Santa Cruz island foxes, positive indicators of ecological restoration

April 25, 2020 11:22 AM

But things happened in that dark era [of the 1960s and 1970s] that were not dark. Choices made by groups and individuals would, half a century later, lead to a story about those island foxes (Wikipedia) and some humans who loved them, a story that would look small and sadly familiar at first. But in the end, the story of the foxes [...] are less like dead canaries [in a coalmine] and more like larks in the morning sun. The uplifting tale of these tiny island foxes, nearly wiped out by disaster (National Geographic) -- Earth Day began after a catastrophic oil spill off California (LA Times). Leadership and science restored nature—and hope—through years of despair and controversy (NPS.gov).
posted by filthy light thief (3 comments total)

The NatGeo article tells me I have 3 free articles and then paywall blocks me wanting me to sign up to keep reading.

The photos I've seen of the adorbes squinty-eye triangle head foxes are great, though. I'm glad they saved them!
posted by hippybear at 12:41 PM on April 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

I love these foxes! Growing up I spent most summers at camp fox on Catalina and we'd always make a point to see who could spot one first.
posted by Arbac at 12:44 PM on April 25, 2020 [2 favorites]

One of the first places we're going when the world opens up. Santa Cruz Island is so weird and wonderful--you see things that are very much like what we're familiar with on the Southern California mainland, but just slightly tweaked. There are corvids who I am convinced learned to bark like seals or sea lions to beg fish from those animals. There are solitary bees who live in the ground. There are psychedelic Humboldt lilies in the gullies. The foxes are fearless and social. There are fossils of tiny mammoths somewhere in the non-public research portion of the island!
posted by Scram at 3:10 PM on April 25, 2020 [3 favorites]