Catalina Island Conservancy Times Spring/Summer 2024

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Whitney Latorre

Rob Ledebur

Jill Corral

Kirsten Peterson Johansen

Lauren Dennhardt, Ph.D.

Jolie Colby, Ph.D.

MaryBeth Leonard

EDITOR

Julie Benson

EDITORIAL DESIGN

Rebecca Gonzalez

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

FOLLOW US

@CatalinaConservancy

The mission of the Catalina Island Conservancy is to be an exemplary steward of Island resources through a balance of conservation, education, and recreation.

RENEWAL, RESILIENCE & RELEVANCE

A message from our President and CEO

HELLO, NICE TO MEET YOU 03

04 05 17 11 15 19 21

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Meet our board chair, Terry Grill

RARE, AT RISK & RESILIENT

How islands across the globe combat vulnerability

THE ART OF LIVING

The Tongva (Gabrielino) community and their ties to Catalina Island

NEW GIFT FOR YOUTH EDUCATION

The Hathaway family's gift initiates a hands-on educational program for students

GENEROSITY WITH SAFETY IN MIND

Grants from River and Mountains Conservancy and Water Conservation Authority address wildfire risk and more

MAKING CHANGE TOGETHER

Our dedicated volunteers make a positive impact

Meet the newest members of our leadership team

RENEWAL, RESILIENCE & RELEVANCE

When I was nine years old, I aspired to become a marine biologist. Growing up in an adventurous family in the Pacific Northwest, I was in awe of where the land meets the sea and the wonder of nature.

Fast forward a few decades, my career path has led me through nonprofit grant making, media and communications, and creative storytelling on a global scale. When the invitation came to lead the Catalina Island Conservancy, I jumped at the opportunity to harness and activate all my personal passions and professional experiences. While I was on the East Coast for half of my life, I am grateful to be back on the West Coast.

Along with incoming board chair Terry Grill (see page 4), I am committed to renewing the Conservancy’s core mission of advancing conservation, education, and recreation. We share a collective vision to uphold our values and embark on bold opportunities to restore the Island, reach new generations of inspired advocates, and engage lifelong learners and recreation enthusiasts to find their story and make their legacy.

The Catalina Island Conservancy is an organization based in facts, rooted in science, and oriented toward solutions. That will continue as Terry and I work in parallel, changemaker roles to lead the board and staff into a new era. We are committed to the community and deeply appreciative of the many generous, devoted, and passionate members, donors, and partners who support our important work.

As we find in nature, there is no extraneous work. The same is true for the Conservancy right now as we embark on a large-scale landscape restoration initiative to make Catalina Island safer and more resilient in a changing climate.

All three parts of our work – conservation, education, and recreation – are essential to our mission, as is every member of our staff. From the conservation team restoring native habitat, to the education team preparing new generations of Island stewards, to the facilities team maintaining our roads and trails while dreaming up new recreational opportunities for visitors (monthly stargazing, anyone?), everyone here contributes to the future we’re cultivating. The sky is literally the limit.

We’re also striving to make it as easy as possible for visitors to create their own adventure on the Island.

My family and I are thrilled to be residents of Avalon and regular adventurers in the wilds of Catalina Island. In my

first year here, I’ve enjoyed meeting with residents and sharing cherished stories and photos of time spent on the Island. I look forward to honoring those special memories while embracing an exciting future.

See you on the Island!

Warmest regards,

Whitney Latorre President and CEO

Catalina Island Conservancy

Photo by Celeste Sloman

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Board chair Terry Grill’s connection with Catalina Island spans decades and holds strong. Her first memories of the Island are from the deck of her parents’ sailboat, eagerly waiting to drop anchor before she and her brother could swim to shore. She spent her honeymoon sailing around Catalina, and her first anniversary backpacking in the wildlands from the Isthmus to Avalon – and back.

“It was a magical and new perspective,” said Grill of her first real experience on Catalina’s trails.

