Kayaking and Conservation at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

Hiker, kayaker, lifeguard, island guide, photographer, writer, and all-around outdoorsman extraordinaire Chuck Graham is the featured speaker at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum on January 19. His presentation, Paddling into a Natural Balance, is from the title of his book, Paddling into a Natural Balance, Stories of Kayaking and Conservation on the Channel Islands National Park, coming out this fall. 

“My talk will be about my kayaking trips around the islands, but many of the photos displayed in my presentation will focus on conservation that has taken place out there since the late 1990s. So island fox and bald eagle recovery, the pinnipeds on the islands, sharing my tent with three baby elephant seals, the return of common murres, seabird recovery on Scorpion Rock, and the importance of island scrub jays on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands,” said Graham, a frequent Santa Barbara Independent contributor, who has been paddling and exploring the islands for more than 25 years.

“Kayaking around the Channel Islands National Park has afforded me countless experiences with the unique web of biodiversity that is found throughout the chain. Kayaking has been the best way to immerse myself with its flora and fauna,” said Graham. 

In addition to the upcoming book, which much of his presentation will be focused on, Graham is also the author and photographer of Carrizo Plain, Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands (2021) and Hike the Channel Islands: The Best Day Hikes in Channel Islands National Park (2022). 

Paddling into a Natural Balance takes place at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum on January 19 at 7 p.m., with a members-only reception starting at 6:15 p.m. 

See sbmm.org.

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