In 1977, California removed the last herbivores from San Miguel Island after years of overgrazing. Decades later, the barren landscape produced a stunning ecological comeback, transforming into an island covered with native vegetation

San Miguel Island tells a powerful conservation story. Once called a “barren lump of sand,” the 9,500-acre California island suffered more than a century of sheep grazing and erosion. By 1966, the last 148 sheep were removed. Feral burros followed in 1977. Since then, native plants have spread across the island, including lupine, buckwheat, dudleya and giant coreopsis. The recovery also rebuilt habitat for endemic wildlife and nesting birds, turning San Miguel into a conservation benchmark.