The 2014 Catalina Island Conservancy Ball not only offered Grill the opportunity for dancing in the historic Casino – following in the footsteps of her grandparents, who often joined friends to take the steamer over for a night of dancing – but also inspiration. During the Ball auction, Grill bid on a day in the wildlands with the Conservancy director of conservation. “One day of hiking on trails with the narrative of plants and geology had us enthralled,” she said. “We developed a deeper understanding and therefore a deeper appreciation of this special place.”

Grill uses the fundamental inquiry skills and passion for data-based decision making she learned from obtaining her BS in Bacteriology and Public Health and MA in Molecular

Biology. In her professional life, Grill currently leads North American government affairs for Sealed Air Corporation, advocating for data-based laws and regulations with both state and federal lawmakers and government agencies.

When she joined the Catalina Island Conservancy Board of Directors in 2019, she quickly leveraged more than 40 years of business experience. Grill and the Board were instrumental in the development of a five-year strategic plan from ideation to implementation.

The 2023-2028 Strategic Plan lays out concrete, data-based steps to achieve an ecologically sound, functioning Island ecosystem for all to enjoy. The Catalina Island Restoration Project, a key aspect of the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, has specified outcomes with defined timelines and results. Moreover, it presents a case for support that is clear, concise, and compelling for all to embrace the opportunity to create a safe, healthy, accessible island for residents and visitors alike.

Previous board experience helped her “recognize the importance of individual and collective action to preserve open space for future generations and to protect access for all to experience nature.” The Conservancy Board, professional staff, and broad base of supporters share a collective vision to embrace the opportunity and responsibility to a call to action in education, conservation, and recreation goals for the Island.

“Very seldom does any individual have an opportunity to participate in an effort this important to our region and to our world,” added Grill. “I find peace on this Island. I find wonder in the native plants and animals inhabiting this place. I am passionate about ensuring similar pleasures for future generations.”

“The stakeholders and supporters of the Conservancy can wake up every day knowing that they are contributing to something big, bold, and worth every minute of effort or dollar donated.” •

Photo by Steve Tabor

Rare, At Risk & Resilient

How islands across the globe combat vulnerability by removing invasive species

Islands have an air of magic. Even if you can’t quite put your finger on what creates this heightened impression, the sights and sounds of these locales – of which there are more than 300,000 worldwide ranging in size from an offshore rock to large island countries like Greenland – make for a truly unique experience.

Part of why the sense of being on an island is singular is that they are made up of special and rare species. Many islands are home to flora and fauna that can be seen and heard nowhere else in the world. These incredible ecosystems must be protected. Globally, the most impactful way to safeguard island ecologies has been evidenced by the removal of invasive species.

Right: Dr. Nick Holmes and Whitney Latorre at the Catalina Island Restoration Project Community Forum. Photo by Robb Rosenfeld

The Three E’s

Though 300,000 seems like a large number, islands only represent 5.3 percent of the world’s land area. However, there is a disproportionately higher rate of rare species per area on islands. That single-digit percentage of land mass is bursting with unique plant and animal life, containing approximately 20 percent of the world’s biodiversity.

The same aspects that make islands exceptional locations for the evolution and protection of extraordinary species –including isolation – also make them particularly vulnerable.

We find about 40 percent of the globe’s endangered species on islands, and these relatively remote locations have been home to about 80 percent of extinctions in the past 500 years. In fact, of all vertebrate extinctions since the 15th century, 54 percent of amphibians, 81 percent of reptiles, 95 percent of birds, and 54 percent of extinct mammals have been island species.

“There are three E’s,” says Nick Holmes, Ph.D., Island Resilience Strategy Lead for The Nature Conservancy. “There are disproportionately higher rates of endemism, endangerment, and extinctions on islands compared to mainlands.”

