| Calendar |
For more information on all of these Conservancy events, and more, click here.
Saturday, November 5
27th Annual Catalina Island Triathlon
Thursday, November 10
Conservation and Education Symposium, Office of the Chancellor, Cal State Long Beach, 401 Golden Shore, Long Beach
Saturday, February 25, 2012
31st Annual Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup
April 2012Earth Day on Catalina
Date/Location to be announced
Saturday, April 14, 2012
17th Annual Catalina Island Conservancy Ball. Ticket sales begin February 1, 2012
May 4 - 6, 2012
2nd Annual Santa Catalina Island Film Festival
June 22 - 23, 2012
2nd Annual Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Catalina Island Conservancy Marathon
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Second Saturdays Windward Beaches Cleanup
ISLAND CALENDAR
To check out the complete Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce events calendar, click HERE.
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Greetings!
Enjoying Santa Catalina Island's trails during autumn has many advantages over hiking in peak season. Fewer people and less heat can coincide with more wildlife spotting and a more comfortable trek. The Conservancy's Director of Marketing and Communication Technologies, Pat Maxwell, understands the advantages as she presents a visual record of her journey along the Garden-to-Sky Hike as this month's Photo Gallery. Also in this edition, we get a jump on the holiday season, checking in with Native Plant Nursery Supervisor Peter Dixon about toyon, aka "Christmas berry," at one time the chlorophyll du jour for West Coast yuletide decoration. The annual "Shop at Home Night" in Avalon on December 4 might include a requisite stop in the Explore Store at Conservancy House: See the "Participate" section for more information.
Banner photo:
Happy Trails -- The 1.7-mile Hermit Gulch Trail forms a portion of the Garden-to-Sky Hike, which ascends and descends from the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden in Avalon Canyon. The canyon's golf course can be glimpsed in the center portion of the left side of this image.
Photo by Pat Maxwell |
PHOTO GALLERY
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TAKE A HIKE! - A TREK IN PICTURESQUE INTERIOR
With App, Garden-to-Sky Hike more memorable
Text and photos by Pat Maxwell
Director, Marketing & Communications Technologies
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Catalina Cactus -- Varieties of the prickly pear on Catalina are both native and non-native. Photo by Pat Maxwell |
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This project falls under the category of "It takes a village." The premise was simple enough ... Walk the Garden-to-Sky Hike up and out of Avalon Canyon and check out the Catalina Island Conservancy's new smart phone trail app along the way.
It was an incredible hike, with spectacular views. In reviewing my photographs, though, I realized I missed shooting two key locations on the trail, the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden at the outset, and the Hermit Gulch Campground at the other end.
So, special thanks go to Conservancy writer Bob Rhein and School and Youth Programs Specialist Rich Zanelli who helped fill in those gaps with supplementary photos. Also, I want to thank Conservancy Senior Plant Biologist John Clark and Chief Conservation and Education Officer Carlos de la Rosa. They helped me with the names of plants and of a particularly photogenic lizard.
And now it's your turn! I invite you to take a hike--first through our photo gallery, and, even more importantly, on the real deal. Be sure to get your free hiking permit at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden kiosk before starting out. Expect a vigorous climb, and take along some water. And, by the way, the Conservancy's app was especially useful, and helped orient me along the way.
See the photo gallery HERE. |
FROM THE FIELD
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TRAFFIC IMPACTING THE FOX POPULATION
Pups roam the Island, looking for new territory
By Bob Rhein
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In Harm's Way--This seemingly unafraid fox pup walked right up to a car on the Airport Road and stood there long enough to have its picture taken. Photo by Bob Rhein
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Young Catalina Island fox pups face the annual autumn challenge of finding new territory with the added difficulty of ducking speeding vehicles on interior roadways. More than half of the known fox mortalities on the Island this year are attributable to vehicles.
Twelve of the 22 known fox deaths for 2011 through October 12 have been due to vehicle trauma. "These are only the foxes that we know about, and whose carcasses have been sent to the California Health and Food Safety Lab at the University of California, Davis, for necropsy," said Conservancy Senior Wildlife Biologist Julie King. "As the fox population on the East End continues to increase, there are bound to be more foxes lost to vehicles."
Since 2008, Conservancy Rangers have placed a solar-powered mobile radar speed feedback sign to remind drivers to slow down, especially along the Airport Road. MORE...
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NEWS HEADLINES
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SECRET CATALINA LOOKS BEHIND THE SCENES
Field biologists detail methods and operations
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Discovery -- The re-discovery of the rare Catalina Island mountain mahogany is evocative of Conservancy work, much of which will be explored during Secret Catlina. Photo by Jack Baldelli |
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Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes on the 42,000 acres of Santa Catalina Island outside of Avalon? The Catalina Island Conservancy invites you to Secret Catalina: The Stories Behind the Research, a day of short presentations on the wildlife and ecology of this unique Island. The Conservancy's Conservation and Education staff will be joined by visiting researchers whose collective work on Catalina Island adds to our knowledge every year.
Past participants have stated that this event provided answers to many of the questions they had about the Conservancy's numerous projects, leaving them with greater insight about Catalina Island and invaluable information that they shared with friends and family.
