FALL 2017
BOLD HISTORY, BRIGHT FUTURE The Conservancy Celebrates 45 Years Page 2
Message from the President T
his year, we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the creation of the Catalina Island Conservancy and the bold promise made by the Wrigley and Offield families when they founded it in 1972. The mission they established for one of the state’s first and largest land trusts continues today: To be a responsible steward of our lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation. This year, and in this issue of the Conservancy Times, we also look forward to a bright future as the Conservancy expands and enhances the programs and opportunities it provides.
Conservancy Times is a biannual publication of the Catalina Island Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1972 to protect and restore Catalina Island for present and future generations to experience and enjoy. One of California’s oldest land trusts, the Conservancy protects the magnificent natural and cultural heritage of Santa Catalina Island, stewarding over 42,000 acres of land and 62 miles of rugged shoreline. Just over 20 miles from the mainland, Catalina Island is home to more than 60 plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world. The Conservancy operates the Airport in the Sky, the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden and two nature centers. It provides 50 miles of biking and 165 miles of recreational roads and trails. For more information, please visit CatalinaConservancy.org
Through its commitment to science-based conservation, the Conservancy has protected and restored the Island’s habitat and native species. But we face many challenges from the introduction of non-native species and human impacts on Catalina. Fulfilling our conservation mission while also providing educational and nature-based recreational services to Island residents and visitors is also a challenge. Now, more than ever, we are addressing these challenges head-on through the creation of new and improved hiking trails, a new visitor center, new educational opportunities and other programs described in our 45th Anniversary story beginning on page two. The Conservancy has ensured the protection of the Island’s natural habitats, making it possible for residents and Catalina’s nearly 1 million annual visitors to continue to experience a beautiful landscape that reflects California as it once was.
BENEFACTOR MEMBERS
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Alison Wrigley Rusack, Chair
Tony Budrovich President & CEO
Anthony F. Michaels, PhD Maria Pellegrini, PhD BOARD OF DIRECTORS Stephen Chazen, PhD, Chair Kellie Johnson, Vice Chair John Cotton, Past Chair Robert Breech Gordon T. Frost, Jr. Blanny Avalon Hagenah William J. Hagenah Henry Hilty Roger Lang Patrick McAlister Calen Offield Geoffrey Claflin Rusack Scott Stuart Shaun Tucker
Cynthia Fogg Board Secretary, Administrative Manager, Sr. Exec. Assistant to the President & CEO Tim Kielpinski Chief Operating Officer Suzy Gardner Chief Development & Communications Officer Larry L. Lloyd Board Treasurer, Chief Finance & Business Development Officer Kristin Howland Director of Education
These accomplishments—both past and present—are made possible by the Conservancy’s dedicated staff, its many volunteers and its generous supporters. This issue of the Conservancy Times tells some of their stories. It details the hard work of the facilities crew as they struggled to keep the roads open and the Island operating during the winter’s warmly welcomed torrential rains. It recounts the devotion of Murray Crow, who has tended to the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden for 45 years. And it describes the generous spirit of Steve Tabor, who volunteered to serve the Conservancy as a ranger after his retirement. The magazine also offers another opportunity to experience Catalina through the eyes of awardwinning plein air painters at the 7th Annual Catalina: The Wild Side Art Sale on Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Balboa Yacht Club in Corona del Mar. Because of your generosity and the hard work of our many volunteers and staff, the Conservancy has thrived for the past 45 years. We thank all of you for making these accomplishments possible. We also recognize there is so much more to do. So we look forward to the years ahead with you, working together to ensure the Island continues to be the ecologically sound and accessible paradise we all treasure.
Tony Budrovich President and CEO
Julie King Director of Conservation & Wildlife Management CONTACT US P.O. Box 2739 Avalon, CA 90704 310-510-2595 320 Golden Shore, Suite 220 Long Beach, CA 90802 562-437-8555 CatalinaConservancy.org EDITOR Laura Mecoy GRAPHIC DESIGN Robin Weisz Design
Conservancy Times is printed on Pacesetter coated paper, which is Forest Stewardship Council Certified, made from 10% post-consumer waste and Elemental Chlorine Free. Printed using soy-based inks.
F O L LOW U S ON :
CONTENTS F E ATURES
The Conservancy Celebrates 45 Years BOLD HISTORY, BRIGHT FUTURE As the Catalina Island Conservancy celebrates its 45th year, visitors and residents reflect on its legacy and its future. PAGE 2
Protecting Wildlands The Conservancy’s Avalon Grasses Initiative is protecting the Island’s wildlands by removing and replacing four non-native grasses often found in the yards of homes and businesses in Avalon. PAGE 8
Unlocking Seabird Mysteries With little known about seabirds, the Conservancy’s staff is working to document and monitor Catalina’s rare species of seabirds to understand how best to protect them.
PHOTOS: TYLER DVORAK, JACK BALDELLI, CHRIS BRINLEE JR.
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COVER PHOTO: JACK BALDELLI
Focus on Facilities The winter rains were a welcome relief from the lengthy drought but posed new challenges to the Conservancy’s hardworking Facilities Department crew. PAGE 12
DE PART ME NT S
BECOME A CONSERVANCY MEMBER
SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT
Not a member of the Catalina Island Conservancy?
CONSERVANCY CELEBRATIONS
Don’t miss out on the opportunities and adventure.
Planning Underway for the 2018 Conservancy Ball Join Us for Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show
JOIN TODAY!
CONSERVANCY NEWS
HELP PROTECT THIS GREAT NATURAL RESOURCE. CatalinaConservancy.org 562-437-8555 ext. 1239
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Volunteer Steve Tabor Rides the Range CONSERVANCY STAFF
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Murray Crow’s 45 years in the Garden 16
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Grants Help Conservancy Fulfill its Mission Meet Board Member Shaun Tucker Donor Honor Roll
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IMAGINE CATALINA Update
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Conservancy Calendar 22
CONSERVANCY THE
CELEBRATES
YEARS
B O L D H I S T O R Y, B R I G H T F U T U R E
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s their ferry neared New Zealand’s Waiheke Island, Karen King felt like she was coming home. To the long-
time Avalon resident, the hilly green island halfway around the world looked like Catalina from the water. But as she came ashore, King discovered stark differences. With more than twice the year-round population of Catalina, Waiheke Island is more densely developed. Homes are spread around the island, and numerous cars, buses and taxis travel its roads. King said she realized that she was seeing what Catalina Island might have looked like if the Catalina Island Conservancy had never been created. “Without the Conservancy, it just wouldn’t be the Catalina we know and love today with all of its unspoiled beauty and the silence we can find in nature,” she said. “Instead, Catalina would be crowded and busy, like the mainland, which we are all trying to escape by coming to the Island.” In 1972, members of the Wrigley and Offield families founded the Conservancy as a nonprofit organization to serve as the steward for nearly 90 percent of Catalina. The Conservancy’s mission is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a
PHOTO: JACK BALDELLI
balance of conservation, education and recreation.
