The Channel Islands off the Ventura County coast have been called “The Galapagos of the North Pacific” because separation from the mainland and the mingling of warm and cold currents in the Santa Barbara Channel led to the evolution of unique and beautiful plant and animal inhabitants.

While development reduces the size and diversity of some other special habitats throughout the world, the Channel Islands are being increasingly protected. However, human activity does still pose a threat to indigenous animals such as the island fox and the 65 plant species that exist nowhere else in the world.

Threats to this ecosystem now come mainly from pollution that can enter the island’s food chain in the same way the pesticide DDT eliminated its bald eagle population a few decades ago.

When polluted water runs off urban landscapes or agricultural areas, it often carries contaminants such as pesticides, motor oil, and bacteria from the feces of domestic animals.

From the city to the shore

Runoff pollution from developed areas occurs when contaminant-laden storm water makes its way across rooftops, roads, parking lots, construction sites, golf courses, lawns and other surfaces in cities and suburbs. The oily sheen on rainwater in roadside gutters is one example of urban runoff pollution. It also potentially comes from farms and other agricultural areas where the water may carry fertilizers, pesticides and sediment.

In addition to the potential danger runoff poses to habitats off our coast, storm water is a major source of bacterial contamination that can lead to beach closings and diseased shellfish populations.

Friends of the Santa Clara River, a local nonprofit group, is doing something about runoff pollution, and everyone can help. The group organizes volunteer water monitors who go out once a month and take samples of river water, which are then analyzed to find out what pollutants are present.

They are currently sampling six sites along the entire 85-mile length of the river, which starts near Acton in Los Angeles County and enters the ocean just south of Ventura.

Volunteers work hard, but they also have fun. Participants learn how to use equipment such as dissolved oxygen meters and instruments that measure the electrical conductivity of the water. Monitoring the environment by measuring its vital signs is a great way to experience the river and learn more about its ecology and importance to wildlife. People interested in volunteering can call the Stream Team coordinator, Christina Michael, at 403-3933.

Data the members collect is used for efforts ranging from public education to environmental regulation. Such efforts helped get DDT banned, and now bald eagles are returning to the Channel Islands.

Many ways to help

Even if you can’t join the Stream Team, here are some specific actions you can take to reduce water pollution:

- Reduce the use of pesticides around your home. If you are a gardener, try organic gardening methods. (http://www.888cleanla.com has a link to smart gardening.)

- Do not overwater your lawn. Adjust sprinkler timers to avoid excess, and adjust spray heads to prevent water from hitting hard surfaces. Water running down the street from your lawn to storm drains is usually a sign that either your timers or your spray heads need adjustment.

- Keep your car’s oil system well maintained so that it does not leak oil onto the street. If you change oil at home, recycle your used oil and oil filter. (To find a certified used oil collection center near you, see http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/UsedOil/Centers/)

- Avoid all kinds of littering, and use an ashtray for cigarette butts.

- Do not dump or sweep unwanted materials — construction debris, yard clippings, etc. — into storm drain channels or any body of water.

— Ron Bottorff of Newbury Park is chairman of Friends of the Santa Clara River. David Goldstein is an analyst with the Ventura County Public Works Agency.

On the net:

http://www.channel.islands.national-park.com/info.htm

http://www.fscr.org/