Endemic plants and animals, those that are native and found only in a certain area, result from evolutionary adaptation of species over many centuries. These neoendemic species, those that evolve into something distinct on site, can develop characteristics advantageous to their island habitats. For example, nearly half of all modern-day Hawaiian landbirds are the result of the evolution of the cardueline finch. These more than 50 subspecies of Hawaiian honeycreepers each have unique bill morphology and tongue shape relating to their available food source. In the Galapagos, the mighty giant tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus) evolved into more than a dozen subspecies, 11 of which persist across 10 of the islands; the other four subspecies have gone extinct.

Left: Catalina Island mountain mahogany. Photo by Peter Dixon

Six of California’s eight Channel Islands are home to small endemic subspecies of the island fox (Urocyon littoralis), each evolving from the mainland gray fox (Urocyon cenereoargenteus). Some of these evolutions have led to increased vulnerability. “With the absence of mammalian herbivory, a lot of plants evolved to never have the defenses that you often find in mainland environments,” says Dr. Holmes. The lack of physical and chemical defenses makes these island species particularly exposed to browsing and grazing

animals. The endemic 'Ākala, or Hawaiian raspberry (Rubus hawaiensis), is nearly thornless, having lost its sting due to the historic absence of herbivores. »

Left: Santa Catalina Island fox. Photo by Chelsea Mayer, Top right: Catalina California ground squirrel. Bottom right: Catalina California quail. Photos by Jack Baldelli

Island Conservation

Because of disproportionate concentration of species and an evolutionary history that has led to increased vulnerability, islands and their ecosystems require conservation actions. Those actions to steward biodiversity and build resilience against accelerating climate change, invasive species, and habitat loss are key to survival.

“The undeniable truth is that the future looks challenging. What we do know is that the major climate change preparedness recommendations are to deal with the things we know we can deal with, and when it comes to islands, invasive species are a known and documented threat,” says Dr. Holmes.

He likened it to human health. When new challenges arise, people are better at fighting them off if their body is healthy. If not, they’re much more likely to be impacted. The same can be said for ecosystems, and many island ecosystems are metaphorically immunocompromised. Invasive plant and animal species significantly impact island landscapes, directly contributing to habitat loss, ecosystem degradation, and biodiversity loss. In fact, scientific papers have shown that invasive species have contributed to 60 percent of historically recent extinctions and are the main factor concerning extinctions on islands.

Though extinction of any individual species is devastating, it is essential to see the bigger picture. Island ecosystems

are so intertwined that as individual species are affected, entire habitats shift. As native species are pushed out, eaten, or replaced by invasive plants and animals, critical ecosystem functions suffer, creating domino effects. For example, once the Mauritius giant tortoise (Cylindraspis triserrata) became extinct, endemic plants that once relied on it to reproduce were left wanting. Habitat loss and predation from invasive species such as goats in Floreana, one of the islands in the Galapagos, has led the Floreana mockingbird – the first mockingbird species described by Charles Darwin in 1835 whilst aboard the HMS Beagle –to no longer exist on its namesake island. »

Left: Little Harbor, Catalina Island. Photo by Ernie Rodriguez, Bottom: White's Landing Restoration Area, Catalina Island. Photo by Catalina Island Conservancy

"Removing

invasive species is buying resilience."

- Dr. Nick Holmes

A Positive Trajectory

A foundational need for conservation on islands is tackling the threat of harmful invasive species. And for many islands around the world, completely removing a population of invasive species from an island has proven feasible and instrumental in setting an island on a positive conservation trajectory.

“Eradicating invasive mammals from islands has demonstrated remarkable outcomes for native species,” says Dr. Holmes. “And when invasive herbivores have been removed, we’ve seen more vegetation on the landscape –which in turn creates habitat for species and strengthens the positive ecosystem roles we know are important for people and nature – like improved pollination, greater soil retention and reduced erosion, and increased capacity to retain water.” When invasive species are removed, native ecosystems have an improved chance to flourish.