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Signing the paperwork that deeded more than 42,000 acres of Catalina to the Catalina Island Conservancy are Philip K. Wrigley and Helen Atwater Wrigley, both seated in the offices of the Santa Catalina Island Company. Standing from left are: Misdee Wrigley, Dorothy (Deedie) Wrigley Hancock, Frank Ernest, James Townsend, Dave Vena (an attorney from the firm of Latham & Watkins), Don Baker (also a Latham & Watkins attorney), Shirley Davey, Doug Propst (who became the Conservancy’s second president), Hollis Moyse, Fred Frasiers, Scott Stuart and Malcom Renton (the Conservancy’s first president).
❝The Conservancy constantly improves the Catalina experience by ensuring that our lands are accessible to all, while maintaining and improving our unique natural environment.❞ Julie Perlin Lee
REFLECTING ON THE PAST
ENVISIONING THE FUTURE
s the Conservancy celebrates its 45th Anniversary this year, King and others reflected on the difference it has made on the Island and the vital role it will play in the future for Catalina. King and her husband, Captain John, own Afishinados Gallery Store and Charter Boat Service in Avalon. They give the Conservancy high marks for protecting and restoring the Island so that it continues to be a place people want to experience and explore. “The beauty of the Island is one of the big draws for us,” said Karen King. “Even though we don’t work for the Conservancy, we are cheerleaders for both it and the Island.” Julie Perlin Lee, executive director for the Catalina Island Museum, agreed: “The Conservancy constantly improves the Catalina experience by ensuring that our lands are accessible to all, while maintaining and improving our unique natural environment.” Youth and scout camps have hosted hundreds of thousands of young persons over several generations. John George, director of Camp Emerald Bay, Western Los Angeles Council, Boy Scouts of America, said the Conservancy’s work has helped to create a “magical” place where the young campers have a rare opportunity to experience nature. For the most devoted ones, he said the Island becomes their “home.” “At the final campfire at the end of summer, they’ll often say they’re leaving their home and going back to the city. Catalina claims a piece of each of those kids,” George said.
From the camps lining the Island’s shores to its interior, Catalina attracts tens of thousands of hikers, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts every year. As it plans for the future, the Conservancy has placed an emphasis on expanding nature-based recreational opportunities with Trekking Catalina, the most extensive enhancement of the organization’s hiking trail network since the 2009 opening of the TransCatalina Trail. Trekking Catalina created 27 miles of newly developed hiking trails on the Island. It minimized the impact on the land by upgrading and consolidating “social trails,” which are unofficial trails created by wildlife and the foot traffic of campers and other users over time. The Conservancy also installed new signage and sustainable restrooms along the trails, providing even more opportunities for hiking devotees, like Steve Hathaway of Westchester.
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EXPLORING THE WILDLANDS
“Putting on hiking shoes and exploring the trails is the best way to experience the real beauty of the Island,” he said. A Catalina Island Conservancy member and supporter,
Hathaway has been traveling to Catalina by boat for more than 60 years and often leaves the water to hike the land. He said he and his grown children recently celebrated Father’s Day by hiking the length of the Trans-Catalina Trail. Lee, the Catalina Island Museum’s executive director, said that “having access to nature is crucial because it goes hand-in-hand with inspiring healthy minds and healthy bodies. Getting out into the natural environment helps us to expand our points of view, helps us to clear our minds and helps us to problem-solve. “It takes as little as one short hike, one view of undeveloped coastline or one sighting of the Island’s native plants or animals to spark ideas that lead to wonderment, creativity and a generally positive outlook. Therefore, the Conservancy’s work is crucial, not just to maintaining a healthy natural environment, but a balanced and healthy community.” WELCOMING ISLAND VISITORS
PHOTO: JACK BALDELLI
Nearly 1 million people visit Catalina Island annually. To more readily connect these guests to its lands, the Conservancy is building The Trailhead Visitor Center. The Trailhead is located near the Catalina Express landing so that visitors can easily access information about the Island and its conservation, secure their free hiking permits and book Jeep Eco Tours and trips on the Wildlands Express. “Having a more visible location will be a real asset for the Conservancy and the Island,” said Jim Luttjohann, president and CEO of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. “The Trailhead will also be a great addition for the community because it will provide additional meeting space for groups choosing to host events and meetings on the Island.” 5
EXPANDING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
❝For 45 years, the Conservancy has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to its mission of stewarding our lands with a balance of conservation, education and recreation.❞ Tony Budrovich
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SERVING THE COMMUNITY
Serving the community has been a tradition for the Conservancy. It has been offering hands-on learning adventures and programs for visitors and students since 1980. Over the years, its programs have expanded to include internships, school trips and other opportunities that ensure Catalina students—and even some mainland students in the Boone Foundation program—have a chance to visit the wildlands and learn about the Island. The Conservancy also provides Avalon residents access to the interior through its Families in Nature program. Led by Conservancy-trained naturalists, the program offers free trips one Saturday per month from September through April. The Conservancy launched its Naturalist Training Program in 2011 to provide in-depth environmental and conservation education to local businesses and their staffs—including bus and taxi drivers, school teachers, camp counselors and others who work in eco-tourism on the Island. The goal is to ensure they are informed about Catalina’s natural history so they can provide accurate information to visitors. “I have been delighted to see the extensive educational opportunities provided to visitors through programs, expansion of visitor services and, of course, local Naturalist Training courses being offered regularly,” said Avalon City Council member Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy. “There is more engagement with visitors, locals and the Conservancy, and that benefits all of us.”
After years of offering after-school and other educational programs at Avalon School, the Conservancy launched NatureWorks in 2015 to serve as a STEM, Next Generation Science Standards and workforce education initiative for students from kindergarten through graduation. In collaboration with the Long Beach Unified School District, the community and philanthropic organizations, NatureWorks offers extensive educational enrichment and internship programs. “Through the many classroom lessons, nature hikes and field trips into the interior, the NatureWorks program exposes students to the wonders of Santa Catalina Island,” said Chris Lounsbery, Avalon School principal. “More importantly, these experiences will provide a baseline of knowledge our students will need to comprehend various concepts in later studies related to ecology, marine biology, geology and history.” The Conservancy also provides several other educational opportunities outside the schools, including displays at the Avalon Nature Center and the Airport Nature Center and monthly seminars at the Avalon Nature Center. Through these educational programs, visitors and residents learn about the Island’s history and the Conservancy’s work to protect and restore Catalina— the third focus of its mission. PROTECTING AND RESTORING THE ISLAND
For decades, the Conservancy’s staff has worked to remove invasive species and restore native ones. It has eliminated several invasive species that threatened the Island’s native habitat and led the way in documenting and protecting native species, including the more than 60 species found only on Catalina. It is gaining ground on reducing and eliminating invasive plant species and recently launched an innovative program to replace non-native plants with native ones in Avalon. (Please see story on page eight.) CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
“For 45 years, the Conservancy has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to its mission of stewarding our lands with a balance of conservation, education and recreation,” said Tony Budrovich, Conservancy president and CEO. “Our goal is to expand and enhance these programs and opportunities. But conservation in a lived landscape is always a challenge, so we will continue to face significant hurdles in fulfilling our mission of protecting and restoring the Island. We will need all the support we can get to ensure Catalina continues to be this very special place that attracts and inspires people to protect our planet.”
