08/23/04

LC040823

Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times --

Rolling back the clock on California's Channel Islands. For
some endangered animals there, it's a matter of life and death.

Tim Coonan>> The stewardship responsibilities of the Parks
Service are pretty clear. We need to retain all the elements,
the native elements, of these ecosystems and the processes that
we inherited when we began management of these properties.

Val>> And then, turning back the clock for a piece of
California wilderness and giving native animals lots of room to
roam.

All coming up straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times.

Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of
the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality
of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of
medicine, health, science and education.

Val>> A battle of survival is taking place off Southern
California's shore and at stake is the future of a tiny animal,
an animal that has unfortunately become part of nature's food
chain. It's taking place on the Northern Channel Islands. On a
clear day, you can see them from Ventura County. But as Philip
Bruce tells us, you have to look closer to catch the drama
that's taking place on the ground.

Philip Bruce>> For biologist, Tim Coonan, and his furry
friends, this is the moment of truth.

Tim Coonan>> "Make a note that many of her teeth are
discolored."

Philip Bruce>> He's been looking out for a delicate species
found no place else on the planet, the Santa Cruz Island Fox.
And for Coonan and a handful of fellow biologists from the
National Parks Service, this is freedom day.

Tim Coonan>> "She's old, but she's still in good shape."

Philip Bruce>> The Northern Channel Islands are part of
America's national park system and Coonan is one of the people
whose job it is to protect the fragile ecosystem here. One of
the biggest challenges has been trying to save this tiny fox
which is no bigger than a house cat.

Tim Coonan>> "I'm looking for parasites now."

Philip Bruce>> On this day they released nine foxes raised in
captivity here on Santa Cruz Island. Each was equipped with a
radio tracking collar and, as the animals headed out into the
wild, they seemed more than ready to be on their own. That's
the good news. But the bad news came soon after when five of
these little guys became lunch for an airborne predator the
foxes were ill prepared for. Meet the Golden Eagle, ruler of
the skies over Santa Cruz Island, and now The Terminator as far
as the foxes are concerned.

Tim Coonan>> To many people, the Island Fox has become almost
characteristic of the Channel Islands. It's a very unique
species. The only place it lives in the entire world are on
this sixth largest of the eight Channel Islands. It is the most
geographically restricted canid in the world. It's a very
unique piece of our biodiversity, so our stewardship
responsibilities to save this piece of biodiversity are very
clear.

Philip Bruce>> There are only about seventy-five Santa Cruz
Island Foxes left. That's down from more than fifteen hundred a
decade ago. And lately, they've become such a tasty snack for
the Golden Eagles that biologists are in a near panic to do
something before it's too late.

Tim Coonan>> The fox who adapted not having an aerial predator
doesn't know how to react to this and, the next thing you know,
the Golden Eagle is targeting the fox.

Philip Bruce>> What a difference from that other nature story
from not long ago and, unlike the current drama on Santa Cruz,
this one had a happy ending. You may recall that it took place
on Catalina where an outbreak of distemper ravaged the Island
Foxes there. Biologists managed to avoid a disaster after they
developed a vaccine and started releasing captive foxes back
into Catalina's wilderness. So why aren't these animals, a
close cousin to the foxes on Santa Cruz, also being picked off
by Golden Eagles? Well, there aren't any on Catalina. Only
Bald Eagles.

Tim Coonan>> The Bald Eagles historically bred on the islands,
but Bald Eagles do not eat foxes. They do not eat terrestrial
species, by and large. They specialize on marine prey such as
fishes, seal and sea lion carcasses and sea birds.

Phillip Bruce>> But Golden Eagles thrive on land mammals and
they're fairly new to the Channel Islands. When the first ones
flew out from the mainland about a decade ago, they probably
thought they'd struck the mother lode because there on the
islands they found an abundance of Ferrell pigs running wild for
the past century since ranchers left them there. To the eagles,
the baby pigs are a four-legged buffet on the hoof, but more
importantly, they've become a magnet for the Golden Eagles which
have learned to also chow down on the Island Foxes.

