Channel Islands National Park

Channel Islands National Park in the Pacific Ocean 27 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., comprises five uninhabited islands of the Santa Barbara group--Anacapa , San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa. Designated a national monument in 1938, the islands were made a national park in 1980 to preserve 249,354 acres of land and sea that forms the natural habitat of large numbers of seabirds and mammals. The area was designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1976. The islands, especially Santa Barbara, are a haven for seabirds.