The Conservancy continues to be a leader in science-based conservation. For instance, wildlife managers of mainland bison populations have studied the Conservancy’s novel contraception program that has successfully managed Catalina’s bison population. The contraceptive has prevented new births among the Island’s bison. SAVING ENDANGERED SPECIES
Since 1980, the Conservancy has partnered with the Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS) to restore the bald eagle population, which had been decimated by the now-banned pesticide DDT. As a result of these efforts, bald eagles now nest on Catalina every year. In 1999, the Conservancy entered into a new partnership with IWS to restore the Catalina Island fox population after canine distemper, brought to the Island by a stowaway raccoon, caused the fox population to plummet to just about 100 individuals. Today, in one of the fastest recoveries ever of an endangered species, the fox population has rebounded to more than 1,800. Its status is still considered “threatened” because of the possibility of another raccoon-carried disease or other pathogen, for which the native creatures have no immunity, making its way onto the Island.
Catalina faces more pressures from humans than any of the other less-trafficked Channel Islands. The constant arrivals of boats and humans to Catalina bring the threat of another deadly pathogen being transmitted to the Island’s native creatures as well as more invasive plants and other species. The conservation staff is constantly monitoring the foxes and other species to ensure their safety, and the staff is taking precautions where possible. For instance, they have installed gates at the entrances of various Island caves to protect native bat populations from human disturbance. They also have replaced many of the Island’s trash containers with animal-proof ones to protect the foxes. In addition, the Conservancy is seeking to expand its capacities by entering into partnerships with local universities interested in helping with monitoring and research.
CONSERVANCY TIMES
FALL 2017
Left page: To protect the Island, the Conservancy rounded up and shipped about 200 bison to mainland reservations in 2003 and 2004. A novel contraceptive program has ensured the Catalina bison herd remains at 150 or less. Top photo: The Conservancy staff installed shade structures for wildlands hikers. Top right: The Island’s bald eagle population is recovering with the help of the Conservancy and the Institute for Wildlife Studies. Bottom right: Julie King, the Conservancy’s director of conservation and wildlife management, works with the tools used to document the bison herd during roundups. 7
PHOTOS: JACK BALDELLI
STEWARDING THE LAND
Protecting Catalina’s Wildlands from Invasive Plants O nce a month, Julia Parish, Catalina Island Conservancy plant conservation manager, climbs into her truck outside her office at Middle Ranch to journey into Avalon in search of invasive plants. She slowly drives the town’s streets in her quest for the non-native grasses often used in landscaping. When she spots some, she stops the truck, gets out and starts knocking on doors. Her pitch to Avalon homeowners is simple. The Conservancy, in an effort to stop the spread of non-native invasive plants across the Island, will remove them and replace them with Catalina natives—free of charge. AVALON GRASSES INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
❝Invasive species don’t respect city or other limits. So what happens in Avalon doesn’t always stay in Avalon.❞ Julia Parish
The Conservancy launched the Avalon Grasses Initiative in June 2016. Since then, 20 homeowners have participated in the innovative strategy to protect and restore the Island ecosystem by removing and replacing four nonnative grasses commonly found in Avalon yards: Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum), Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima), Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) and Giant reed (Arundo donax). Burney Ramming, president of the Fairview Terrace Homeowners Association, was one of the first to sign up. When Parish walked him through the property’s 20 acres of landscaping, she pointed out the unfamiliar grasses that had popped up and were spreading. The next week she and her crew returned and replaced them with native plants from the Conservancy nursery.
“She did a marvelous job,” Ramming said. “The new plants are easier to maintain, and we get a lot of compliments on them.” INVASIVES THREATEN BIODIVERSITY
According to Parish, many of the invasive plants that threaten the native flora in the interior got their start as landscaping plants in Avalon. By helping homeowners replace their non-native plants with native ones, the Conservancy is making major strides in preventing the further spread of invasive species to the over 42,000 acres of wildlands under its stewardship. “Invasive species don’t respect city or other limits,” Parish said. “So what happens in Avalon doesn’t always stay in Avalon.” Non-native invasive species are one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity, and Catalina Island has experienced the consequences of their arrival firsthand through the spread of the yellow-flowered Flax-leaf broom (Genista linifolia). The weed, native to the Canary Islands, was introduced to Catalina more than 100 years ago when it was used to landscape the original Saint Catherine Hotel in Avalon in the 1900s. Today, it is Catalina’s most highly invasive plant. FLAX-LEAF BROOM INFESTS THE INTERIOR
The long-lived Flax-leaf broom has infested and altered the habitat of 90 percent of the Island’s two iconic canyons—Descanso and Avalon— and has spread to the interior as well. Like other invasive plants, the aggressive Flax-leaf broom crowds out native plants, depriving endemic wildlife species of their natural food sources, ultimately upsetting the Island’s ecological balance. The plant is so 8
CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
pernicious that the Conservancy’s Catalina Habitat Improvement and Restoration Program (CHIRP) concentrates at least half of its time each year just trying to control the Flax-leaf broom. “With the Avalon Grasses Initiative, we are trying to prevent the next expansion of nonnative plants from Avalon to the interior that we saw with the Flax-leaf broom,” Parish said. “The non-native grasses we have targeted have the same capacity to spread and displace our native plants.” CONSERVANCY CONTROLS AND ERADICATES INVASIVES
The Avalon Grasses Initiative is one of the Conservancy’s ongoing programs to protect the Island from invasive plants. A 2003 survey of Catalina’s plant population found 255 naturalized, non-native plant species and identified 76 of them as “highly invasive.” The Conservancy decided to focus on the 45 invasive plants best suited to cost-effective treatment and began an ambitious effort to control and eradicate their growth. The result: the highly invasive Yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) has officially been declared eradicated, and the populations of Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) and Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) have been greatly reduced. Parish hopes she will be able to say the same soon about invasive Avalon grasses. She expects that the Mexican feather grass and Fountain grass—relative newcomers to Avalon that have not yet escaped to the interior—may be eradicated within the next five years. And though Giant reed and Pampas grass have already spread to the interior, the Conservancy is aggressively finding, treating and reducing the spread of both across the wildlands. “If we can get these plants off the Island, it’s a big win for conservation efforts on Catalina,” Parish said. “The Avalon Grasses Initiative is a great way for the Conservancy to give back to homeowners and to protect this very special place.” AVALON RESIDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN REPLACING NON-NATIVE PLANTS WITH NATIVE SPECIES, PLEASE CONTACT:
Julia Parish Conservancy Plant Conservation Manager 310-510-1299 ext. 229 JParish@CatalinaConservancy.org CONSERVANCY TIMES
FALL 2017
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Unlocking the Mysteries of Catalina
PHOTOS: TOM JOHNSON, SARAH THOMPSON
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eabirds are among the most majestic and mysterious birds on earth. They are unique among birds because they require two habitats: the sea on which to feed and land on which to breed. Though seabirds are hatched on land and return each year to nest there, they spend most of their lives at sea, far from human habitation. As a result, scientists understand very little about their life and habits. They do know this, however: nearly one-third of the world’s 346 species of seabirds are threatened, and almost half are known to be experiencing population declines. Seabirds are under increasing pressure from habitat degradation and destruction— both at sea and on land. In response, the Catalina Island Conservancy has joined the worldwide efforts to promote conservation through extensive monitoring and detailed documentation of their nesting activities. “We are learning as much as we can about how the seabirds use this Island so that we can make the best decisions in the future about their conservation needs,” said Tyler Dvorak, former Conservancy wildlife biologist. Two species of seabirds are known to nest on and around Catalina Island. A small colony of the Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) can be found on Ship Rock, the craggy outcrop just off the Catalina shore, and 100–200 breeding pairs of Scripps’s Murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi) nest within the steep, inaccessible coastal cliffs of the main Island. The remote Murrelet habitat is believed to be home to the world’s fifth largest population of this rare bird. But because their actual numbers are so small and their breeding habitat is limited to only 10 West Coast islands, the state of California has designated Scripps’s Murrelets as threatened, a species likely to become endangered. The Catalina Island Conservancy would like to thank the Donald Slavik Family Foundation and the Harold McAlister Charitable Foundation for their generous support of its seabird research.
