| Calendar |
For more information on all of these Conservancy events, and more, click here.
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!
With the door to 2012 about to open, the Conservancy Update ponders the notion of everything old being new again -- brown flora breaking out in rainy autumn's greens, way before springtime, sometimes with colorful flowers. Conservancy Native Plant Nursery Supervisor Peter Dixon explains a bit about fall and winter's preamble to spring on Catalina. And Conservancy Supervisor of Invasive Plants Program Tony Summers writes about the eradication of encroaching vegetation on the West End to afford growth to native Island flora, renewing the natural order according to the Conservancy's mission. The Update's Photo Gallery this month is a look way back, focusing on Catalina Island's wild landscapes in bygone eras, with archival photographs. And, of course, the arrival of 2012 also means anticipation, including for the annual Conservancy Ball (read more in the "Participate" section). This year's Ball's theme is History in the Making.
Banner photo:
Colorful Native -- The California crossosoma is a shrub that grows up to eight feet tall, and has delicate white-veined leaves. Here, a crossosoma's bright flower is framed against the background of Catalina's wild, mountainous coastline.
Photo by Peter Dixon |
PHOTO GALLERY
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CATALINA THEN & NOW: A WILDLANDS TOUR
Island's Evolution and Ecological Initiatives
By Bob Rhein
Historic photos courtesy of the Santa Catalina Island Company
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Wrigley Memorial -- Construction began on the 80-foot-high Wrigley Memorial in 1933 in upper Avalon Canyon. Today, the canyon is filled in with vegetation and supports many species of trees and other plants in the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden. Photo courtesy of the Santa Catalina Island Company |
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Catalina has seen many changes over the decades as miners, ranchers and filmmakers used the Island for their various purposes. Invasive plants and animals left their marks on the land. World War II ushered in a new look for the Island that included an Army base, Camp Cactus, and the first radar sites on American soil.
Much of that is gone or in ruins, leaving memories scattered about the landscape or grown over with foliage. Since its inception in 1972, the Conservancy has acted as an agent of change by removing grazing pressures, and working toward eradication of invasive plants that threaten the Island's fragile eco-system.
The photo gallery that you are about to experience gives glimpses into the past with views of the present at some well-known and not-so-well-known Catalina landmarks. Click HERE to time travel...
And click HERE to help protect the natural heritage on Catalina for generations to come with a gift to the Catalina Island Conservancy's 40th Anniversary year of 2012. |
FROM THE FIELD
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OCTOBER 'SPRING' INITIATES GROWTH CYCLE
Brown Goes Green in the Autumn Countryside
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Aster Family Heir -- Coastal sagebrush, known to science as Artemisia californica, is a member of the Aster family of plants. Photo by Peter Dixon |
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By Peter Dixon, Conservancy Native Plant Nursery Supervisor
The single inch of rain that was recorded at the Avalon School weather station on October 5, 2011, inaugurated the official "rainy season" on Catalina Island. It was enough to stimulate the miraculous transformation of the Island's landscapes. The season typically known as autumn in California is, for many plants, the beginning of spring - but it's not quite so simple.
MORE... |
FROM THE FIELD
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'STOP THE SPREAD' SUCCESS ON WEST END
Camp Staffs Independently Combat Invasives
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Sage Leadership -- Nicole Boriski and Katie Carey of the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program remove mature pampas grass in the bottom of Sage Canyon. Photo by Tony Summers
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By Bob Rhein
Passing the eco-baton on Catalina sometimes means passing the Pulaski. The T-shaped digging tool that's a Polish-named cousin of the pick is being wielded in the field on invasive plants by camp partners after Conservancy training.
Since 2008, Stop the Spread (STS) has been an intensified initiative of the Conservancy, which has worked with the staffs of eight camps and coves to eradicate invasive plants as part of the Conservancy's Catalina Habitat Improvement and Restoration Program (CHIRP). The initiative has reached its tipping point as the staffs at several camps have taken responsibility to lead plant eradication efforts without a Conservancy STS coordinator. MORE... |
FROM THE FIELD
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CATALINA ISLAND'S BISON ROUNDUP UNDERWAY
New 'Squeeze' Reduces Stress on Animals
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Buffalo Blood-work -- This photo from 2009 shows Conservancy employees Oden Vanderwiel, left, and Evan Sutherland working the old squeeze to prepare a bison for DNA testing. Photo by Bob Rhein |
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By Bob Rhein
The Conservancy is currently rounding up the Island's bison herd -- all 150 or so animals -- to ensure that each one has had blood drawn for DNA testing and that all females have been administered the PZP inoculation that prevents pregnancy.
