most of the mutton consumed in Los Angeles came from Santa Cruz Island [which] had much larger herds, and steamers running to and from San Fransisco often stopped there to take on sheep and sheep produce.” By 1870, the US Agricultural Census gave a sheep population figure of 45,000 for the island. When Justininan Caire owned the island there were 800 head of cattle, 100 horses and 50,000 sheep by 1890 Caire’s death brought disagreements amongst family members and the management of island ranches seems to have suffered. Ambrose Gherini, a grandson in law of Justinian Caire took an active interest in the sheep ranching. He sold most of the flock in 1948 despite having purchased 400 good stock rams during the 1930’s and early 1940’s. [Warren:1954] Between 1955 and 1962 27,950 sheep were captured and sent to market on the mainland. More fences were erected to control the grazing as overgrazing was seen to be causing serious erosion. In 1978 the Nature Conservancy acquired a consevation easement on 90% of the island and opposed further hunting of the sheep. Marla Dailey, as assistant to Carey Stanton was present when he signed an agreement with the Nature Conservancy that entitled that organization to manage the island sheep on the Stanton property. The policy adopted by the Nature Conservancy was one of systematic slaughter. In the next two year 30,000 sheep were rounded up and shot. The reason that the NC changed its thinking appears to have been a $4,000,000 donation offered by the Fleischmann Co. The money had to bew targeted to a secific project and the sheep clearances were chosen as the project.
At the point that we arrived on the island in 1999 despite more than a century of experimental sheep management and all the efforts to clear the island a few survivors still held on.Strategically placed adjacent to the road or other easy loading areas I saw several sheep traps still in use on the island. These traps are built along existing fence lines often serving four or five paddocks. The design is essentially a funnel with the wide end to the paddock and the narrow end to a loading pen. The sheep are driven off the mountains along the ridges and down into the traps.One of the cowboys who had worked on the ranch in those years described the two years of the main eradication effort as “unbelievable… heaps of rotting carcasses littering the island…a terrible stench… hoards of flies… it upset the people who worked on the island for years.”The hunters that killed for the “racks” (horns) took those away as trophies and carcasses were skinned out and cleaned in the numerous slaughterhouses that are around the island, later even this degree of organization was abandoned and the scenes of heaped carcasses became common.It would be hard for Baron Shaw to believe that by 1973 the descendants of his sheep would be the target of hunters! Barron Shaw had a vision for the island and the sheep that were so profitable in the late 1880’s, the improved Merino, were still being bought in in 1917 (and were used on San Miguel til WWI). Carey Stanton apparently still considered them a useful source of revenue and hunting a viable and potentially profitble means of controlling a ranch population which had gotten out of hand. It was only in the last quarter of a century that they were really seen as a scourge, and the story ends with the Spanish work Matanza- the slaughter, 32,000 animals in two years. The cause, poor land and animal management followed by an influx of money. These must have been the world’s most expensive sheep. Libby Richards Libby Richards was the assistant director the Glamorgan summer fieldschool on Santa Cruz in 1999. She has worked with sheep in the rough terrain of the Brecon Beacons range in Wales all her life and comes from a family which has run sheep and cattle and bred tough mountain ponies there for many generations. It is interesting to note that her home territory is now part of a National Park just as part of Santa Cruz is, but in Brecon Beacons National Park there is still active farming. She writes here as an experienced stock-woman who also has an anthropological perspective.