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SEABIRDS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Before 2012, when the Conservancy received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and teamed up with researchers from the California Institute of Environmental Studies (CIES) to study Murrelets, Catalina’s nocturnal seabirds lived in relative obscurity. Now they are in the Conservancy’s spotlight—literally. Twice a year, the Catalina Island Conservancy conducts a weeklong survey of the Scripps’s Murrelets that congregate off Catalina’s coast during breeding season. Dressed in bibs and protective float coats, researchers board a 14-foot dinghy and methodically sweep a spotlight across a designated line of water 200 meters off the coast. They splash through the cold waves all night long, counting birds.
“We’re keeping tabs on this population year after year,” Dvorak said. “That way we can know if their numbers are decreasing and where they are most concentrated on our land, allowing us to make prudent management decisions based on solid data.” At Ship Rock where the Storm-Petrels nest, most of the seabird monitoring is done remotely. In 2014, when Dvorak and CIES researchers Harry Carter and Darrell Whitworth first found Storm-Petrels nesting within crevices on Ship Rock, they noted the birds’ ashy gray heads and dark rumps and made an initial determination that the birds were Ashy Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma homochroa), a California Bird Species of Special Concern known to breed in the Channel Islands. To confirm identification and monitor the nesting birds’ activities, Dvorak scrambled up the white guano-covered Ship Rock the following year and mounted three infrared video cameras. The motionactivated videocams made a noteworthy discovery. MISTAKEN IDENTITY
When Dvorak returned to the lab to review the black and white video and analyze the CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
a’s Seabirds audio, he knew within a minute or two that the original determination was wrong. The grainy image of a tiny bird going into its nest crevice may have looked like an Ashy Storm-Petrel, but its vocalizations left no doubt in his mind that it was actually a Leach’s Storm-Petrel—making Ship Rock home to the first verified nest site for the species in the California Channel Islands. The cameras have continued to capture many hours of video and sound on Ship Rock. During each April–September breeding season, Dvorak has gingerly picked his way up the craggy outcrop to personally inspect the tiny nest sites. This effort is amassing more information about how the Leach’s StormPetrels use the nesting site, while also raising important new questions about the population. Because only six nests have been found, scientists were uncertain about the size of the colony. But in a single night last summer, Dvorak and Carter caught 17 Leach’s Storm-Petrels atop Ship Rock with a mist net, nylon meshing that is invisible to birds and captures them without harming them. The relatively large single night catch suggests more birds are visiting the rock on a given night than are using it to nest. The scientists meticulously noted the individual colors and sizes of each netted bird and took blood samples for genetic analysis before releasing them. In addition to the actively nesting birds they caught, exactly who are these other nocturnal visitors? Are they simply young birds of pre-nesting age from the Ship Rock colony? Could they be StormPetrels from other unknown nesting sites on Catalina? Or maybe they’re visiting birds from other Channel Islands or Mexico? With these questions still to be explored, Conservancy scientists are looking forward to taking a more in-depth look at the bird vocalizations and working with a seabird genetics lab to analyze the blood samples. The hope is that the Catalina Island Conservancy will then be able to add a few more pieces of knowledge to the seabird conservation puzzle. CONSERVANCY TIMES
FALL 2017
Above and on the right: Conservancy wildlife biology staff searches for the nests of seabirds to help unlock their mysteries and increase understanding of these nomadic birds.
Above: Device is used to record the birds’ activities to help identify which seabirds are nesting on Catalina and Ship Rock. Below: A Scripps’s Murrelet finds a crevice in the rocks to make its nest.
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The Facilities Department
KEEPING THE ISLAND NEW ENHANCED TRAILS HANDLE THE DELUGE
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hen Tim Kielpinski became the Catalina Island Conservancy’s chief operating officer last fall, the California drought was in its fifth year, and the Island was in Stage 3 water rationing. The mandatory 50 percent cut in water use by every Catalina resident resulted in dishes being stacked up in sinks, showers being taken sparingly and local hoteliers having to ship laundry to the mainland. With nary a cloud on the horizon, everyone on Catalina Island was bracing for the expected announcement of a 75 percent reduction in water use. Then the rains came. By January, two inches had fallen. Then two powerful weekend rainstorms hit in February, and the water accumulated. Chunks of mountain broke free, and the water flow threatened to undermine the stability of some Catalina roads that had been carved out of steep mountain walls. FACILITIES CREWS SWING INTO ACTION
“It was all hands on deck,” Kielpinski said. “Of course, no one was begrudging the rain. We welcomed it. But it certainly was a challenge—kind of a sweet sorrow.” The Conservancy’s Facilities Department workers swung into action. The road crew, normally one man strong, immediately swelled to a team of five. Working 10-hour days in the pouring rain, the crew donned weather gear and concentrated on keeping the primary roads to the airport open so that mail and other goods arriving via airplane could continue to make their way to Avalon. The crew deployed sandbags to divert water flow and was able to stem the erosion in the hills. They recovered several vehicles stuck in the mud. But unlike the infamous winter storm of 1995 that closed a portion of the Middle Canyon road for nine months, Catalina’s main roads held up.
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The 10 miles of new and enhanced trails that had just been completed by the Conservation Corps of Long Beach as part of the Conservancy’s Trekking Catalina project survived as well. The trails were sustainably built to include drainage swells, switchbacks and rock reinforcements. At the Laura Stein Volunteer Camp, where some 25 volunteers working on trails were being housed in tents, things got dicey. Fearing the storm’s high winds, the Conservancy quickly evacuated the volunteers and moved them to the Facilities Department’s barn for safety. There, amid the wood shop tools and Conservancy’s vehicles, the volunteers intended to wait out the storm. But Mother Nature had other ideas. When a nearby culvert failed, the gushing rainwater flooded the entire 8,700-square-foot metal barn. Being experienced volunteers, the group was unfazed. They pitched in and helped the facilities crew put up a new culvert. They vacuumed up the floor and then headed back to the camp to repair their damaged tents. A $500,000 BILL FOR ROAD REPAIRS
The downpours exacted a heavy toll. The unexpected damage to the roads alone totaled $500,000. In addition to the road damage, a Conservancy house for employees was flooded and made uninhabitable for several weeks. Boskey Del, a historic western-style gazebo along Cottonwood Canyon barbecue area, suffered serious damage when a massive tree branch fell and punctured the gazebo’s tiled roof.
CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
WORKING DURING RECORD RAINS At the Airport in the Sky, the wind swept a Cessna Caravan plane off a taxiway and onto the shoulder of the runway. The facilities crew moved quickly to tie down the plane to prevent it from blowing off the hill. After the sheriff inspected the aircraft, the facilities crew recovered it from the mud and towed it to the hangar. Still, the havoc wreaked by the rains pales in comparison to the enormous drought relief they brought. Water rationing on Catalina ended in March. But the facilities team takes nothing for granted. Kielpinski said the 14-person department is prepared to work seven days a week, 365 days a year to maintain the Island’s 178-mile network of roads, the Conservancy’s 120 vehicles and all major structures, including the airport and piers. In the wake of the rain, the department has been proactively clearing more than 50 culverts across the Island and working on grading and maintaining roads for the long term. “We work hard to keep the Island accessible for conservation, education and recreation,” Kielpinski said. “In helping to carry out these key aspects of our mission, we also act as a good citizen to the entire Catalina Island community.”
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SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT
The Conservancy relies on hundreds of volunteers, who assist with beach cleanups, work at the Ackerman Nursery, remove invasive plants, staff events and much more. For Tabor, volunteering also gives him an opportunity to explore the Island.
Giving Back in Retirement Steve Tabor Volunteers as a Ranger
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fter more than 37 years of teaching and serving as a public school administrator in Hawthorne, Steve Tabor was ready to retire. But he wasn’t ready to sit on the couch or play golf every day. He wanted to give back to the community and be somewhere outside, preferably near the ocean. A conversation with a long-time friend and former colleague, Tony Budrovich, Catalina Island Conservancy president and CEO, sparked an interest in volunteering on Catalina. Soon Tabor was learning how to drive a four-wheel-drive vehicle across the Island’s rugged terrain so that he could serve the Conservancy as a parttime volunteer ranger. He pays for his travel to the Island and works as a ranger about two days every week. He monitors the condition of the roads, trails and habitats across the over 42,000 acres the 14
Conservancy stewards. He also assists hikers, bikers and campers throughout the Island, and he responds to incidents that occur on Conservancy property. “I have assisted a school group with returning to a boat anchored off shore at Little Harbor after their dingy capsized and became inoperable, and I have helped hikers and campers who may have underestimated the demands of the hiking trails,” he said. The Conservancy relies on hundreds of volunteers, who assist with beach cleanups, work at the Ackerman Nursery, remove invasive plants, staff events and much more. For Tabor, volunteering also gives him an opportunity to explore the Island. “It is one the coolest experiences to see bald eagles flying, foxes peering out from the shrubs or a bison sitting beside the edge of the road,” he said.
Budrovich said Tabor also has much to offer the Conservancy. As a former public school administrator, Tabor knows how to work with young people and adults and how to bring the community together. Tabor also knows how to share his knowledge of the Island’s history, its geology and marine biology with Island visitors. “Hopefully, they will view the ocean and environment in a different light,” Tabor said. “It definitely is an opening to create a deeper connection and just may make them realize what an impact they can have on making the Island and the planet better.”
CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
C O N S E R VA N C Y S TA F F
Murray Crow A Lifetime Dedicated to the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden
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hen Murray Crow was offered a job at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden in 1972, he didn’t hesitate to accept. Crow had been born and raised on Catalina and was a recent high school graduate of Avalon School. The youngest of three boys, he loved the great outdoors. So, when Catalina horticulturist Mark Hoefs hired him to help maintain the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden, he said, “I knew I had found my spot.” What he could not have known then was that he would spend the next 45 years of his life carefully tending it. Now, thanks in part to his tireless work, the garden is one of his “favorite places on earth.” Little wonder. Just a mile and a half up the Avalon Canyon Road, the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden is an oasis of calm and arresting beauty. The memorial honors the memory of William J. Wrigley Jr., early Catalina Island benefactor and founder of the Wrigley chewing gum empire. He was interred at the memorial for a short time but is now buried in Glendale. Surrounding Wrigley’s towering edifice is the garden originally planned by his wife, Ada, in 1935 to showcase desert plants from across the world.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
Crow had no formal training in horticulture; everything he knows he learned on the job. “I’ve learned from others who have been happy to share their knowledge with me,” he said. “I’m always learning. That’s what keeps the job so interesting.” Since the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden became part of the Conservancy’s operations in 1996, Crow has worked with other Conservancy departments. He’s been part of the effort to remove invasive plants from Catalina’s interior and recently helped landscape the courthouse in Avalon with native trees and shrubs.
Crow has seen some changes on Catalina over his lifetime. Boys and girls don’t swim out to the steamships in the harbor to catch coins like he once did as a kid, and some houses in Avalon are now two stories. But thanks in large part to the Conservancy’s stewardship, Catalina has maintained its small-town feel amid its natural grandeur. “Without the Conservancy, the native plants and the foxes and eagles would have died out,” Crow said. “Now, we have native plants growing again, and with the opening of the Trans-Catalina Trail, people can get off the main road to see for themselves the difference the Conservancy has made.”
