Guadalupe Island

See also: Guadeloupe, the French Caribbean island

Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe, (28°53′N 118°18′W) is a 253.8 km² (98 square miles) volcanic island located 241 kilometers (150 miles) off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of the border city of Tijuana in Baja California state. There is a small airstrip near the center of the island. A small population of abalone and lobster fishermen lived near a cove at the eastern shore, but the camp is abandoned now. At the southern tip, on Melpómene Cove, there is a weather station. The site is called Campamento Sur.

Many unique island or marine species that reside on or near Guadalupe also frequent the Channel Islands, and vice-versa. Guadalupe is considered one of the best spots in the world for sightings of the Great White Shark, possibly because of its large population of pinnipeds.

Goats

It shares the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion with the Channel Islands of California in the United States, but the island has been practically denuded of all plants higher than a few centimeters due to tens of thousands of goats. Originally brought there in the early 19th century by primarily Russian whalers and sealers for provisions when stopping over, the population eventually eliminated most vegetation; the number of goats declined to a few thousand. Eradication of the goats was long envisioned, but logistical difficulties such as island size and lack of suitable spots for landing and encamping hunters and material prevented this. As of June 2005, after many years of false starts, the Mexican government has almost completed a round-up and evacuation of the remaining goat population; it has been designated a biosphere reserve.

Of the tree species (a palm, a cypress and a pine), there were only old individuals left. As the goats ate any seedlings that managed to germinate, no regeneration of trees was possible. Water, formerly plentiful as the common fogs condensed in the forests of the northern end of the island, today only occurs in a few scattered pools and springs. Because the springs are a critical emergency water supply for the human inhabitants, protective measures including goat fences were installed beginning in 2000, allowing new seedlings of many species to survive for the first time in 150 years.

Wildlife

• Guadalupe Caracara (Polyborus lutosus), extinct
• Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi)
• Guadalupe Junco (Junco insularis)
• Guadalupe Cypress (Cupressus guadalupensis)
• Guadalupe Island Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata var. binata)

External links

• Photographs of Isla Guadalupe
• Expedition 2000 to Isla Guadalupe—A Binational Multidisciplinary Expedition
• Guadalupe Island, another paradise that is lost - pre-removal profile of island
• Seacology Guadalupe Island Project - updates on ecosystem