Close to the California mainland, yet worlds apart are the Channel Islands. Named for the deep troughs that separate them from the mainland, the islands and their encircling waters are home to more than 2,000 species of animals and plants-145 are found nowwhere else on Earth. Isolation over thousands of years and the mingling of warm an cool ocean currents give rise to the rich bodiversiy to these islands. Today, five remarkanble islands, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara and their submerged lands and the water within one nautical mile of each island are preserved and protected as the Channel Island National Park: a wealth of natural and cultural resources.