A SHOWCASE FOR CATALINA’S ENDEMIC PLANTS
Today, the garden’s focus is on native California plants, especially those endemic to Catalina and the neighboring Channel Islands. Crow watches over it all. “I do anything it takes to make the place look inviting for our visitors and our community,” Crow said. “Everything— trimming, weeding, planting, watering. Sometimes, I’ll spend all day just raking. I just see what needs doing, and I get it done.” In addition to maintaining the garden and the memorial, he often travels into the interior to collect native seeds for propagation. When the seedlings are ready, it is Crow who plants them, taking pains to fence in the new growth and carefully making name plates for each. CONSERVANCY TIMES
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❝Without the Conservancy, the native plants and the foxes
and eagles would have died out. Now, we have native plants growing again, and with the opening of the TransCatalina Trail, people can get off the main road to see for themselves the difference the Conservancy has made.❞
Murray Crow 15
C O N S E R VA N C Y C E L E B R AT I O N S
Plans Underway For the 23rd Annual Conservancy Ball AFTER THIS YEAR’S SUCCESS
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lans are well underway for the 23rd Annual Conservancy Ball after this year’s event attracted a crowd of more than 530 guests to the historic Avalon Casino Ballroom. Many of this year’s guests donned feathers in honor of the 22nd Annual Conservancy Ball’s theme, “Taking E Flight.” The Conservancy Ball, which S A V E T H E D AT ll a was the first for Tony Budrovich in his B cy n serva 23rd Annual Con role as the Conservancy’s president and CEO, marked a notable time in the , 2018 Conservancy’s history as a number of Saturday, April 14 strategic initiatives to better serve the llroom Avalon Casino Ba Island took flight this year. Catalina Island He invited guests to join him in celebrating the Conservancy’s , ps hi ion and sponsors 45th Anniversary and welcoming For more informat please call special guest speakers: 47th District t. 1239 562-437-8555 ex Congressman Alan Lowenthal, Fourth District Los Angeles County Or email rg .o Supervisor Janice Hahn and Avalon cy an rv se Ball@CatalinaCon Mayor Anni Marshall. Each recognized this important milestone for the organization and shared their views on the Conservancy’s next 45 years. The Conservancy Ball’s guests dined and danced to the big band sounds of Society Beat. They also bid on one-of-a-kind auction items, including a popular Balthazar of Rusack Santa Catalina Island Vineyards wine. The highly successful event netted over $430,000 for the Conservancy’s programs to restore and protect the Island and provide educational and nature-based recreational opportunities on the over 42,000 acres it stewards. “This year was one for the record books, and we thank all our guests for their generous support and their commitment to the Conservancy,” said Budrovich. “We look forward to seeing all of them again at the 23rd Annual Conservancy Ball.” SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. PRESENTING PARTNER
US Bank Capital Group Companies COCKTAIL HOUR PARTNER
For a list of all Conservancy Ball sponsors, visit CatalinaConservancy.org
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CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
PHOTOS: SHAUNA CASSADY
SPONSOR RECEPTION PARTNER
This work of art, entitled “Colorful Tapestry at Shark Harbor,” by Kim Lordier, is among the works of art for sale at the 7th Annual Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show. 7TH ANNUAL
Sunday, October 22 1:30–2:30 p.m. Priority Preview and Purchases EARLY BIRD RATES Conservancy Member: $150 Non-Conservancy Member: $175 2:30–4:00 p.m. General Access EARLY BIRD RATES Conservancy Member: $50 Non-Conservancy Member: $75 We encourage you to make your reservations in advance. Limited General Admission tickets will be available the day of the show for $125 per person. Early Bird pricing ends on September 29, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Balboa Yacht Club Corona del Mar, CA Register Today! CatalinaConservancy.org 562-437-8555 ext. 1239
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Join Us October 22 Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show
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he Catalina Island Conservancy’s 7th Annual Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show will give guests a rare opportunity to support the Conservancy and talk one-on-one with the artists who have spent time on Catalina to depict the Island’s beauty in their works. Each of the artists is a nationally recognized and award-winning plein air painter, which means they paint nature while in nature. And each has created new works for the Conservancy’s sale. The artists are: Cindy Baron, Brian Blood, Don Demers, Kathleen Dunphy, Debra Huse, Laurie Kersey, Kim Lordier, Michael Obermeyer, Ron Rencher and Brian Stewart. “In their paintings, these outstanding artists capture the beauty of the Island and the work the Conservancy has done to restore and protect Catalina,” said Tony Budrovich, Conservancy president and CEO. “Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show is a great opportunity to support the Conservancy, meet the artists and purchase their portraits of Catalina’s wildlands.” Proceeds from the art sale benefit the Conservancy’s conservation, education and recreation programs. The proceeds also support the Conservancy’s permanent collection of plein air art that documents the organization’s conservation efforts and progress in habitat restoration. Many of the paintings acquired during previous shows are on display for the public in the Conservancy’s Nature Center in Avalon Canyon.
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C O N S E R VA N C Y N E W S
THANKS TO THE CONSERVANCY’S GENEROUS SUPPORTERS Grants Benefit the Island by Funding Fire Protection and Student Arts Program THE CATALINA TREE MORTALITY PROJECT At the height of California’s five-year drought, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CALFire) awarded a $175,000 grant to the Catalina Island Conservancy to remove more than 200 dead and dying trees from 310 acres of wildlands that border Avalon. The Catalina Tree Mortality Project was one of 107 rural projects selected from 264 statewide requests for this funding. The goal of The Catalina Tree Mortality Project is to reduce the threat of wildfires on Catalina and to protect the health and safety of 4,000 permanent residents and up to 10,000 daily visitors by removing the dead trees located in the Black Jack campground area and along East Summit Road. The removal of the dead trees by December will safeguard more than 1,800 properties and ensure access to the airport,
evacuation routes and emergency facilities that would be at risk from a fast-moving fire. Last winter’s welcome rains did not diminish the threat of wildfires on Catalina, which has been designated a very high-risk fire hazard zone by the state. Few residents can forget the 2007 wildfire that raged for five days, scorching 4,800 acres and forcing more than 3,800 residents to evacuate the Island. The Conservancy is grateful to CALFire and the Los Angeles County Fire department for their support of this important project.
CATALINA YOUTH PLEIN AIR ART PROJECT With support from an $11,600 Community Impact Arts Grant (CIAG) from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Catalina Island Conservancy has launched the Catalina Youth Plein Air Project. Its goal is to help the Island’s students gain a deeper appreciation of the natural world by
participating in the artistic process. CIAG was a pilot program started in 2015 by the Arts Commission to specifically award funding to Los Angeles County non-arts organizations that provide art programming to the individuals and communities they serve. Jen Poyer, the Conservancy’s senior special events manager who produces Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show, first proposed the idea of partnering the art show’s nationally recognized artists with Avalon students as a way to further connect the event with the Conservancy’s programs. Willie Richerson, the Conservancy’s NatureWorks specialist, coordinated the educational program, and the Conservancy brought artist John Cosby to the Island to teach plein air painting to Avalon School students in the spring. Cosby is an award-winning plein air painter who has participated in several of the Conservancy’s art-related events, including Catalina: The Wild Side Art
“There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life—happiness, freedom and peace of mind—are always attained by giving them to someone else.” March Peyton Conway We all have but one life to live...and one chance to leave behind a legacy. Your estate gift helps protect Catalina Island for generations to come. For information on how to include the Catalina Island Conservancy in your estate planning, please contact Suzy Gardner, Chief Development Of�icer 562-437-8555 ext. 1228 SGardner@CatalinaConservancy.org.