Islands around the globe have taken note. More than 1,550 invasive species eradications have taken place on islands, with well over 10 percent occurring on islands with human populations. These projects include not only the removal of species that may have arrived at islands inadvertently (rats, frogs, rabbits, etc.), but also deliberately introduced species for intended human purposes such as

companionship (cats), recreation (mule deer), and farming (goats, pigs, etc.). A concerted effort is underway to correct past actions where conservation was not top of mind and had unforeseen negative side effects.

The Database of Island Invasive Species Eradications is a publicly available resource documenting not only invasive species eradications, but, many times, the ecological response and conservation dividends that result on islands. For example, the eradication of goats on Guadalupe Island, Mexico, between 2003-2006 using helicopters has led to a remarkable recovery of the Island’s endemic forests. It was rare to see Senecio palmeri before the removal of goats from the rugged landscape, but now the endemic sage is thriving.

In Aoteroa New Zealand, islands Rangitoto and Motutapu have been free of invasive mammals since 2011 after a four-year program to remove feral cats, rabbits, stoats, hedgehogs, Norway rats, ship rats, and mice. Native plants, including the world’s largest pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) forest, have been able to regenerate, and native species have returned, either on their own or through reintroduction programs. These include native species such as types of kākāriki (New Zealand parakeet; Cyanoramphus

novaezelandiae ), korimako (New Zealand bellbird; Anthornis melanura) as well as the ruru (morepork; Ninox novaeseelandiae), New Zealand’s only surviving native owl, and the flightless takahē (South Island takahē; Porphyrio hochstetteri), which has special significance to the Iwi (Māori tribe) of most of New Zealand’s South Island.

In 2023, two endemic Channel Islands species – the Santa Cruz Island dudleya (Dudleya nesiotica) and island bedstraw (Galium buxifolium) – were taken off the list of federally endangered species. That same year, five endemic species on San Clemente Island were delisted, including the San Clemente Island paintbrush (Catilleja grisea), San Clemente Island lotus (Acmispon dendroideus var. traskiae), San Clemente Island larkspur (Delphinium variegatum ssp. kinkiense), and San Clemente Island bushmallow (Malacothamnus clementinus) plants, and San Clemente Bell’s sparrow (Artemisiospiza belli clementeae), all following the eradiction of large invasive herbivores.

“The Channel Islands have some of the best examples that I’m aware of where eradications of herbivores have contributed to the recovery of habitat. You couldn’t get a clearer demonstration,” says Dr. Holmes. “When you look at the work on Santa Cruz Island, we’ve documented a

large portion of the island previously dominated by invasive grasses transitioning to native shrub and woodland after sheep and pigs were taken off the Island.”

The ecosystem benefits are significant, but invasive species removal is not the end of the story for conservation on islands.

“Just like invasive species are a foundational threat, removing them is a foundational action,” says Dr. Holmes. It begins a positive conservation trajectory that allows other ecologically restorative actions on islands to be effective. “Invasive species removal absolutely opens the door and is necessary to do other conservation actions.”

The work that can be done due to invasive species removal builds ecosystem resilience, from habitat regeneration to plant and animal species restoration and beyond. •

Top: Catalina Island. Photo by Jack Baldelli

To learn more about the Catlina Island Restoration Project, visit: catalinaconservancy.org/restoration-project/

THE ART OF LIVING

The Tongva (Gabrielino), the first indigenous caretakers and islanders of Pimu (Santa Catalina Island), are a vibrant community that continues to have close ties to the Island. The Tongva have inhabited Pimu and the other three southern Channel Islands – Kiinkepar (San Clemente Island), Xaraashnga (San Nicolas Island), and Santa Barbara Island – for over 10,000 years. Traditional Tongva homelands also include the Los Angeles Basin and parts of surrounding counties on the mainland.

Tongva had to be excellent seafarers, steering ti’ats, or redwood-plank canoes, to other Channel Islands and the mainland. Items from Pimu – including steatite (soapstone) bowls and figurines, shell jewelry and beads, and marine products like dried fish – were exchanged for resources that were more abundant on the mainland, such as acorns, deer meat, bone tools, and obsidian. It is estimated that 2,000-3,000 Tongva lived on Pimu at one time in villages of up to 50-100 people each.