Tim Coonan>> They're traveling, you know, ten to twenty miles
across open water and we believe that Golden Eagles may have
frequented there in the past, but there was no real food sources
for them. But over the last hundred years, well, we've seen our
different operations out there in which animals were introduced
to the islands that didn't belong to the islands and became food
sources, so here maybe the Golden Eagle flies over, sees that
there is available food sources -- they're typically a
terrestrial hunter -- they see things like pigs on Santa Cruz
Island and see that that's a great food source. Well, in their
search for a pig, they also come across the fox.

Philip Bruce>> So now Russell Galipeau, the Parks Service's man
in charge of the Channel Islands, is brainstorming for ideas.
First, he says, they'll trap the Golden Eagles and take them off
the island back to the mainland. Then, he says, the Parks
Service will get rid of the Ferrell pigs so the eagles won't be
tempted to return and, by "get rid", that means -- you know.
When we're talking about removing, we're not talking putting
them up for adoption.

Russell Galipeau>> That's correct. In our case, it is not for
adoption. We've worked with folks on the mainland. You've got
to remember, there's a large swine industry and what you don't
want to do is bring Ferrell pigs that have had no disease
controls brought to the mainland and put farmers at risk of
their farming operations.

Philip Bruce>> Getting rid of the pigs will also give Santa
Cruz's flora and fauna a fighting chance since they eat a lot of
it. Once the Golden Eagles are gone, the Island Foxes won't
have a bull's-eye on their backs. Tim Coonan says this
elaborate process may seem to some like more meddling, but in
fact, he claims it's the only way to get the islands back to
their natural state where the tiny foxes thrive. Even then, he
says, he'll just hope nothing else happens.

Tim Coonan>> We've still got some work to do. We're not out of
the woods on this by any stretch of the imagination. So it will
be a constant concern probably for the next decade because, as
you hinted, there are other things that could happen out there
as well. I mean, right now, Golden Eagles is our worry, but
these guys are canids. They're vulnerable to canine or even
feline diseases, so distemper could sweep through our
populations as well. So that's why it will require constant
vigilance on our part.

Philip Bruce>> At the same time, the Parks Service is also
trying to restore Bald Eagles to Santa Cruz and the other
Northern Islands. A similar program has worked well on Catalina
where incubated chicks have been successfully introduced to
nests in the wild. In Catalina, Bald Eagles are now a proud
part of the landscape, but in the Northern Islands a few young
eagles unfortunately have drowned after trying to fly back to
the mainland.

Even so, the program has been mostly successful and biologists
say a healthy population of Bald Eagles on the islands will keep
the Golden Eagles at bay. Russell Galipeau says that critics
may accuse the Parks Service of being unwelcome interlopers in
the food chain, but he claims it's all a matter of trying to
preserve one of the most fragile pieces of America's frontier.

Russell Galipeau>> A hundred years ago, the best use of the
islands was determined to be a ranching operation. At that
time, we all felt very comfortable with that and that was the
right thing to do. Well, times have changed and we've found
that there was a different purpose for how that land should be
managed and now we manage it under more of a natural regime,
allowing natural processes to occur in the drive for the
ecosystem. So what man did before, we are going to undo by
allowing nature to take its course.

Philip Bruce>> For the Island Fox, it is just another leg of a
journey that began long ago when the ancient Chumash Indians
took the first foxes out to the islands, rowing the distance in
their small handmade boats. The Chumash, of course, have now
faded from the landscape. The question is, will the foxes do
the same? How do you decide what species to keep and what to
let go? Because, I mean, even the fox, we're talking about
something -- it didn't start there. None of these were really
native.

Tim Coonan>> And you may think that's a difficult question, but
actually it's not. The stewardship responsibilities of the
Parks Service are pretty clear. We need to retain all the
elements, the native elements, of these ecosystems and the
processes that we inherited when we began management of these
properties. So it's very easy to make a decision.

