From the beginning, the history of America’s national parks has been indelibly linked to images. In the 1870s, Thomas Moran painted dramatic views of Yellowstone, prompting Congress to make it the country’s first national park; some 50 years later, Ansel Adams’s photos of Kings Canyon, California, led to the protection of that remote region of the Sierra Nevada. Since then, park maps and brochures have become essential in more quotidian ways—helping visitors navigate the premises, providing valuable safety information, and serving as beloved souvenirs.
I am a board member of Friends of the Island Fox and help do a variety of work to preserve this threatened/endangered species that live just right off our coastline. They are amazing animals and I highly encourage everyone to visit the Channel Islands (Santa Cruz Island is our usual destination) and spend some time among the foxes and other nature. It is a relatively quick 1.5 hour trip out from Ventura Harbor vis Island Packers. A great way to spend a day.
You can find many pictures of the channel island fox on my Instagram and Flickr photo accounts.
As a Valentine’s Birthday gift to me (and the foxes), please consider a donation to continue our work to protect and educate the public (through school programs and Road Scholar presentations) about this amazing animal in their own backyard.
You can donate any amount by visiting the Friends of the Island Fox web site and clicking the donate button. You’ll also find tons of information there about the foxes, their habitats, their issues and what we and our donors have done to help them, the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy and many others.
It’s February – time to help the unique island foxes that live on California’s Channel Islands! Why does Friends of the Island Fox ask for your donations? Funding is essential for island fox conservation. You can help this pup. Won’t you be her Valentine?
In December of 2019, she was fitted with a radio-tracking collarfunded by FIF and had another whisker removed for analysis. All of this work–the examination and work by the technician; blood sample testing, the microchip, radio-tracking collar, and diagnostic research on the whiskers–requires funding.
That is where you can make a difference. We ask you to donate, so FIF can help fund important island fox conservation work across the Channel Islands in conjunction with the various island land managers.
Pup F257 has so much to tell us.
Throughout her life, when captured, her microchip reveals her identity. Her data, gathered during annual check-ups, will form her profile history. Data collected on individual foxes is valuable for researchers and understanding how to keep island fox populations healthy and stable. Her radio collar will monitor her movements and safety.
The analysis of her two whiskers will tell us how her diet has changed from a very young pup to her life at 10 months old. If the winter rains don’t return and F257 faces her first year in drought conditions, will she change her diet? FIF’s Research Grant recipients are investigating important science on island fox health. Are foxes finding adequate nutritional food in their island ecosystem? Can we expect F257 to live a lifespan of 8–12 years?
This young pup is starting her life on Santa Rosa Island. You can be part of her success. Your donation will help make sure she is watched over and healthy.