The creative thinking of the original Islanders challenges a modern, western concept of art, instead weaving reciprocity into every aspect of daily life.

Tongva artist, educator, musician, and researcher Lazaro Arvizu, Jr., encourages the idea that on Pimu and in indigenous communities, art went far beyond sitting down to make something. Instead, “they made the daily things they did artful.”

“It’s the art of living. It’s the art of surviving. People refine and perfect their way of life and get to a point where they can function in a way that has a lot of charisma and art,” he said.

For native Tongva, creative thinking and generational knowledge brought strength and power. With their profound connection to the plants, animals, land, water, changing seasons, and natural world, the indigenous people of Pimu figured out ways to provide for themselves that became art, whether in the mastery of craft or in the aesthetic elegance and charisma of functional items. Intention, thought, and functionality in every piece that is formed, including figuring out a way to create without harming surroundings, was a way of life. Not just figurative, these objects literally provided the necessary attributes to sustain life, from artful storage baskets »

and soapstone bowls used in cooking to the plants and animals used in medicine, food, and clothing. “They are not even objects,” said Arvizu, Jr. “We call them relatives. There is a relationship with them, and we rely on them to survive.”

Rather than specializing in singular art forms, the original Tongva were multidimensional. “For instance, an indigenous person might be a cave painter, but also an orator and dancer. Another person may sing well, and carve bone, seashell, and soapstone. A basket weaver may also gather food in a way that is done so well it becomes art,” said Arvizu, Jr.

Arvizu, Jr., spends his time revitalizing and relearning the art of his ancestors. “I call it retracing our steps,” he said. The journey is less than straightforward. The Tongva were forcibly removed from Catalina Island by the 1820s due to Spanish colonization in California. This climate of subjugation led to significant cultural loss. “No one is around to pass down exactly how things were done, so we can’t know. As descendant people we try to research the best we can. There are some misses, and sometimes we get it.”

“There are intersecting practices,” he added. “The more we relearn, the more dots we connect and start to see that food, tradition, arts, culture – they are not separate, they are like a net woven together.”

The process takes time, patience, and expertise. For instance, making shell bead jewelry involves a process called rolling, in which shells are threaded then rolled onto a piece of sandstone to grind them down to a uniform diameter. “People may ask why I don’t just use a drill or a lapidary machine, but it is about the process, the space, and the culture,” said Arvizu, Jr. By going through the traditional techniques, he practices the relationship with natural relatives such as wood, stone, shell, asphaltum, weaving materials, and animal parts. “When you put them together in context, it shapes a different understanding of the world.”

Arvizu, Jr., constantly creates new cultural items, tasking himself with learning a technique for a minimum of two years before instructing. Many threads weave together to form the fabric of his active art. He is a student of the language of weaving, stonework, singing, instrument making, collecting from the wild, and more. “Basically, what I do is ephemeral, moving, and constantly growing,” he said. “I think half of it is for the public, and half of it is for me to keep learning and growing.” »

for exchange of resources.Top

Left: Catalina Island. Photo by Ernie Rodriguez, Top left: Shells and dried fish, used

right: Lazaro Arvizu, Jr., weaving a basket. Photos by Renae Wootsen and courtesy of Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture

Most education events he is involved with are focused on children, including at Avalon School co-teaching with Catalina Island Conservancy. He travels throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, carrying his many pounds of steatite and other objects. At these events, his table inspires wonder. He has found that this object-based learning sparks interest with children of all ages and those who use different, nonverbal forms of communication. “Hopefully, by interacting with the things that are talking to them and having a conversation, kids will go home and keep thinking about the experience and what they learned,” said Arvizu, Jr.

He encourages people to seek more information at places such as the Autry Museum of the American West (theautry.org), Rancho Los Alamitos (rancholosalamitos. com), and the Gabrielino-Tongva Springs Foundation, which is preserving the Kuruvunga Village Springs site (gabrielinosprings.com/wpsite).

