Unsung National Park Fishes for Ideas on Hooking Visitors : Recreation: Channel Islands are a weak draw, despite offering many activities. Rangers start survey to find out why.

Armed with a stack of questionnaires, Channel Islands National Park rangers took to the sea and the mainland Sunday, starting a weeklong survey, in part, to resolve a vexing mystery: What can be done to improve the park’s lagging attendance?

Although located near millions of potential visitors, the unsung islands and mainland visitor’s center remain one of the least-attended national parks in the state and the nation, park representatives say.

“Most people who live in this area aren’t aware the five islands are part of the national park system,” said Channel Islands park official Carole Spears. “They don’t know they are able to camp, fish, kayak, hike, swim, scuba dive--everything they would do at any other national park.”

The park’s identity problem has endured since 1980, when the pristine island chain was given national park status. In 1992, fewer people visited the unique island sanctuary than went to Joshua Tree National Monument in a single month, even though the desert preserve is nearly twice as far from Los Angeles.

“We are the third-least-visited park in the . . . United States,” said Spears, who heads visitor services and education programs at Channel Islands. Only two remote parks in Alaska have worse attendance, she said. And in California, only Devil’s Postpile National Monument near Mammoth Lakes draws fewer people.

At a cost of $13,000, the Channel Islands survey is one of 20 conducted each year throughout the national park system. The park service contracts with the University of Idaho to tabulate data gathered from the questionnaires.

During the random survey--which will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day through Saturday--three park rangers and one volunteer will try to contact at least 500 visitors. Their area of coverage includes the visitors center at Ventura Harbor Village and the waters around the harbors at each island.

At the mainland park center Sunday, rangers handed out the yellow, 18-question pamphlets to one out of every 35 visitors.

“The main thing we want to find out is where our visitors are from and how they are using our resources, including the visitor center and both the natural and cultural resources on the islands,” said park ranger Jean Van Tatenhove.

An estimated 166,800 visitors stopped at the Channel Islands Visitor Center last year, but only 55,500 visitors made the trip to the islands.

“We’re interested in having more visitors come because we haven’t reached our carrying capacity--the amount of people that can visit the park without damaging the resources,” Tatenhove said.

Anacapa Island, the most frequented island, has rarely reached its capacity of 100 visitors, Tatenhove said. The other four islands--Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel--have never reached full capacity.

The survey is designed to tap the thoughts of people like Peter and Lois Kenny of Brea, who spent their weekend camping at McGrath State Beach and toured the visitors center for the first time Sunday.

“I knew the harbor was here, but someone suggested we walk down (to the visitor center),” Peter Kenny said. “What we didn’t know was that there was a national park here.”

“Everybody’s heard of the Channel Islands, but you don’t pay any attention or even realize where it is,” Lois added.

After viewing the marine and wildlife exhibits at the center, the Kennys expressed interest in making a trip to one of the islands.

For Ventura residents Don and Michelle Truscott, who were asked to fill out the survey, the visitors center remains an enjoyable spot to bring their three young daughters.

Although the children have made Girl Scout and school excursions to the islands, the parents have never considered making the trip. After learning the costs of traveling to Anacapa Island--$37 for adults, $20 for children under 12--Michelle Truscott said: “That’s kind of a lot for a family of five.”

Park representatives concede that cost is one factor to explain why an island visit isn’t more attractive to the general public.

“If you stop and think, though, how much does it cost to get into Disneyland?” said Spears. “We still think the price that the concessionaire charges isn’t that bad.”

The park features tide pools, aquatic life and wildlife unique to the islands. Spears said visiting one “is like stepping back 200 years and seeing California before European settlement.”

Viewing a faintly silhouetted Anacapa Island from the observation deck above the visitors center, Camarillo resident John Welborn, who has traveled to Santa Cruz Island, said the park would be a lot more popular if people would just make the trip to find out.

“The islands are gorgeous,” he said.