Some 25 miles off the California coast, between Ventura and Santa Barbara, lies a place one might think time forgot. Separated from the mainland, Santa Cruz Island has evolved into an oasis of unusual life forms. More than 680 species of plants, 220 types of birds, 12 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, and 15 types of mammals inhabit the island’s high peaks and deep canyons, clear streams and pastoral valleys. Sixty of these species are found nowhere else on Earth.

About Santa Cruz Island

So rich and unique are its flora and fauna that scientists have dubbed Santa Cruz and its sister Channel Islands the "Galapagos Islands of North America." But a closer look at Santa Cruz Island today reveals that time has indeed touched this treasure trove of biodiversity. Vanished are the Santa Barbara Island song sparrow and the Santa Cruz Island monkeyflower—island inhabitants here before settlers arrived in California. Nine species of plants hover on the edge of extinction. And in March 2004, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed the Santa Cruz Island fox—a small, playful creature that has held the top berth on the island's food chain for thousands of years—on its endangered species list.

Scientists have found the prime culprit— the feral pig. Rototillers of the animal kingdom, these non-native animals root up the soil, providing a fertile base for tall, dense stands of fennel that choke out native vegetation. Worse, golden eagles, which once visited only occasionally, found a year-round food source in the wild piglets and began to colonize the island in the 1990s. When not feasting on piglets, the golden eagles hunt the Santa Cruz Island fox, a species unaccustomed to being viewed as prey.

Learning from History

When The Nature Conservancy acquired 90 percent of Santa Cruz Island in 1978, the organization inherited the island's complex ecological history. More than a century of ranching had left the pigs, along with tens of thousands of feral sheep, to devour grasslands and cause erosion and collapse of entire hillsides.

An eradication program eliminated the sheep in the 1980s, helping the island's flora stage a dramatic comeback. Bishop pine returned to areas once shorn bald. Rare Santa Cruz Island silver lotus crept back over the cliffs, and fields of purple needlegrass flourished.

Yet thousands of feral pigs remain, along with the imbalance they helped to create. Without human intervention, scientists say, one-of-a-kind plants will disappear, and the island's fragile native ecosystem will collapse. With it all, the island fox will perish.

With fewer than 100 island foxes left on Santa Cruz Island, the Conservancy, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal, state and local partners are moving forward with an ambitious recovery campaign for the entire island.

In 2002, we consolidated our fox-recovery and captive-breeding programs with those of the National Park Service, which now owns 24 percent of the island," says Lotus Vermeer, the Conservancy's Santa Cruz Island project director.

Together, these programs produced 15 pups in just two years, and the number continues to grow. "The Conservancy is also committed to relocating golden eagles from the island," Vermeer adds. To date, 32 golden eagles have been relocated to the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, and none has returned. About a dozen remain.

This spring, conservation partners are ramping up their efforts to relocate the island's remaining golden eagles. The intensified program will bring in more trappers and introduce innovative capture techniques, including cannon netting, used successfully to bring California condors into a captive breeding program. Meanwhile, the Institute for Wildlife Studies has reintroduced two dozen young bald eagles— a native species that succumbed to DDT contamination years ago. "Bald eagles eat fish and carrion, not foxes,” says Vermeer. "Our hope is that when these territorial birds reach maturity, it will limit recolonization by golden eagles."

Making Difficult Decisions

Soon, conservation partners will begin eradicating feral pigs by hiring a professional hunting contractor. “It has been a difficult decision, but science and experience tell us that eradicating feral pigs is the best solution,” says Vermeer. Scientists agree that eliminating the pigs is the most effective way to save the island fox and other unique species. “Because the pigs carry disease and are considered a pest species by the State, they cannot be returned to the mainland,” says Vermeer. And there’s no effective contraception for these fast-breeding creatures.

Scientists are confident that, once the wild pigs are removed, Santa Cruz Island will recover. “History is on our side,” Vermeer says, pointing to the dramatic resurgence of native vegetation after feral sheep were eliminated. “By working with strong conservation partners and relying on good science, we can save the island fox for future generations and preserve Santa Cruz Island as the crown jewel of North America’s 'Galapagos Islands.'”