Chronicles of the Island Fox Comeback

Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and Photographer Chuck Graham Tell Visual Story of Remarkable Recovery

Three Channel Island fox pups peek out from behind a bush. | Credit: Chuck Graham

Recovery looks pretty darn cute on the Channel Islands.

The tiny, once-endangered island fox, the smallest fox species in North America, has made a remarkable comeback. Nature writer and photographer Chuck Graham, a longtime Independent contributor, has captured this rare fox’s journey back from the brink of extinction.

People can now peek through Graham’s lens — and see all those wild, candid, and adorable moments — in the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum’s (SBMM) newest exhibit, The Swiftest Recovery: Island Fox Chronicles.

The exhibit features the fox from all angles: From mouse-hunting moms and cuddling couples to playful pups and fig-loving loners, it offers an inside look at this conservation success story.

Graham has been a kayak guide around the Channel Islands for more than 20 years and has been writing and photographing the islands for 30. He was there when people first noticed the foxes were in trouble in the late ‘90s.

“They were just beginning to trap them because they weren’t sure what was going on, or why they were declining,” he said. “I just happened to be there when they were doing that on San Miguel Island. That was the beginning.”

Fox numbers were dropping, fast. With this species of fox being found only on the Channel Islands and nowhere else in the world, it set off alarm bells for ecologists. If the islands’ population disappeared, the foxes would be gone forever.

It was a chain reaction: The toxic pesticide DDT was thinning the eggshells of bald eagles on the islands, killing their young before they could hatch. They were the first to go. Then, golden eagles — which, unlike their bald cousins, loved snacking on foxes — capitalized on the free real estate and moved in.

Combine that with invasive, feral pigs that helped feed the growing population of golden eagles and competed with the foxes for resources, and the foxes were outnumbered and their chances of survival low.

By 2004, the foxes’ numbers had declined so significantly that they were listed as an endangered species.

Enter concerned ecologists, namely the National Park Service and Nature Conservancy, who came up with a plan to undo the damage and reestablish the foxes’ presence on the islands. Step one: Capture and relocate the golden eagles. Step two: Breed and release bald eagles back into the environment. Step three: Eliminate the pigs. Step four: Breed a new generation of foxes (who wasted no time…). Step five: Sit back and watch as the foxes’ numbers boom.

In 2016, our adorable protagonists were taken off the endangered species list. It was the fastest recovery of an endangered terrestrial mammal species in United States history.

“The numbers have really exploded,” Graham said. “Last year was the best year I’ve ever seen with the numbers of fox pups. On average, a family has two pups. Last year, we were seeing three or four pups per family.”

A father fox and his pup snuggle up. | Credit: Chuck Graham

Graham said the foxes are not afraid of humans, and when he’s out on the islands, the curious critters often crawl right up to his feet. He even made a friend: a playful, mischievous pup that followed him around during one trip to Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island.

“It’s very unique, because they’re a very rare species — we have the only place in the world where you can see them,” he said. “It’s fun watching them grow up and figure things out on their own. And they’re territorial. They’re not real nice to each other sometimes.”

The exhibit features more than 50 photos from the ’90s and post-recovery periods, showcasing the species’ growth, with the population now estimated at 3,000-5,000 on Santa Cruz Island alone.

“This collection of photographs is not just about the island foxes; it’s about the incredible story of conservation and collaboration that brought these animals back from the brink of extinction,” said SBMM Curator Emily Falke. “Visitors will walk away with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the island foxes and the importance of protecting our natural world.”

In every photo, the foxes look completely natural, lit up by sunlight and at home in their environment. Excerpts from Graham’s writing about the foxes (featured in his book Paddling into a Natural Balance), as well as the island fox’s history, its important role on the islands, and its inspiring recovery, are interspersed throughout the exhibit.

“These photos are about presence — being in the fox’s world without disturbing it,” Graham said. “The more time I spent with them, the more I realized their story is one of survival, interdependence, and the quiet strength of nature when we step back and let it heal.”

The exhibition will run until August 24. On Thursday, June 26, at 7 p.m., Graham will give a talk at the museum about the broader ecological recovery of the Northern Channel Islands. Tickets may be purchased at sbmm.org or by calling (805) 456-8750.