Island fox in Channel Islands National Park, California

© Ian Shive/Tandem Stills + Motio

Back from the brink. Earth Day and National Park Week

This tiny island fox is a great cheerleader for Earth Day, which celebrates the achievements of the environmental movement. Island foxes exist only on the Channel Islands of Southern California. You can find them on six of the eight islands, and each island's fox is considered a unique subspecies. While numbers have never been huge, they declined catastrophically in the 1990s. Thanks to a recovery program, their population is growing steadily, and these tiny foxes have bounced back from the brink of extinction. If you want to visit Channel Islands National Park to see this success story, today is a good day to go. Admission fees at all national parks will be waived today to mark the start of National Park Week.