Envisioning the Possibilities

In a project spanning many months, Catalina Island Conservancy brought together all three areas of conservation, education and recreation to enhance Whites Restoration Area. The Conservancy repaired exclosure fencing, made the trail more accessible, planted additional Catalina and Channel Islands endemic species, and created interpretive signage.

Whites Restoration Area, and its newly named Trask’s Trail after renowned Island botanist Blanche

Trask, “offers an opportunity to see Catalina’s future,” said Acting Conservation Director Lauren Dennhardt Ph.D. Though the area has been protected for more than 15 years since Catalina’s 2007 fire, the fencing required some repairs. The Conservancy brought in Los Angeles Conservation Corps to assist with the tough job. Since the fencing has been fixed, the conservation team is already seeing several species thrive, the most obvious of which is the Channel Island tree poppy (Dendromecon hardordii). “Now that it is not experiencing any browse at all, the tree poppies in Whites Restoration Area have started to thrive, getting a lot bigger and bushier,” said Dennhardt.

The team also introduced Channel Islands endemic Saint Catherine’s lace (Eriogonum giganteum) and reintroduced native Catalina nightshade (Solanum wallacei). The Conservancy is actively monitoring naturally occurring endemic populations of Trask’s yerba santa (Eriodictyon traskiae ssp. traskiae), Santa Catalina ironwoods (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus), Santa Catalina Island manzanita (Arctostaphylos catalinae), and Channel Island endemics such as Channel Island tree poppy.

“You don’t need to be an expert botanist to go into the area and see just how many different species are located in that one spot – many of which you don’t see at other spots of the Island,” added Dennhardt. “It has an incredible amount of biodiversity.”

In addition to the conservation enhancements, Whites Restoration Area also received an interpretive overhaul with the Conservancy’s education team creating specialized signage. “Adding a colorful welcoming sign on the entry way immediately communicates to the public that this is a space they are free to visit and explore,” said Sr. Director of Education Leah Melber Ph.D., who added that additional content signs speak to the unique themes of Catalina ecology highlighted within the space. Smaller interpretive signs highlight the unique attributes of the plants growing in the space, and small species identification plaques throughout help visitors test their knowledge and memory.

As the area is intended to be not only a space to learn, but also an area to appreciate nature’s beauty, the Conservancy placed signs in specific locations so as not to disturb the aesthetics of the exclosure. Interpretive signage can be found along both branches of Trask’s Trail.

“Now, Whites Restoration Area is so much more than a conservation space,” added Melber. “It is a place that more fully blends the three areas of the Conservancy’s mission to provide visitors with the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in Catalina’s unique beauty.”