18 Jul The Second Tour

Six days had passed since my last tour when we headed back out to Anacapa Island for eight more days. The agenda for this tour was simple: fix the stucco work that had failed or needed to be removed for the foundation repair. It is a large task to say the least. We shipped out to the island bright and early and got to work quickly after settling in for the week. The first thing to do was finish removing stucco. This ate up the rest of Wednesday but it was a good start. The next day we started prepping the building for stucco work. We removed old nails from the woodwork that was holding the old tar paper and wire. We needed to remove the bad paper and wire to have a good base to add them. This allows the stucco to stick and in the event of a failure, it allows water to run off and not rot the wood. A lot of wire was rusted and removed. This week I would be working with Lonnie and Rachel. Unfortunately, Rachel had to leave for the mainland unexpectedly so it was up to Lonnie and I to finish. It certainly will be a challenge. As of this writing we have only begun to put up the tar paper. After that is complete we will put up wire lath and then it is time to start putting on stucco. Lastly, this week the gulls seem to have thinned out since I was last out here. The gull chicks are much bigger and some are trying to fly. It is a sight to behold. It makes me appreciate the importance of the park. Here on Anacapa there are no predators so the gulls flourish. It is a sanctuary and one of the reasons why the Western Gull population thrives in southern California. Without the park, it is very likely the gulls would certainly be endangered in their natural habitat. I am very grateful to be working to preserve this visitor center so people can enjoy the beauty of this sanctuary.