We hope that you enjoy this issue. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Jerry Roberts, Senior Editor
PHOTO GALLERY
CONSERVANCY SUPPORT GROUPS RIDE, FLY, DIVE!
Like Knights of Old - The Conservancy support group Los Caballeros engage in a little extra horseplay. Photo by Bob Rhein
Bob Rhein
Membership in Catalina Island Conservancy support groups can provide like-minded enthusiasts the opportunities to support the Conservancy's mission with important and fun service projects that help finance the protection and restoration of this special Island. Here's a glimpse of their activities this year.
FROM THE FIELD
DIGGING UP THE PAST ON CATALINA ISLAND
Echo Lake - Scientists took core samples from Catalina's only natural body of fresh water. Photo by Jack Baldelli
Recently, a team of researchers from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, led by Scott Anderson, Ph.D., were invited to Catalina Island to lead a study on reconstructing the prehistoric ecology of the island.
FROM THE FIELD
DECK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF ... TOYON?
The Other Holly - Toyon bushes are a familiar sight on Catalina, here along Camp Fox Road. Photo by Jack Baldelli
By John R. Clark, Ph.D.
A familiar sight during the holidays are "boughs of holly," those branches of dark green leaves with bright red berries, immortalized in the traditional holiday song, "Deck the Halls." While we don't have holly native to Catalina, a common plant around the island is an excellent stand in - the toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), sometimes called "California holly."
NEWS HEADLINES
NEARLY 500 VISITORS VIEW AIRPORT DISPLAY
Airplane Look-See - Harrison Ford and Clay Lacy, right, check out Harrison's new Cessna. Photo by Mark Jenkins
By Bob Rhein
The first annual Catalina Air Show and Festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 29 and 30, had thousands of Island residents and visitors craning their necks to view the death-defying exploits of aerobatics in the sky over Avalon Harbor. Over the weekend, nearly 500 air show aficionados made their way to the Airport in the Sky to see the airplanes and meet the pilots.
PARTICIPATE
ECO MARATHON RUNS ISLAND'S RIDGELINES
By Christie Collins
The Catalina Island Eco Marathon will be held on Saturday, November 10, along single-track trails, ridgelines, and vistas that afford views of the Pacific Ocean from both sides of the Island. Register now.
Banner photo: Fit to Be Tie-Dyed - Las Caballeras, the Conservancy's women's equestrian support group, have been riding the Island since 1995. Here is their annual group picture at the Little Harbor Campground. The theme this year was "Flower Power." The ladies decked themselves out in their tie-dyed best. Photo by Valerie L. Nestrick, DVM.