The Catalina Island Conservancy is committed to working with the Tongva to create an environment of inclusion and ensure that their deep and ongoing indigenous history is represented in a way that honors their ancestors and ensures the transmission of their cultural practices to future generations.•

"The more we relearn, the more dots we connect and start to see that food, tradition, arts, culture – they are not separate, they are like a net woven together."

- Lazaro Arviza Jr.

Middle: Mt. Orizaba, Catalina Island. Photo by Steve Tabor, Top right: Soapstone and acorns. Middle right: Shells and dried crab. Bottom right: Acorns. Photos by Renae Wootsen and courtesy of Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.

Exciting New Gift For Youth Education & Engagement

As soon as the sailboat of Charles and Patricia Hathaway dropped anchor in Catalina Harbor, they and their five kids jumped off to swim, hike, row, snorkel, and sail what was then – and remains today – a wilderness of wonder. Since the late 1800s, the Hathaway family has experienced virtually every aspect of the wild Catalina experience. They’ve explored its coves, fished its waters, camped and biked its rugged environs, rowed to the mainland, and learned about the Island’s natural and cultural history. They keep coming back for more, and now they want to make those learning experiences available to a new generation of interested kids.

Patricia Hathaway, the 96-year-old family matriarch, has gifted a substantial sum to the Catalina Island Conservancy to initiate a hands-on educational program for qualified kids of high school age to experience some of the same life-changing opportunities their children enjoyed. The new program is called The Hathaway Catalina Experience. Qualified teens will be transported to Catalina for a threeday, two-night curated camping experience to learn about the unique flora and fauna of the Island, its natural and cultural past, and to glimpse the expanding universe at large through a telescope under its dark skies.

The Hathaway gift is intended to inspire others to contribute to this ongoing program of education and environmental stewardship. The wild and scenic treasure that is Catalina Island rests in the hands of future generations that value the lessons it offers. The Conservancy’s new Director of Education, Dr. Jolie Colby, describes the new gift as “transformative – a gift that will provide life-changing experiences to the next generation and enhance environmental stewardship in Southern California indefinitely.”

The first cohort of youth participants is expected to enjoy this life-changing experience as early as this summer. •

For more information about this program and ways to become involved and support please contact the Catalina Island Conservancy development office at donate@ CatalinaConservancy.org

Left: Charles Hathaway rows from Catalina Island to Marina del Rey, 1976. Top left: Patricia Hathaway sails Gem to Catalina, 1971. Top right: Charles Hathaway sailing home from Catalina Island on Seafarer, 1959. Bottom left: Sterling, Starr, Thomas, Tyler, Julianne, Cory, and Steve Hathaway hiking the TransCatalina Trail. Bottom right: Starr Hathaway riding bike on Catalina Island. Photos courtesy of the Hathaway family

SIGNIFICANT GENEROSITY WITH SAFETY in mind

As a nonprofit organization, the Catalina Island Conservancy benefits from a broad array of generous donors – from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies. While the endowment provided to the Conservancy upon its founding is significant and helps cover necessary operational and capital costs, insitutional and individual support allow the nonprofit to excel in impactful projects with measurable outcomes.

Two generous grants from the San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers & Mountains Conservancy (RMC) and Watershed Conservation Authority (WCA), totaling more than $1 million will help protect the resilience and safety of Catalina Island as well as provide transformative experiences for underserved families and youth.

“Catalina is truly an important resource, and we want to be a part of enhancing the environment,” said Mark Stanley, executive officer for RMC and WCA. “We should look at all ways that we protect the natural environment and that experience for us humans to enjoy as well.”

The Conservancy’s Wildland Firefighter Training and Fuel Reduction Project bolsters fire resilience efforts on Catalina Island. With two major goals, the RMCsupported programming includes instructing Conservancy

team members in firefighter and wildfire training and brush clearance. The training, certified by the National Wildfire Suppression Association and being provided to at least 10 team members, will allow for quicker response times to fires in the wildlands and support emergency response operations once local officials arrive. This grant is instrumental in raising visibility about how the Los Angeles County Fire Departnment and the Conservancy can continue to collaborate, as well as how lessons learned from our wildfire training partnership can be applied to other, similar communities across the state.