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CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
Generations on the Island Shaun Tucker, New Board Member
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Show. He taught the students the basics of painting in the classroom, and then they went to the wildlands to paint en plein air, which means painting in nature while being in nature. They visited Little Harbor and Haypress Reservoir, where they sketched and painted both locations. Richerson said the students were “amazingly focused” during the four art sessions with Cosby and were excited to be able to paint the “vibrant spring landscapes.” “Landscape painting is difficult, especially getting the colors right,” Richerson said. “But Mr. Cosby was patient in his guidance, and the students’ artistic abilities grew by leaps and bounds over the course of the four sessions. Standing for hours in front of a canvas trying to get details right as the wind blows and light shifts takes patience and perseverance, skills that these Avalon students will take with them for the rest of their lives.” CONSERVANCY TIMES
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haun Tucker, who recently joined the Catalina Island Conservancy’s Board of Directors, is in the third generation of his family to call Catalina a summer home— and to leave his mark on the Island. His grandparents first started traveling to the Island in a small powerboat in the 1950s where they shared many “magical summers” in Two Harbors with their three children as they grew up. They were also members of the Isthmus Yacht Club for over 40 years, a tradition their daughter, Julie Lewis, and son-in-law, Don Lewis, have continued to this day. Conservancy Board member Shaun Tucker Shaun’s great-uncle, Cliff Tucker, and with his wife, Katy, and their daughters, great-aunt, Marybelle Tucker, who was a Sofia and Chloe. long-time schoolteacher, identified the need for an elementary school for the children family’s fourth generation, their two young at Two Harbors. They worked diligently children, Sofia and Chloe, to Catalina. with others—including the late Dr. Frank “Serving on the board fulfills a Blair, a dentist who provided his services in lifelong goal to express my passion for Avalon, the late Paxson H. “Packy” Offield, the environment, to help to protect a Conservancy Benefactor member, and this Island and to nurture its future Doug Bombard, founder of the Catalina through pioneering conservation science, Express—to approve, fund and build the sustainable development and responsible Two Harbors School, which is known recreation,” Shaun said. “It also gives me locally as the Little Red Schoolhouse. the privilege of honoring my family’s (now) “We have a rich family history on four-generation heritage in this incredible Catalina—especially on its West End,” place.” Shaun said. “Some of the best experiences Shaun is a senior vice president of my life have been on the Island.” at Capital Group, responsible for the Even when they were serving in the Retirement Plan business in the western U.S. Navy, Catalina was part of the Tucker United States. Earlier in his career at family’s experience. Three generations of Capital, he was the national sales manager the family, beginning with Shaun’s greatof the Traditional Institutional business. uncle, Bill Tucker, have served in the U.S. He has 17 years of investment industry Navy. Shaun’s father, who retired from the experience and has been with Capital Navy as an admiral, was known to navigate Group for 16 years. He and his wife, Katy, his ships close to Catalina en route to are active in several other philanthropic conducting training exercises in the Pacific endeavors, serving on the boards of because he missed it so much. Shaun served Venice/Eastlake Church and the Boys in the U.S. Navy in his 20s and set up a port and Girls Club of Venice, and supporting visit for the USS John Paul Jones in Avalon organizations such as the Navy Marine in 1997. He and the crew hosted several of Corps Relief Society and the Wounded Avalon’s civic and business leaders onboard on Warrior Project. Leave your own lasting memory Catalina the destroyer. Remember the Conservancy Shaun has made an annual trek across the most of his years as an adult. in Island your estate plans. He also proposed to his wife, Katy, on the Call 562-437-8555 ext. 1228in 2009, mountaintop in Catalina Harbor following a “perfect stay” at the Inn on Mt. Ada. They have already introduced the 19
HONOR ROLL OF DONORS *Listing includes annual support from January 1, 2017 through June 30, 2017, exclusive of auction items donated to or purchased at the Conservancy Ball. Excludes gifts made to the IMAGINE CATALINA Campaign. Gifts are listed by amount in descending order.
$100,000 and Above
$2,500 – $4,999
Offield Family Foundation
Jim and Susie Birmingham Western Los Angeles Council, Boy Scouts of America High Voltage Lighting Anonymous Balboa Yacht Club Geraldine Knatz and John Mulvey Doug and Audrey Bombard Drew and Jane Lanza Aon Risk Solutions Employees Community Fund of Boeing California Mutual of America Bluewater Grill Graham Tingler Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, LLP Coca-Cola Foundation J. Barnes Joe and Michele Hempel Robert and Lisa Grimm The Louis and Gladyce Foster Family Foundation
$50,000 – $99,999 Anonymous Chuck Lake Steve and Pat Chazen
$25,000 – $49,999 Harold McAlister Charitable Foundation Victoria and Dorn Dean Gary and Kellie Johnson Donald Slavik Family Foundation
$10,000 – $24,999 Helen Rich Annenberg Foundation US Bank Shaun and Katy Tucker Maria Pellegrini John Hagenah Family Fund Edison International Los Angeles County Arts Commission Tom and Cece Ricketts California Coastal Commission Calen and Amber Offield Scott and Tammie Stuart Tricia and Will Hagenah Charlie and Ellen Steinmetz Guided Discoveries
$5,000 – $9,999 Santa Catalina Island Company The Capital Group Southern California Edison Geoffrey Claflin and Alison Wrigley Rusack Patrick and Mari McAlister Roger Lang Board of Supervisors—County of Los Angeles Los Caballeros Andy and Gaye Saxon Larry and Terry Grill Friends of the Island Fox, Inc. Lynne Brickner and Gerald Gallard Catalina Island Yacht Club Foundation Ken and Melissa Redding Nelson and Mimi Jones Catalina Classic Cruises Connolly-Pacific Co. Roger and Sarah Chrisman Donald Schoellerman Avalon Environmental Services
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$1,000 – $2,499 Bank of the West Robert’s Home Audio & Video, Inc. John and Cindy Cotton CCS Steve and Linda Glanville Phillip and Daisy Hartz Julie and Robert Woolley Douglas West and Irene Ziebarth Paris Rebl and Lisa Cole Greg and Debbie Schem Marcus and Cynthia Crahan Elliott and Elisa Olson Blanny Avalon Hagenah Mike and Elizabeth Rabbitt City National Bank MVE + Partners, Inc. Jeffrey Stanberry and Patricia Zagnoni MATT Construction Morrie and Carol Kirk Moffatt & Nichol Michael Baker International Blair Contratto Deborah Richie-Bray The McKewon Family Fund at The San Diego Foundation Fine Line Construction Margie Meehan and Bob Kreidel Doug and Jeanie Shelton Jim and Sally McClure Terry Causey Randy and K.C. Boelsems
Robert Slobe BBJ Linen James and Melinda Herndon Tim Foley and Julie Redon Tobin Campbell Ben and Denise Carter Beverly Segner James and Mary Buckingham Western Exterminator Company Bob and Beth Huston Bryan Cave LLP Richard and Becca Waycott Rhon Williams Anonymous Gary and Mary Gordon Meighan Offield Greg and Stacey Renker Xceptional Productions, Inc.
