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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. Sponsorships on sale now. General 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!
Last year marked the 40th Anniversary of email. In 2009, Earth Day was 40 years old. The technology of email and the spirit of care for this Island Earth, and Catalina Island in particular, combine in Conservancy Update Online to continue bringing you news from the Catalina Island Conservancy in this, the first edition of our own 40th Anniversary year.
In 1972, the Wrigley and Offield families emulated the environmental stewardship of this unique Island by past patriarch William Wrigley, Jr., by creating the Conservancy. The families directed the Conservancy to care in perpetuity for the plants, animals and the very earth of 88 percent of Catalina's nearly 75 square miles. Among the anniversary festivities in 2012 will be the annual Conservancy Ball, appropriately entitled History in the Making - see the "Participate" section.
Banner photo:
Growing Cooperation -- AmeriCorps volunteer Alex Melton checks the replanting of native Catalina Island vegetation that she and her group and the Catalina Island Conservancy performed in the Gallagher Beach watershed. Please see this month's Photo Galley for a more complete picture of this multidisciplinary project, which also included direction from the County of Los Angeles Fire Department and the participation of Gallagher Beach tenant Campus by the Sea.
Photo by Peter Dixon |
PHOTO GALLERY
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GALLAGHER BEACH WATERSHED GETS REPLANTED
Island rush rose among six endemics found there
Text and Photos by Peter Dixon
Conservancy Supervisor of Native Plant Nursery
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Liveforevers Planted -- Newly planted Catalina liveforevers grow at the base of the sign designating Gallaghers Beach on the Island's northern shore. |
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The Gallagher Beach watershed has been the focus of a recent Coastal Watershed Restoration project by the Catalina Island Conservancy. Located about two miles up the Island coast from Avalon Bay, this relatively small watershed was a high-ranking priority for restoration as determined by a study of all of Catalina's watersheds.
Despite its size, Gallagher Beach watershed is home to six of Catalina's eight endemic plant species, as well as many other rare plants, including the federally threatened Island rush rose (Helianthemum greenei).
To achieve the goals of protecting the native habitats, rare species and the near-shore environment required collaboration among several of the Conservancy's departments and programs, along with the volunteers and staff of Campus by the Sea, located at Gallagher Beach. The InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's Campus by the Sea is one of only two camps that operate with no roads into or out of their facilities. (The other is at Fox Landing, two more miles up the shoreline).
The project has allowed for extensive trail work, erosion control, invasive plant removal, rare plant surveys, and wildlife management of mule deer and bison, including the Conservancy's pilot bison contraception program. View HERE to find out more about recent restoration planting at Gallagher Beach. |
FROM THE FIELD
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ANOTHER BISON BORN DURING THE ROUNDUP
Herd stabilized at approximately 150 animals
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Guardian Angel -- Angel Hernandez of the Conservancy's Facilities Department helped welcome the newest member of the Catalina Island bison herd.
Photo by Jack Baldelli |
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By Bob Rhein
While more than half of the Island's bison herd was corralled and awaiting testing and sampling by Conservancy scientists and visiting veterinarians last month, the fifth bison calf of the year was born on Catalina.
"This particular cow did not receive a dose of the contraceptive PZP until April 2011, and she was already pregnant at the time," said Conservancy Senior Wildlife Biologist Julie King. She explained that four of the five calves born this year were to "unmarked" cows, ones which did not come into the corrals during the roundup efforts conducted in 2009 and, subsequently, were not ear tagged. MORE... |
NEWS HEADLINES
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NEW MAP TO ROUGHING IT ON CATALINA
Camping, hiking, biking trails highlighted
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Take a Hike! - A new map of Catalina Island's wildlands highlights the hiking and biking trails and campgrounds.
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The Catalina Island Conservancy recently updated and refurbished its map of the campgrounds and hiking and biking trails on the Island. Conservancy mapmaker Frank Starkey highlighted the two most popular hiking trails in Catalina's wildlands, the Garden-to-Sky Loop Hike out of the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden, and the Airport Loop Trail at the Airport in the Sky. To view the new map, which contains breakout mini-maps on these two popular hikes, as well as many other features, click HERE.
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NEWS HEADLINES
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CONSERVANCY'S WEED REMOVAL LAUDED
Federal agency presents plaque at symposium
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Accepting Award -- Jonathan Snapp-Cook of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, second from the right, presented the plaque to Conservancy staffers, from left, Chuck Wright, John Clark and Charlie de la Rosa, and, far right, Tony Summers. Photo by Carlos
de la Rosa. |
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The Catalina Island Conservancy received a special award for its weed-removal efforts from a top federal conservation agency at the November symposium, Secret Catalina: The Stories Behind the Research, at the California State University Chancellor's Office in Long Beach.
MORE...
