Charity Islands
By Alex Wilson 03/13/2008
Restoration efforts at Channel Islands National Park and the drive to lure more visitors will be championed by a new charity that’s ready to officially launch.
Park Spokesperson Yvonne Minard says The Channel Islands Park Foundation recently secured tax-exempt status and is in the final stages of developing an operating agreement with the federal government.
“Once that’s complete they’ll be ready to really start connecting to the community in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties, and look for opportunities to share these wonderful resources,” Minard said.
Park Superintendent Russell Galipeau said there was a “Friends of the Park” nonprofit many years ago, but it faded away because it wasn’t properly nurtured. He says the park is excited about the formation of the new charity because it can’t afford to do all the projects it wants without private donations.
“The Park Service for years has been looking at philanthropy as one way to help the parks into the future,” Galipeau said. “It’s not just to raise money for special projects, but also to encourage civic engagement and people being involved in the parks.”
Many people want to donate toward specific island projects and not just see the money disappear into the vast National Park System.
“The foundation becomes the way to keep it local,” Galipeau said. “They can fundraise and encourage people to put financial resources toward special projects to enhance visitor enjoyment or protect the park resources.”
Money raised by the foundation might also be matched by the federal government under the Park Service’s Centennial Initiative.
Foundation President Carol Pillsbury said her organization has already filled the major leadership positions on its board and is now planning a membership drive. The foundation is working on finalizing its logo and formulating plans for fundraising and ambitious projects like rebuilding the rusty landing platform at Anacapa Island, where many people get their first taste of Channel Islands National Park.
The foundation has already staged a “Poets in the Park” event, during which professional writers traveled to Anacapa for inspiration and an island-themed poetry reading. One of the next major projects it is planning is a beach cleanup drive for Santa Cruz Island in September to coincide with Coastal Cleanup Day. The Park Service has agreed to transport up to 300 people to Santa Cruz and help haul away debris.
Pillsbury says she was inspired to take on this big task to share the natural beauty of the sometimes underappreciated islands, where many unique endemic plant and animal species live and which are sometimes referred to as “America’s Galapagos.”
“When people go out there they realize there’s this incredible treasure just a few miles off-shore from where we live in Ventura and Santa Barbara,” she said. “I’ve been to the Galapagos, and I think what we have here is much more special, especially in terms of the marine environment. I mean 27 whale species, six seal species, it’s phenomenal!
“Having seen both, when I went to Galapagos I was really kind of disappointed,” Pillsbury added. “I thought, wow what we have here is so much better, but so few people experience it.”
Galipeau says that despite the dissolution of the previous charity everybody’s on board to make the new foundation a roaring success.
“The real beauty behind the foundation is it’s just another expression of how dedicated the people of Ventura and Santa Barbara are in protecting this park and sharing it with the citizenry throughout the Unites States,” he said.
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