In response to Paul Kuhn's letter lamenting the fact that the National Park Service (NPS) has chosen Option 3 for the Channel Islands, it came as no surprise to me also to learn that NPS chose what attendees considered the worst possible option. Anybody who has read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is already familiar with many incidents of the NPS's incompetence.
Regarding our local islands, though, there are many, many instances of what I consider malfeasance. The one I will recount here is the one I witnessed personally.
Back in the '70s, I was anchored in Adams Cove, San Miguel Island. I was just getting ready to head back to Santa Barbara when I heard helicopters approaching. To my utter disbelief and horror, three helicopters landed smack-dab on top of the small colony of Pribilof fur seals. The result was, as you can imagine, complete chaos as the adults stampeded to get to the water, trampling the babies. I counted 50 young ones writhing around as though their little backs had been broken. The helicopters landed within spitting distance of a cabin that was occupied by an observer from UC Berkeley who was being paid to ensure that no one bothered any of the pinnipeds on the island.