Island Foxes have been in the environment eighteen thousand
years out there. Ferrell pigs have been there a hundred and
fifty. The Island Fox is not only a native species, it's one of
the most important ones out there. Soon the species will be
listed as endangered, or four of the subspecies will, and then
we have legal responsibilities to safeguard that species from
extinction. So the route we need to take is real clear.

Val>> The Parks Service knows that its plan for eradicating
those Ferrell pigs is bound to outrage some animal lovers, but
they say there is no good alternative, at least not one that
protects both the ecology of Santa Cruz Island and the future of
the Island Fox.

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Val>> Now you may think of ballet as something that belongs to
the elite of society. But in Orange County, we know of a place
where ballet is transforming the lives of inner city youngsters.
Saint Joseph Ballet has helped thousands of low-income children
build self-esteem and avoid the pitfalls that await them in
their neighborhoods. As we discovered, it all began with a
former nun who wanted to make a difference.

Beth Burns>> Saint Joseph Ballet's mission is to offer young
people the chance to grow in self-esteem, self-discipline and a
sense of accomplishment.

>> The ballet has made a wonderful difference in my life. It
has not only like made me into what I am today, but it has given
me a perspective of what I can be in the future.

>> I started ballet when I was about in the fifth grade and I
was eleven years old. I used to be really quiet. You really
couldn't get me to talk. Over the years, I guess from
performing in classes, I'm so outgoing and they can't even get
me to shut up anymore, you know?

Val>> The old center of Santa Ana seems more like a Mexican
town than the Orange County city it is. The midday calm here
can be deceiving. Poverty is prevalent. Gangs and drugs are a
problem and the teenage pregnancy rate is the highest in the
county. Here, hidden away above the street, is the studio of
Saint Joseph Ballet.

[Film Clip]

Val>> Beth Burns founded the ballet in 1983 to help at-risk
kids. Today the program has over three hundred students with
ninety-eight percent of them on complete scholarships.

Beth Burns>> When you look at the problems in the inner city, I
think it comes from the sense of hopelessness, a sense that
there are no options. You know, I spend a lot of time talking
with the kids. We all do here. I one time asked a kid, well,
you all know how dangerous gangs are. Why do you choose them?
Because it's better than being nothing.

[Film Clip]

Beth Burns>> I think what makes our work special is actually
the kids getting in touch with the power of their own spirit and
we measure success by the choices that they make in their lives.

>> Just being here and dedicating yourself to the ballet has
kept me away from, you know, the pressures that are out there.
One of those was like from getting pregnant. I know a lot of my
friends that haven't made it and that they are pregnant or they
are in gangs and the ballet has been there for me to get away
from those pressures.

>> I was in a gang in Whittier and I would go along with my
friends and we'd just drive around and do like bad things. I'm
really ashamed of what I've done. My mom would walk all the way
to the ballet to make sure I was here. I used to come here and
then I would leave, so she would make sure I'm here. Then I
started to like it towards the beginning and I've been coming
ever since.

Beth Burns>> We actually do a lot of personal counseling with
the kids and, sure, there are times where they don't like what
we have to say, but, you know, you just be that gentle strength
for them. There are a lot of people who sometimes talk about
adults don't want to be adults anymore. Let me tell you,
working with young people, with all the highs and lows that they
have, we need to be there for them. They're making life and
death choices.

Beth Burns>> "Foundation. What kind of foundation do you have?
So this is a very simple exercise, but we need to set a firm
foundation so that whatever you do in life -- okay, this is just
a silly little dance class, okay? So it doesn't really matter.
But who you are and saying I will learn what it is and I will do
it instead of fishing in the dark, okay? One-to-three-four.
Look, five-six-seven-eight. One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-
eight. Come on, come on, come on. It's simple, folks. Here I
am, here I am. You're not going to forget me. That's what I'd
like to see."

