Santa Barbara Island Closed After Storm

Last weekend’s storm caused significant damage to the ladder on Santa Barbara Island’s landing pier, so the southernmost slice of the Channel Islands National Park will be closed to the public until a new ladder can be constructed and installed, which is expected to take at least one month. There was also damage on Santa Cruz Island, where some flooding in Scorpion Valley is causing about a week of repairs to restrooms there. Meanwhile, the park released an economic report that showed the 250,000 Channel Islands visitors spent nearly $14 million in nearby communities, supporting 178 jobs in the region. Nationwide, the report showed that $14.7 billion was directly spent by 283 million National Park-goers in communities within 60 miles of a park, thereby supporting 243,000 jobs.