Secret Catalina, which includes lunch and snacks, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, November 10, 2011, at the Chancellor's Office of California State University Long Beach, 401 Golden Shore, Long Beach, CA 90802. The event is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. For more information and to register, click HERE. |
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COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS ENJOY THE INTERIOR
Los Caballeros and Las Caballeras on riding holidays
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Cowgirls and Talents -- The Catalina Cowgirl Challenge and the "Talent or NOT Show" were two popular activities among Las Caballeras during their trek in the wildlands. Photo courtesy of Las caballeras |
By Bob Rhein
Every September, the clippity-clop of hooves on dirt becomes part of the ambient sound of Catalina's interior as men and women on horseback take advantage of the Island's wide open range to ride, socialize and get back to nature. This particular event, involving the riding groups Los Caballeros and Las Caballeras, is a tradition going back to 1949. At that time, Los Caballeros, a riding club on the mainland, barged their horses and equipment to the Island for a week of horsemanship displays and camaraderie around crackling campfires.
From this club came the Catalina Caballeros, a Conservancy support group. In 1994, women wanted in on the fun, too, and created their own group, Las Caballeras. This year, Catalina Los Caballeros President Tom Sparks, and Las Caballeras incoming President Blanny Avalon Hagenah both wrote about their adventures during their rides in September. Click HERE to read their stories. |
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PILOTS CAN GET MEMENTO OF CHANNEL CROSSING
New certificates issued by the Airport in the Sky
By Bob Rhein
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Restarting a Tradition -- This frame-ready Certificate of Navigation is available to all flyers arriving at Airport in the Sky. |
A long-time tradition for pilots flying into the historic Airport in the Sky for the first time has made its own return to Catalina. For $3 to cover the cost of printing, aviators can get a full-color Certificate of Navigation, certifying that the pilot has flown across the San Pedro Channel of the Pacific Ocean, successfully negotiating his or her aircraft onto Santa Catalina's unique Airport in the Sky -- 1,602 feet above sea level. MORE... |
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'CHRISTMAS BERRY' IS BACK FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The seasonal favorite is often a substitute for holly
By Bob Rhein
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Yuletide berry -- The toyon bears
bright red berries. | |
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Toyon or "Christmas Berry," an attractive member of the Catalina Island native-plant collection, has had a long history on the West Coast of use during the holiday season. In the making of wreaths and other decorations, the plant is often substituted for the traditional red-berried holly.
Known to science as Heteromeles arbutifolia, toyon was admired by early California settlers for its toothed leaves and abundant red berries in winter.
The similarity in appearance to holly is misdleading, since toyon is actually a member of the rose family, according to Peter Dixon, supervisor of the Conservancy's James H. Ackerman Native Plant Nursery, located in Middle Ranch. MORE... |
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HISTORY IN THE MAKING THEME OF 40TH BALL
Balboa Yacht Club is the Presenting Partner
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| | Gala Event! -- The 40th Anniversary Conservancy Ball is entitled History in the Making. Photo by Shana Cassidy |
Help the Conservancy celebrate its 40th Anniversary by becoming a sponsor of the 2012 Catalina Island Conservancy Ball, History in the Making. This year, the Conservancy partners with Balboa Yacht Club to present what is sure to be a sensational celebration. Ball sponsors this year will enjoy access to Casa del Monte for the traditional Pre-Ball Sponsor Reception. Reserve your place in history HERE today! Sponsorships are available online beginning November 1, 2011. Single tickets will go on sale online on February 1, 2012. |
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LEGACY SOCIETY GIFT FOR A LASTING CATALINA
Many planned and estate opportunities
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What Will Your Legacy Be? -- Through your participation in the Legacy Society, you will help protect and restore Catalina's wildlands for today, and tomorrow. Conservancy photo |
Long-time friends of Catalina's unique and precious resources can make an impact on preserving the Island now and for generations to come through the Catalina Island Conservancy's Legacy Society.
By joining the Legacy Society, patrons can help ensure the future of Catalina by supporting the organization charged with protecting it.
Have a discussion in the near future with your accountant or financial advisor about the Legacy Society. Or call Conservancy Director of Development Chuck Wright at (562) 437-8555, extension 225, and let him know the Catalina Island Conservancy is already in your estate plans. |
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'SHOP AT HOME NIGHT' TRADITION RETURNS
Avalon event includes discounts at Explore Store
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Get Snug -- This warm vest with a Conservancy logo is one of the many holiday gifts that can be found at the Explore Store. Photo by Lesly Lieberman |
By Bob Rhein
Visitors in Avalon on the evening of December 4, 2011, will find themselves amid an annual rite for residents: "Shop at Home Night."
This 18th annual version of a one-night shopping extravaganza includes many holiday discounts, strolling carolers and prize drawings. The Explore Store at Conservancy House, for instance, will feature a 20-percent discount on everything in the store.
The first 50 customers who purchase something from the Explore Store will receive a complimentary poster for the video film, Hollywood's Magic Isle, about Catalina. MORE... |
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aft Display Day at Airport in the Sky 