[Film Clip]

>> I think Beth loves us a lot. Not only is she there for you
as a teacher, but as a friend. She just wants the best for us
and she wants to teach us to work hard for what we want because,
if you don't work hard, then you're not going to get what you
want. If it wasn't for that strictness and that she motivates
us and just for being honest, you know, we wouldn't be where we
are today.

Beth Burns>> "Now if you take your arms way down here, you're
going to be way too slow, so four-five. . ."

Val>> Beth Burns trained as a dancer, but chose college over a
dance career. Later she became a nun and taught high school.
She started her dance program because she hoped it would let her
have more of an influence on kids. Eventually she left the
religious order and dedicated herself entirely to the dance
school.

Beth Burns>> From day one, from the children's faces, it was
clear that this was a very strong way for them to feel their own
talent and potential. I knew that this was what I wanted to
keep doing because the results are so visible. They're clear on
a daily basis when you see the kids' faces.

[Film Clip]

Val>> Among the students here are more than forty boys. Some
stay for just a year. Others remain for five or six years
attending up to six classes a week. The school has five
teachers and the students are ethnically diverse. Admission is
based on desire, some degree of coordination, and financial
need. The school raises $400,000 annually to keep itself going.

[Film Clip]

Beth Burns>> There is a lot of potential here. I think when
you see the advance class, when you see the talent, you see the
dedication, you see young people who are committing themselves
to developing their talent, you see the opportunity for a number
of young people to go on and become professional.

Val>> Burns enjoys helping particularly talented students, but
to her, the most important thing is giving direction to her
young dancers' lives.

Beth Burns>> It's easy to throw around the word "dreams", but
when you look in the kids' eyes and see their faces, I think for
them to find a place where they're known and loved and
challenged and nurtured and their dignity is recognized, they
have a sense of their possibility in the future.

To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us
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Val>> If you could turn back the clock in California to a time
when scores of wild animals were free to roam, it might look
like the place we're about to take you to. All evidence of
human beings is being erased, native animals are being herded in
and old homes and buildings are being moved out. As Philip
Bruce tells us, it's part of a new plan to re-wild a huge part
of California countryside.

Philip Bruce>> This is the kind of field trip kids dream of, a
day in the wilderness to commune with nature. The location?
The Wind Wolves Preserve in Kern County, a vast stretch of land
on the edge of the San Joaquin Valley. It's the largest
privately-held nature preserve in the western United States.
The Wild Lands Conservancy purchased the property from a
developer short on cash back in 1996. Ever since then, they've
been at work here trying to restore this place to resemble what
it was more than a century ago. The 95,000 acres include
sloping foothills and tall mountain peaks.

David Clendenen>> And we have an elevation range from just
around six hundred feet to over six thousand feet, so we have a
wonderful diversity of habitat types.

Philip Bruce>> Preserve Manager, David Clendenen, says the
educational program is a major part of the Conservancy's
mission.

David Clendenen>> I think outside of preserving important
landscapes, bringing children out into nature is the most
important thing in the core of our mission.

Linda Huffman>> Now you shouldn't be afraid of him. He's
actually very friendly.

>> The tarantula was really cool. It was like small and it
tickled when it went across my hands. First I was really scared
of it because I don't like spiders.

>> I thought that it was cool because I've never seen one
before and I've never held one and it feels so weird.

Linda Huffman>> His name is Rafael and he is a gopher snake.

>> The snake was kind of creepy and, when I felt it, you could
feel its scales. I've seen a lot of snakes out where I live and
I stay away from them, but it was just really freaky.

Philip Bruce>> The Conservancy's hope is that the children who
visit here will learn to appreciate the value of nature.

Linda Huffman>> We have many children from cities and schools
that come up here where the children have never even been
camping with their parents. They have never gone beyond even a
city park. Wildlife to them is a ground squirrel.

Linda Huffman>> Now wait a minute. Who cleans up the coyote
scat?

>> The beetle.

Linda Huffman>> There you go (laughter). The beetle.