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NEWS HEADLINES | | |
CURTAIN RISES FOR CATALINA FILM SOCIETY
Presented by the Santa Catalina Film Festival
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Celluloid Cell -- The Santa Catalina Film Society, an offshoot of the Santa Catalina Film Festival, will begin with a showing of the Avalon-lensed Like Crazy. |
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By Bob Rhein
Telluride, Cannes, and even Hollywood started small. Many communities have their own film societies, and now, so does Catalina. The Santa Catalina Film Society plans to celebrate film on a more regular basis than its sponsoring organization, the annual Santa Catalina Film Festival (SCFF).
MORE... |
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LET US KNOW HOW TO BEST SERVE YOU
Brief survey aims for what you want to know
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YOUR Update -- Please participate in this brief online survey to let us know the subjects and information you want to see and read in the Conservancy's Online Update. |
The Catalina Island Conservancy would like to better understand the needs of you, the readership of Online Update, and would appreciate your participation in a brief survey to better serve you. Please take a few moments to give us your feedback so that we can present the news, images, features and events that particularly interest you about the Catalina Island Conservancy and its exciting work to preserve and protect Catalina Island's eco-systems -- by clicking HERE. |
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BALL ROLLING -- SPONSORS, DONORS WELCOME
Event celebrates Conservancy's 40th anniversary
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Going Once, Going Twice -- The silent and live auctions at the 2011 Conservancy Ball helped to raise more than $120,000 for the Conservancy's programs. Photo by Shana Cassidy |
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Sponsorships are 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, click HERE!
Can't sponsor? Support the Ball by donating an auction item! Each year, the Conservancy raises funds by auctioning off hundreds of amazing items in our silent and live auctions. MORE...
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BECOME A FACEBOOK FAN OF CONSERVANCY
Click the icon and see what other fans say
Become a Facebook fan of the Catalina Island Conservancy by clicking on this icon. The postings and the photos will help provide you with fresh and interesting information and tidbits on what Conservancy members and others find fascinating. |
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WE'RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD LEADERS
Leadership Circle memberships available
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Leadership Circle --
The privileges of the Leadership Circle members of the Conservancy include VIP events on Catalina. Photo by Jack Baldelli.
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The Leadership Circle is a special membership level composed of a group of extraordinary supporters of the Conservancy who are major advocates for protecting and restoring Catalina Island. In recognition of their generous support, Leadership Circle members enjoy exclusive privileges and have access to various ways of experiencing Catalina as few people do. Leadership Circle members have opportunities to meet with renowned scientists, learn firsthand about conservation projects, attend special events and discuss Conservancy leadership issues with Conservancy Board and Executive Staff members. MORE... |
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PARTICIPATE
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TRASH, TREASURES DRAW DIVERS TO AVALON
What's Down There? Wetsuit Set to Find Out
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Tanks for the Memories -- Last year's Underwater Cleanup in Avalon Bay produced a rod and reel, radio, antique eight-track cassette, and an Abe Lincoln - a $5 bill. Photo by Bob Rhein.
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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, click HERE.
The clean-up was initiated in the 1970s by the local dive community in an effort to clean up the waters. This event is the only annual reason that diving is permitted in Avalon Harbor. Over the years, the cleanup has grown to become one of the most popular dive events in Southern California. In years past, more than 500 divers have experienced camaraderie and good will while retrieving trash and lost items from the harbor.
MORE...
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OJAI'S RTK STUDIOS' TILE AT EXPLORE STORE
Keits' work renowned on Casino Walkway
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Tile Critters - Various examples of renowned RTK Studios tile in the Explore Store carry images of wildlife. Photo by Scott Dennis. |
Renowned tiles from Ojai's RTK Studios have been discounted by 20% off the regular price of $36 at the Conservancy's Explore Store in Avalon. For only $28.80 you can purchase a unique piece of Catalina tile artwork.
This special deal is only available in the Explore Store through a special agreement with the artist, Richard Thomas Keits, who has created works for luminaries such as George Lucas, Phil Collins and many others. His work is also featured along the famous Casino Walkway and behind the box office of the world famous Avalon Casino Theater. Please call the Explore Store, 125 Clarissa Avenue, Avalon, at 310-510-2595, extension 100, to place an order! |
PARTICIPATE
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SPECIAL EVENT? - WE'VE GOT A SETTING FOR YOU!
Conservancy has venues for every occasion
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Stately Site - The Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden is but one event site managed by the Conservancy on Catalina. Conservancy file photo. |
Catalina has many settings for many occasions: Birthdays to Bar Mitzvahs. Perhaps it's time to choose one of our beautiful and unique Conservancy settings for your special event. Now is also the perfect time to choose and reserve your place for the upcoming wedding season.
Call Julie Glass at 310-963-1253 for more information and bookings, or check out our website link to see all the amazing Island sites HERE. |
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aft Display Day at Airport in the Sky 
