Explore the Galapagos Oct 4, 2009
Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island, is the most developed town on the archipelago and is the centre of the Galapagos tourism industry. Most visitors stay in this friendly little town while arranging a boat tour to the rest of the islands or anchor in the harbour during their cruise. (iAfrica.com)
With fascinating life-forms, islands are 'a laboratory of evolution' Jul 5, 2009
That's what happened to the dodo, a prodigious pigeon, Madagascar's giant hissing cockroach and the scrub-jays that made it to Santa Cruz Island -- the birds became about a third larger than their continental counterparts and are classified as a separate species. But the same forces that make islands hot spots for biodiversity also conspire to threaten their inhabitants. (Santa Barbara News-Press)
Evolution of the islands Jul 5, 2009
Other arrivals include wild turkeys; Santa Cruz Island was the first place in California that the birds were introduced, in 1877, and today, more than a hundred of the birds still strut around the central valley. Pigs brought to the island in the 1850s developed into a feral population of up to several thousand, which hunters contracted by the park service and the conservancy began killing earlier this year. (Santa Barbara News-Press)
Island escapes in America May 29, 2009
You come across three humpback whales on the ferry to Santa Cruz Island from the California mainland. Not the least bit troubled by our presence, they let you glide almost within touching distance before thrusting their tails out of the water and diving. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Climate change menaces Galapagos: scientists Apr 30, 2009
REUTERS/Guillermo Granja. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The unique of the Galapagos Islands -- penguins, fur seals, swimming iguanas and flightless -- is profoundly threatened by change, scientists said on Wednesday. (Scientific American)
Regional news: Is swine flu 'the big one?' Apr 28, 2009
(AP) The only bald eagle nest on Santa Cruz Island is now a lonely place, one that webcam viewers were delighted to monitor just a few weeks ago. Unseasonable conditions roil waters The temperature tantrum in Northern California this week has turned Saturday's opening of the trout season into a search that might resemble the old "shell game." Record hot temperatures, in some cases 25 degrees higher than typical, have unleashed snowmelt into most rivers and streams. (ESPN -- Outdoors)
Saving the Galapagos means rebuilding nature Apr 20, 2009
Tortoises from Charles Darwin Foundation's captive breeding program feed on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff. (Christian Science Monitor)
Can surfing save the world? Apr 15, 2009
Yvon Chouinard (left) founder of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia, and Wayne Lynch, pictured with their surfboards at Santa Cruz Island, Mar Meada. Picture by Tim Davies. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Channel Islands offer diversity and beauty Mar 24, 2009
While they look similar from the mainland, Each island has its own heartbeat, said Marla Daily, president of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation, an organization devoted to the islands' preservation. Treeless San Miguel, the westernmost island, gets the brunt of the northwest winds, said Daily. (Lompoc Record, CA)
Green.view: Point, shoot and save Mar 17, 2009
JUST off the coast of California lies the lushly vegetated and stunningly beautiful Santa Cruz Island. Its 250 square kilometres (96 square miles) are home to 12 species found nowhere else in the world, including the tiny Santa Cruz Island fox and the brilliant blue island scrub jay. (The Economist)
Spend 5 nights in Quito and the Galapagos Mar 5, 2009
During the voyage, you'll stop at the southernmost of the islands, Espaola Island (one home of the aforementioned boobies), Floreana Island (where you can see the islands' sea lions, iguanas, and 307 species of fish off the coast), Post Office Bay, and Santa Cruz Island, the location of the. Its A Snap. (MSNBC -- Travel)
A Sailing Trip That Becomes the Adventure of a Lifetime! -- New Novel Follows One Woman as She Embarks On a Journey She Never Expected Feb 26, 2009
Together, they take off in Jean's beautiful sailing yawl called the Queen, heading towards Santa Cruz island. Along the way, Jean teaches Christy how to sail. (Primezone Releases)
Paradise awaits: Top remote-island getaways Feb 21, 2009
One option is to stay in luxury digs at the Royal Palm on Santa Cruz Island, the only five-star hotel there, which boasts an art gallery, 360-degree-view suites and villas, as well as regional Ecuadorian food. As remote as it gets For an island experience with a real difference, however, think beyond sand and sun and consider a trip to the arctic. (MSNBC -- Travel)