Philip Bruce>> Naturalist, Linda Huffman, wants these fifth
graders from Bakersfield to recognize the different lifecycles
of animals they may see here.

Linda Huffman>> As I take the children out hiking on the trail,
we will actually see coyote scat on the trail because that's
where the coyotes leave it (laughter) and everything is
recognizable. The stink bugs will walk around out here, which
we had, showing the children how the stink bugs come after the
coyote scat. We'll actually pick up the stink bugs.

Philip Bruce>> The creatures are one of the key components.
The Wild Lands Conservancy is trying to restore the animal
population and make it what it once was, diverse and abundant.

David Clendenen>> We have black bears here. The California
grizzly bear is now extinct, so we have no hope of reintroducing
them.

Philip Bruce>> But they do plan to reintroduce antelope and
bighorn sheep and they've already brought back Tule elks.

David Clendenen>> We have, we think, about eighty to ninety elk
right now and we're right into calving season, so the elk are
having their calves. The babies are starting to appear now.

Philip Bruce>> Then there are the birds.

David Clendenen>> This is the best place I think I've ever been
in my life to really see Golden Eagles. They're commonly seen
here, they nest on the property.

Philip Bruce>> And the preserve has some important tri-colored
blackbird breeding colonies. That's a species in decline. Some
days there have been as many as four thousand of the birds
nesting in the pond below. It's a spring-fed natural pond that
was once set to become a hazardous waste facility for a local
oilfield.

David Clendenen>> There would have been a paved road in here,
several steel buildings on the site and a hazardous waste
facility.

Philip Bruce>> At the time the Wild Lands Conservancy bought
the land, there were also plans to develop the lower part of the
property and cover it with ten thousand new homes.

David Clendenen>> It would have been completely destroyed and
it's such a tragic thing to think about. It's one of the most
beautiful natural settings. There is an historic occupation
site for Native-Americans here. There are cave paintings in the
area. Just a spectacular natural setting.

Philip Bruce>> Over the past century and a half, much of the
land was used for cattle grazing and that too has led to
problems.

David Clendenen>> The norm in much of the cattle grazing
historically has been overuse, too much grazing, so the land had
really suffered from 150 years of overgrazing.

Philip Bruce>> Now the pond will no longer be a giant cattle
trough and oak seedlings will have a chance to develop into
trees.

David Clendenen>> Cows love to eat seedlings, so they're not
able to reproduce. So all the oak trees that you see here now
are mostly old trees and there's no young generation to replace
them. So if we don't help them out and help them to regenerate,
then eventually the landscape will be free of oaks.

A really philosophical goal is to take the property back as
closely as possible to what it was pre-European contact and, in
doing so, there will be some areas, especially in the higher
elevations to the south, that we'll be removing roads and
establishing wilderness areas and carrying on a process called
re-wilding that will bring that land as close as we can back to
the natural state.

Philip Bruce>> But the public will be welcome on part of the
land. The preserve is open to weekend visitors with
reservations and a campground is planned, and the educational
program won't be forgotten.

Linda Huffman>> When kids get out into the open and they see
things they've never seen before in a way they've never seen it,
they really do just go crazy out here (laughter) and we pretty
much let them.

>> I like the hills, the mountains. I'll ask my mom to see if
I can come back again because this is pretty cool.

>> We walked around, we went next to the waterfall and it was
all very fun.

Val>> As we told you, they call this place the Wind Wolves
Preserve. The name comes from a kind of prairie grass that
makes a howling sound it makes when the wind blows through it.
As you saw, that spot in Kern County is covered with those
grasses. That's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For all of us at
Life and Times, thanks for watching.

Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of
the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality
of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of
medicine, health, science and education.

Val>> Next time on Life and Times, new life for old buildings.
We'll show you how a crumbling tower may help restore a
neighborhood.

>> That balance between carrying the best of what we've had in
the past forward with us as we make our own contribution and go
into the future, it seems to me that's the model. That's what
we want to try to do.

Val>> That's next time on Life and Times.