Channel Islands National Park officials yesterday declared the removal of invasive black rats on Anacapa a resounding success for seabirds and native reptiles and amphibians, mammals, and plants. The rats, which likely had been introduced in the 1800’s, had been decimating the rare Scripps’s Murrelet, which mostly nests on Anacapa and nearby Santa Barbara Island. A coalition of state, federal and private groups, supported by oil spill settlement funds, removed rats ten years ago in a highly complex undertaking. The amazing story is beautifully told in this video just released by the Park. You can also read about it in the Los Angeles Times. We congratulate all the players in this amazing conservation victory!