$500 – $999 Todd and Jean Walker Gerard and Kim Coy La Tavola Fine Linen Tom and Julianne Youngren David McAlister Ruben Rojas Terry and Paulette Chapman Sam Piffero Las Caballeras G.T. and Shannon Frost Mike Kilbride Donald and Cheree Edwards HUB International Robert Strang Roy and Gayle Jones Curt and Alita Rethmeyer Ed and Mikelle Watson Zach and Amelia Erickson Alex and Janet Boggs Cindy and David Odegard John and Theresa Miller Susan Clare and Walter Larkin Mike and Gloria Sullivan Austin Rusack Mitchell and Theresa Samuelian Rick and Maria Citron Harlan Gibbs Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy Marianne Horn Leonard and Brenda Pieroni Darleen Kleinert Mark and Jennifer Serratt James Schmidt Patrick and Tiare Meegan Matt and Elsa Bear Paul and Kate Laris
Larry and Linda Lloyd Matt Fargotstein and Justine McLoughlin Scott and Jennifer Arundale Negus-Hogan Family Foundation Tom and Judy Hartman Steve and Stephanie Hathaway Todd and Kathy Hallenbeck Robert and Brigitte Jennison Jeanne Beesley and Andrew Tao Cal Parsons Larry and Susan Twomey Steve and Lauren Tabor Ritch and Kathleen Haynes Sharon and Doug Stewart Van and Melissa Whiting Michael Silvey Ben Abrams and Mary Jo Negle Michael and Therese Hotvedt Ruth Peace William and Therese Wolf Christine Doran Jeff Hunt Ernest Diaz and Andrea Olson Gary McNelley John Johnson George Villalobos Gerald Miller and Gail Wasil City of Paramount Tom and Gerda Sparks John Meyers George and Carol Lattimer Andy Bonin Martin and Bernardine Curtin Gerald and Denise Motter Lee Harrison Gary Hayes and Patricia Roskowski Donald and Edna Spencer Hank and Diane Hilty Adrianne DuMond Clark and Carol Aristei Debra Quick-Jones Mecoy Communications Eric Weld Terry Cunningham Tony and Noelle Budrovich Gerald and Susan Trautman Nadine Watt Steve and Susan Matt Christine Allcorn Ron and Cheryl Nichols Tim and Kavita Lesser Greg Delman Sadie Roberts HomeStreet Bank
CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
IMAGINE CATALINA: Update I
n 2016, the Catalina Island Conservancy launched an exciting new $17 million capital campaign: IMAGINE CATALINA. The first phase of IMAGINE CATALINA includes The Trailhead, the Conservancy’s new, prominently located visitor center. The Trailhead will serve as the main gateway for exploring the Island’s interior as well as a gathering space for Conservancy and community meetings and events. The building utilizes sustainable features such as natural lighting, water reclamation and solar panels. All of us at the Conservancy are grateful for the generous support of the donors listed on this page. At this time, an additional $2.25 million is needed to complete The Trailhead Visitor Center. We need your help to close the gap. Please give generously today to IMAGINE CATALINA and be part of this transformational Conservancy project. (Find out how you can get your name listed on our donor wall!)
CAMPAIGN DONORS James H. Ackerman Family and Evalyn M. Bauer Foundation David and Linda Adams Ahmanson Foundation Annenberg Foundation Anonymous Stephen Barnard Philip and Shelley Belling Don Beaumont, Theodore Griffith and Thomas Nielsen Board of Supervisors, County of Los Angeles Bob and Mai Breech Steven Briggs James and Mary Buckingham Claire Burrill Mr. and Mrs. Scott Calder
Howard Higholt
Robert and Sharon Coors
Mark Hilgren
John P. and Cindy Cotton
Hank and Diane Hilty
Crevier Family Foundation
Ann and Steve Hinchliffe
The Croul Family Foundation
Bob and Beth Huston
Roger and Sandy DeYoung
James W. and Anne D. Johnson Family Foundation
Andrew and Corinne Dossett Rick and Candace Emsiek CeCe & Mack Fowler
Gary and Kellie Johnson Dick and Alison Johnston Nelson and Mimi Jones
Louis and Gladyce Foster Family Foundation Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District
Mary Rooney Alison Wrigley Rusack and Geoffrey Claflin Rusack
Patrick and Mari McAlister
The Richard C. Seaver Charitable Trust
Mary Menninger
Steve and Becky Smith
Tony and Claire Michaels
Elizabeth Steele
Misdee Wrigley and James Mather Miller
Claire A. Stuart Charitable Trust
Ann Muscat and Jack Baldelli
Mike and Gloria Sullivan Todd Walker
Richard and Vicki Jones
Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation
Jim and Vicki Warmington
Mr. and Mrs. Roy H. Jones
Calen and Amber Offield
Douglas M. West and Irene E. Ziebarth
Thaddeus Jones
J. Barney Page
Geraldine Knatz and John Mulvey
Maria Pellegrini
John and Dana Hagenah
David and Pat Lamb
Stephen and Kathy Prough
Shelli A. Herman in Honor of Ann Muscat, PhD
Roger Lang
Philip and Maureen Ramer
Drew and Jane Lanza
Scott and Sue Redsun
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon T. Frost, Jr. Blanny Avalon Hagenah Patricia and Will Hagenah Susan and Phil Hagenah In Memory of Helen and Phil Wrigley
Jack and Shirley Herron CONSERVANCY TIMES
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Renton Family
Bob and Marilyn White Linda and Tod White Justin and Julie Wilson Richard Woodward (Listing includes campaign donors of $1,000+ as of 6/30/2017) 21
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 1782 SANTA ANA CA 92799
P.O. Box 2739 Avalon, California 90704
CONSERVANCY CALENDAR MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR ADVENTURE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF THESE EVENTS, GO TO CATALINACONSERVANCY.ORG OR CALL 562-437-8555 Los Caballeros Catalina Ride September 20–24 Members of Los Caballeros, accomplished horsemen who are also members of the Conservancy’s Catalina Caballeros support group, will enjoy the 68th Annual Catalina Trek. For more information, please visit LosCaballeros.org. 7th Annual Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show October 22 Balboa Yacht Club A passion for Catalina Island and plein air art come together in one extraordinary afternoon. The show features nationally acclaimed plein air artists, who will display their interpretations of Catalina’s rugged wildlands and scenic beauty. Proceeds from the sale of these unique paintings support the growth of a permanent collection of plein air artwork that documents the Island’s wild side and the Conservancy’s restoration efforts.
Catalina Eco-Marathon November 19 Billed as the “hardest race you will ever love,” the EcoMarathon offers runners the option of either a 13.1-mile or 26.2-mile course. Both courses feature rugged, breathtaking trails with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the Island’s wildlife. For more information, please visit RunCatalina.com. Catalina Island Triathlon November 4 Bike, swim and run at the annual Catalina Island Triathlon. With one of the most picturesque venues for a triathlon, the course covers a half-mile swim, a 9.32-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run. For more information, please visit CatalinaIslandTriathlon. com. Avalon 50K/50M Benefit Run January 20, 2018 The race weekend is renowned as one of the country’s most challenging runs amid the
Island’s wildlands. For more information, please visit RunCatalina.com Catalina Island Conservancy Marathon March 10, 2018 This event will feature the exciting marathon course used historically on Catalina’s wildlands, including much of the rugged terrain, spectacular vistas and special challenges enjoyed by noted runner Hans Albrecht and friends in the earliest days of the event. For more information, please visit RunCatalina.com. Las Caballeras Catalina Ride May 15–20, 2018 Las Caballeras will celebrate their annual Island week of camping, camaraderie and cowgirl fun on this year’s ride. Las Caballeras are all enthusiastic members of the Catalina Island Conservancy. For more information, please visit LasCaballeras.com.
23rd Annual Conservancy Ball April 14, 2018 Join us for one of the biggest events of the year on Catalina Island. The 23rd Annual Conservancy Ball promises to be another exciting and elegant evening of dining, dancing and fun that will also benefit the Conservancy. For more information, please visit the Conservancy’s website or call 562-437-8555 ext. 1239. To ensure you receive a formal invitation to the ball, please send your mailing address to Ball@CatalinaConservancy.org.
READY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONSERVANCY? Nearly every month, you can join the Conservancy’s president and CEO at a supporter’s home in Avalon or on the mainland to hear about the Conservancy’s current programs. The salons are also a chance to socialize with other Catalina Island supporters. For more information, please call 562-437-8555 ext. 1228.