Senate Passes Parks Bill Forcing Sale of Key Santa Cruz Island Property

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a sweeping parks bill that forces the last individual property owner on Santa Cruz Island to sell his interest, thus completing the Channel Islands National Park.

The measure, if approved by leaders of the House of Representatives and President Clinton, could allow the federal government to take control of the 6,200-acre ranch within 90 days and eventually turn the island 20 miles off the Ventura coast into a popular camping and hiking destination.

“I applaud the Senate’s actions in passing the parks bill because the last puzzle piece of this national treasure can finally be put into place,” said Rep. Andrea Seastrand (R-Shell Beach), who attached the measure to the parks bill. “Santa Cruz Island belongs to all of us and by protecting this amazing resource, the Central Coast will continue to enjoy it for future generations.”

As the park grows so too will Santa Cruz Island as a tourist draw, providing an alternative to the smaller Anacapa Island that sees most of the park’s traffic.

“Santa Cruz is closer to individuals leaving from Santa Barbara. It will provide easier access to the park than some of the outer islands,” said Carol Spears, a Channel Islands park spokeswoman.

The bill also calls for changing the name of the park’s visitors center to honor the man who authored the initial legislation designating the five-island park: former U.S. Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino of Ventura County.

“If somebody had told me 16 years ago that it would take 16 years to complete this park, I would have been disappointed,” said Lagomarsino, who now lives at Solimar Beach and enjoys a spectacular view of the islands.

For years, the National Park Service has been negotiating with Francis Gherini to purchase his remaining 25% interest in the 6,200-acre ranch on the east end of the island. Gherini’s three siblings already have sold their interests to the government.

But Gherini has held out, arguing that the government was trying to take his land at less than fair market value. In the meantime, he has allowed sheep to denude the land, to the dismay of park officials trying to preserve the natural environment.

When Seastrand proposed legislation last month to force a sale, the 82-year-old Gherini balked, saying: “Andrea Seastrand has rocked the boat and I think it’s a matter of politics.”

He turned to former U.S. Secretary of the Interior William P. Clark, a Paso Robles resident, for assistance.

What Clark and Seastrand came up with is a compromise that calls for purchase at fair market value while allowing the preservation of the land, Clark said. If a deal is not worked out after a year of negotiations, the matter winds up in court. Gherini’s land has been valued at $2 million to $3 million.

“Both Francis and I and the parks service are satisfied with the way Congresswoman Seastrand has proceeded in this. She’s been most reasonable in taking the lead in this legislation,” Clark said.

Due to his attachment to the land, which has been in his family since 1869, Gherini will ask that he and his family be permitted to use the island property after the transfer, Clark said. That use could last for at least 25 years.

As for the hunting and other concessions operating on the Gherini property, Clark said, “we’ve been assured of a reasonable transition on the activities there.”

Park Supt. Tim Setnicka said the island would include a historic tribute to Gherini’s family and other ranchers who have owned land on Santa Cruz.

The parks bill passed the House over the weekend, and environmentalists and friends of the national park were waiting anxiously for the bill to make it through negotiations between the Senate and the White House.

With slight changes, the bill must go back to House leaders and then on to the president’s desk for his signature.