San Miguel Island expected to be open for public access in 2016

CHANNEL ISLANDS — At long last it appears San Miguel Island will again be open to the public for camping or to enjoy a day visit, according to U.S. Navy Public Affairs Officer Vance Vasquez. The U.S. Navy closed the island in April 2014 citing concerns for public safety. The island has since been swept for unexploded ordnance in October 2015 following many years of air-to-ground target practice by the U.S. military. After the closure announcement, area residents and island visitors questioned the closure of the island after so many years of use by Channel Islands National Park Service staff, research personnel and visitors without incident. “The Navy is concerned for public safety and there are a lot of incomplete records,” said Vasquez. “The decision to sweep the island was prudent for the safety of the public and those that work on the island.” Since the Channel Islands National Park was designated in 1980, National Park Service staff has found more and more evidence of ordnance on the island. The island survey focused on the higher use areas of the island where the public, park staff and field researchers are most likely to spend time while on the island including the ranger station and...