Brush clearance is a constant necessity on Catalina Island, where non-native mule deer have contributed to habitat conversion from native plants to highly flammable invasive grasses. This grant provides the opportunity for the Catalina Island Conservancy to engage with Conservation Corps of Long Beach (CCLB), which has supported other conservation efforts on the Island, to clear invasive vegetation adjacent to the Trans-Catalina Trail. This reduces fuel loads and provides clearer pathways along key access trails across the Island.

In addition to providing grants for safety concerns, Stanley is also passionate about enhancing public access to nature. The Island’s proximity to mainland Los

"Catalina is truly an important resource, and we want to be a part of enhancing the environment."

- Mark Stanley

Angeles and Orange County makes it one of the most accessible locations in the region to experience wild spaces. The WCA-supported Community Connection to Wildlands Program brings youth from urban areas to Catalina overnight. Seeing the sunset and sunrise in a different location “is going to be a unique experience in a location they wouldn’t typically see outside their everyday environment and, really, outside of some of their comfort zones,” said Stanley. “We see this as being enriching and creating future stewards for our natural environment.”

In this fuller context, students will also learn about indigenous culture and history, how to identify unique plants and animals, and hear about the work the Conservancy does to protect and restore Catalina Island while maintaining access to its lands. Grant partners are instrumental in supporting unique and impactful programming on Catalina Island. •

For information on grant opportunities, contact grants@ catalinaconservancy.org.

Left: San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers & Mountains Conservancy (RMC) team. Top, Mark Stanley. Middle right: Los Angeles students exploring Catalina Island. Photos courtesy of RMC. Bottom: Los Angeles students playing in the water on Catalina Island. Photo courtesy of Watershed Conservation Authority (WCA)

WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE CHANGE

With more than 65 square miles of wildlands to manage, the Catalina Island Conservancy relies on volunteers like Mychael Jackson-Brown and Patricia McCormick to lend a helping hand on everything from conservation and horticulture work to hospitality and special events.

Mychael began volunteering in March 2019 while a freshman student at California Polytechnic University Pomona and has pitched in at every Catalina Island Conservancy Ball since. As a member of the Association of Student Event Professionals, Mychael delved into the opportunity to not only learn more about Catalina Island, but also event management.

“I’ve learned and gained a lot of experience while volunteering around the Island, at the Conservancy Ball,

and at Newport Harbor Yacht Club for the Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show,” he said. “Seeing how an event is being set up from start to finish opened my eyes to how everything operates. I’ve learned that multitasking in the event industry is different than anything else.”

Others, such as Patricia, find supportive opportunities suited to their own interests. “I don’t volunteer at the Ball,” said the Catalina resident and Conservancy member. “I go to dance.” Instead, Patricia participates in beach clean-ups, cares for plants at the Ackerman Native Plant Nursery, assists in rare-species restoration work, and more. Volunteering has inspired her to join additional activities such as the Naturalist Training Program, Last Friday Lecture Series, Audubon Christmas Bird Count, and other community science projects.

“I want to give as much time and money to the organization because I see the Conservancy making a mighty effort to move forward in protecting ecology and ecosystems,” she said. “I want to be part of it.”

Thank you Mychael and Patricia! •

For more information about volunteering, visit CatalinaConservancy.org/volunteer

Left: Volunteers on Catalina Island. Photo by Catalina Island Conservancy, Top: Mychael Jackson-Brown and other students from Cal Poly Pomona’s Association of Student Event Professionals. Photo by Shana Cassidy, Top right: Patricia McCormick (right) with husband Georges McCormick. Photo by Vision Design studio, Bottom right: Volunteers help to maintain propogated native plants at the Ackerman Native Plant Nursery. Photo by Catalina Island Conservancy

Hello, Nice to Meet You!

