Latest Santa Rosa Island, California Stories

Kerry Knudsen discovered 'Caloplaca obamae' on Santa Rosa Island, Calif.A researcher at UC Riverside has discovered a new species of lichen "“ a plant-like growth that looks like moss or a dry leaf "“ and named it after President Barack Obama."I discovered the new species in 2007 while doing a survey for lichen diversity on Santa Rosa Island in California," said Kerry Knudsen, the lichen curator in the UCR Herbarium. "I named it Caloplaca obamae to show my appreciation for...

Researcher reported Tuesday that a complete tusk, believed to belong to a prehistoric mammoth was uncovered on Santa Cruz Island off the Southern California coast.  If the discovery is confirmed, it would prove that the beasts roamed 62,000-acre Santa Cruz Island more widely than previously thought.A graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, discovered the tusk while working in a canyon on the island's remote north shore earlier this month.  Lotus Vermeer, the...