The last roundup of the Island's bison was in 2009 when the Conservancy introduced the non-hormonal birth control vaccine to regulate the herd's population. MORE...
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FROM THE FIELD | | |
CALIFORNIA FUCHSIA IN BLOOM ON SLOPES
Perennial Attracts Last Migratory Hummingbirds
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Flaming Fuchsia -- Two subspecies are found on Catalina, this specimen of Epilobium canum in the canyons on the south parts of the Island, and Epilobium mexicanum in the Little Harbor area. Photo by Peter Dixon |
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By Peter Dixon, Conservancy Native Plant Nursery Supervisor
If you have noticed a hot red flower attracting the last migrating hummingbirds to the chaparral on Catalina, you have probably seen California fuchsia. Known to science as Epilobium canum, it is also commonly called hummingbird trumpet and blooms in late summer through December.
Wide variations are known within the species and a well-known horticultural selection called "Catalina" fuchsia was introduced in 1990 by Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano from cuttings made at Middle Ranch in 1987.
MORE...
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PARTICIPATE | | |
HAVE A BALL AND MAKE HISTORY, TOO
Sponsor Conservancy Ball: History in the Making
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Having a Ball -- Violinists "Nuttin' But Stringz" brought guests to their feet at the 2011 Ball. Photo by Shana Cassidy |
Sponsorships are now on sale for what is sure to be a sell-out event as the Conservancy celebrates its 40th Anniversary at the 2012 Conservancy Ball. This year, the Conservancy is partnering with Balboa Yacht Club, which is celebrating its 90th Anniversary. Ball sponsors will enjoy exclusive access to Casa del Monte for the traditional Pre-Ball Sponsor Reception. Reserve your place in history today, HERE! MORE... |
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ECO MARATHON A RESOUNDING SUCCESS
'Mudders' Will Out; Triathlon Video Available
The Eco Marathon on Saturday, November 12, was a great success, according to the athletes and volunteers who participated. The muddy trails and fog were just some of the features of the race this year. The Island had received 2.5 inches of rain the night before. Check out some of the pictures of the event on Competitor Network and on Guinness Book of World Records holder, Yolanda Holder's, blog. The Catalina Island Triathlon was the week before. Click HERE to view a short video of that event.
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PARTICIPATE | | |
WETSUIT SET TO SCOUR AVALON HARBOR FLOOR
Briny Deep Annually Yields Treasures & Trash
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Sea Hunt -- Wetsuit-clad men and women will continue a tradition in February of cleaning up Avalon Harbor. Photo by Bob Rhein |
The Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup, a popular annual dive event in the waters off Catalina Island, will be held Saturday, February 25, 2012, along the Avalon Bay waterfront. To register to dive or for the concurrent clean-up-themed Annual T-shirt Design Contest (which has a December 31 deadline), click HERE. ..
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PARTICIPATE | | |
MORE CORE ECO-GALORE STUFF AT EXPLORE STORE
Shirts, Hats, V-Necks, T-Shirts, Other Logo-Wear
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Get Foxy -- A great holiday gift of Conservancy casual wear will be most welcomed by your favorite Conservancy supporter. Photo by Bob Rhein |
While shopping for the holidays, remember that the Explore Store has a nice selection of men's and women's Conservancy-logo casual wear -- and that your purchases support the important work of the Conservancy. Choose from a selection of denim shirts, sizes S to XXL ($34), and ball caps ($18) that will readily identify you as a Conservancy supporter. Also on sale are Conservancy T-shirts in both short sleeves ($24.95) and long sleeves ($30). The store also carries women's V-neck, short-sleeve Conservancy logo T-shirts S-XL ($34.00). Please give the Explore Store a call and ask a customer service representative to tell you what's new: (310) 510-2595, extension 100.
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PARTICIPATE | | |
YOUR FILL OF CHLOROPYLL: FROM SAP TO NUTS
California Native Plant Society Event Has It All
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Planting a Seed - The California Native Plant Society's 2012 Conservation Conference will be held in January in San Diego. |
The California Native Plant Society's 2012 Conservation Conference will be held January 12-14 in San Diego with preconference workshops and field trips on January 10-11. Please see the CNPS 2012 Conservation Conference
website to learn more; click HERE.
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aft Display Day at Airport in the Sky 