Catalina Island Conservancy has added three accomplished professionals to its leadership team. Please welcome Kirsten Peterson Johansen, Julie Benson, and Dr. Jolie Colby.

Kirsten Peterson Johansen Chief of External Affairs

Kirsten Peterson Johansen joined the Conservancy’s executive team in October. As Chief of External Affairs, she oversees development, membership, marketing and communications, campaigns, and special events. Kirsten most recently served as Assistant Dean for Advancement at the USC School of Architecture, and previously held leadership roles at the Phoenix Art Museum, National Park Foundation (philanthropic arm of the National Park Service), Smithsonian Institution, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She is excited to join the Catalina Island Conservancy team and help promote its mission of education, conservation, and recreation.

Julie Benson Director of Communications

Julie Benson has more than 20 years of experience in environmental communications. She comes to Catalina Island Conservancy from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where she led a communications team that advocated for natural climate solutions and highintegrity carbon markets, water security, coastal resilience, climate-smart agriculture, wildlife management, and habitat restoration. Prior to EDF, Julie held leadership positions at two global PR firms, The Nature Conservancy, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Julie began her career as a journalist, working for a small weekly in southeastern Ohio, an international wire service company in Mexico City, and the Los Angeles Times in LA.

Jolie Colby, Ph.D. Director of Education

Dr. Jolie Colby is a conservationist and education researcher. Her expertise is situated around environmental literacy at informal learning centers and the human side of human-wildlife coexistence. Jolie is passionate about place-based, learner-situated, culturally relevant education and conservation that emphasizes stewardship, builds climate change resilience, and encourages critical thinking and innovation. Prior to bringing her husband and two young children back to her home state to work at the Catalina Island Conservancy, Jolie was the Director of Education at the Norman Bird Sanctuary, a private nonprofit wildlife refuge in Rhode Island. Previously, she owned and operated a wildlife sanctuary and biological field school in the remote jungles of Central America. Jolie brings with her an M.Ed. in Early Childhood, an M.A. in Philosophy, a Ph.D. in Education, and two decades of experience working on various conservation projects around the globe.

Photo by Kim Fuller

Photo by Cyndi Finkle Photography, LLC

Artists

Suzie Baker

Brienne Brown

John Cosby

Don Demers

Kathleen Hudson

Jane Hunt

Kim Lordier

Terry Miura

Michael Obermeyer

Lori Putnam

P.O. Box 2739

Avalon, CA 90704

CONSERVANCY CALENDAR

JUNE 15 JULY 6 OCTOBER 20

NATURALIST 2 TRAINING BOTANY WORKSHOP WITH STEVE JUNAK

CATALINA: THE WILD SIDE ART SHOW

For more information about these events, visit CatalinaConservancy.org/events or call 562-437-8555

Photo Credits: Cover photo: Jack Baldelli; Pg. 1: Jack Baldelli; Pg. 3: Celeste Sloman; Pg. 4: Steve Tabor; Pg. 5: Robb Rosenfeld, Peter Dixon; Pg. 6: Chelsea Mayer, Jack Baldelli; Pg. 7: Ernie Rodriguez; Pg. 8: Catalina Island Conservancy; Pg.9: Jack Baldelli; Pg. 10: Jack Baldelli; Pg. 11: Ernie Rodriguez; Pg. 12: Renae Wootson - Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; Pg. 13: Steve Tabor; Pg. 14: Renae Wootson - Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; Pg. 15: Hathaway family; Pg. 16: Hathaway family; Pg. 17: Rivers and Mountains Conservancy; Pg. 18: Rivers and Mountains Conservancy; Pg. 19: Catalina Island Conservancy; Pg. 20: Shana Cassidy, Catalina Island Conservancy; Pg. 21: Cyndi Finkle Photography LLC, Kim Fuller; Pg. 23: Catalina Island Conservancy, Jack Baldelli, Robb Rosenfeld