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It was a helpless kind of sadness that struck many Channel Islands National Park fanatics like myself this past week, as we watched our beloved Santa Rosa Island erupt in a wildfire last Friday that very quickly burned more than 17,000 acres, as of the May 20 count. Some of our worst fears were confirmed by Tuesday, when it was reported that the fire had reached and burned through the legendary Torrey pine forest — one of only two on the planet — though InciWeb suggests that the trees largely remain intact.
When I was writing this on Wednesday, the lone campground in Water Canyon was under threat, as was popular Cherry Canyon trail, and then the park’s primary infrastructure — including the historic ranch house and pier — would come next. There’s also the Santa Rosa Island Research Station, run by CSU-Channel Islands, in that same zone. But by Thursday morning, it appeared that the fire was slowing down, and that enough firefighters, tanker drops, and resources had reached the remote isle by now to save those valuable structures and limit more significant damage. But countless fingers remain crossed.
For those who have yet to visit Santa Rosa Island, you may have missed a very unique window to see this place in all its glory. I’ve been visiting since my first Channel Islands trip way back in the spring of 2001, when my buddy Coyote Dave and I joined a group of hikers and divers for a two-night boat trip on the Truth that featured stops at both San Miguel and Santa Rosa…