[CINC] Small world!

[Paul Jr. Petrich]

Hello CINC Volunteers from the isle of Vis in Croatia,
 This island in one of the regions focused upon in the Oceans Eight screening in last year,s Santa Barbara Oceans Film Festival. It is also the isle of my Dad,s birth. On the way here ten days ago, in Dubrovnik, I ran into Santa Barbarans Ann Bromfield and Lyndal Laughrin. Dr. Laughrin  is the  long-time director of the Santa Cruz Island Reserve; part of the expansive U. of Calif Natural Reserve Syst. This one is tied to UCSB. Both had just arrived in Dubrovnik from Vis, as part of a sailing vacation. 
 Have to share the following info with you about the Channel Island foxes I learned from Lyndal over coffee in Dubrovnik. It seems Lyndal, as a grad student , was doing initial studies related to our island foxes in the 1960s coordinated by the Cal Dept Fish and Game. At that time the Catalina foxes were in rapid decline, and foxes from the islands were popping up in pet stores on the mailand! Through the DFG and Lyndals initial research, the State of Calif enacted its version of an endangered species listing for the fox, and closed the market for it as a pet. Lyndal expanded his study  to San Migel and Santa Rosa Islands. Fish and Game boats dropped Lyndal off on all of his research expeditions. His ongoing project led naturally to his hiring as the director of the UC Natural Reserve Syst out of UCSB. He worked in that capacity in the 1980s on Santa Cruz Island when it was purchased by the Nature Conservancy. I have visited Vis, and the village here named Komiza, to research history related to the fishermen who came from this island to fish out of San Pedro,when the waters of our Santa Barbara Channel contributed to creating the bountiful sea resources that enticed them to migrate to San Pedro. But, this chapter related to Lyndal,s research on the CI foxes, unexpectedly, adds a footnote. Seems at that time my father had beened hired by the California Dept of Fish and Game, was then hiring all the DFG crews running their fleet( which was then extensive), and was responsible for getting Lyndal to his pioneering fox studies! Small worl, Paul Petrich
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The i’m Talkathon starts 6/24/08.  For now, give amongst yourselves.
http://www.imtalkathon.com?source=TXT_EML_WLH_LearnMore_GiveAmongst
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