The Catalina Island Conservancy Conserves, Educates, and Entertains

By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS

Catalina Island is one of the eight Channel Islands located off the Southern California Bight, spanning only 22 miles in length, with its widest point only eight miles across and only 22 miles off the Southern California coast. It is a tourist destination for those from far away but u nique enough to make locals feel like they are far away.

T his special haven is home to more than 60 endemic species of plants and animals, all requiring protection, restoration, and conservation from the foot traffic and tourism the Island sees yearround. As one of the oldest and largest private land trusts in the state of California, the Catalina Island Conservancy opens its wildlands to the public to enjoy in different ways.

Founded in 1972, the Conservancy protects 88 percent of the Island’s approximately 48,000 acres, including the r egion’s longest publicly accessible undeveloped coastline. The Conservancy h as provided access to recreational activities such as camping, biking, hiking, a nd touring. It conserves the Island by ensuring resiliency, restoring habitats, implementing wildlife programs, collaborating with partners in academia and research, and offering paid internships for students.

Memberships are available for those who have the drive to partner with the Conservancy. Becoming a member will allow you to contribute to programs focusing on conservation, education, and recreation, the three pillars the Conservancy stands on. In addition, volunteering is an option for helping and attending a nnual events t hat raise money, like the popular Conservancy Ball, which attracts nearly 400 guests annually to raise f unds for conservation efforts.

To learn more about the Conservancy, visit https://catalinaconservancy.org/.

Museum

From page 19 case rare and absurd objects to celebrate the Museum’s 70th anniversary. Visitors will experience feats of human endurance, items of implausible ingenuity, and artistry revealed through the treasures from the permanent collection. The exhibit opens Sept. 9.

In addition to the new exhibit arriving in September, on Sept. 9 from 4-7:30 p.m., the Museum is asking you to save the date for its 70th Anniversary Fundraising Extravaganza.

“Join us on Saturday, September 9, to view the new exhibition Cabinet of Curiosities: 70 Objects for 70 Years and to raise critical funds supporting the museum›s exhibitions and programs during one of the most exciting fundraisers you›ll attend this year,» said the Museum›s website. «The event features a silent and live auction with artwork, trips, unique experiences, vintage ephemera, certificates, and more! All items curated specifically for this event.»

The Museum also offers monthly events called First Fridays. These events vary from extended hours to let you enjoy the Museum, called ‘Culture between Cocktails,’ as well as dinner and a movie with Elvis (in Aug.), Oktoberfest (in Oct.), and many others. July’s event

News Briefs

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Self-Driving Boat Maps Underwater terrain

Have you ever seen cars driving around with big fancy cameras on their roof to map out streets for software like Google Maps and Apple Maps? Well, that same technique and technology is being applied to boats and the seafloor.

Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have created a fully autonomous boat to carry out bathymetric surveys. Bathymetric surveys allow us to measure the depth of a water body as well as map the underwater features of a water body. The team hopes the motorized boat can simplify the survey process, which usually takes a crew of individuals to complete and assist with reconnaissance missions.

“If you want to work in water-related studies, you need to know the shape and landscape of bodies of water,” said Laura is a Paint and Sip night. The December, January, and February events are typically held virtually.

The Museum opened in 1953 - 70 years ago, making it one of the oldest non-profits on the Island. It was started by a group of community members, including Philip K. Wrigley, all of who were concerned the Island’s history was getting lost. They also felt passionate that the Island’s visitors should learn about its history to appreciate this little Island in the Pacific better.

“For 63 years, the museum was located in the ground level of the Casino building where Catalina Divers Supply is now,” said Fornasiere. “In 2016, we moved into our new permanent home at 217 Metropole Avenue in the heart of Avalon. As a private, non-profit 501(c)3, we raised all the funds to purchase the property and construction of the building from private individuals and foundations. Our name was always Catalina Island Museum, but we re-branded in 2021 and changed our name to Cata-

Alvarez, Ph.D., lead author of the study, and an assistant professor in UTEP’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences.

Alvarez is an expert in unmanned systems for earth science and began developing the boat years ago but needed help working out kinks and perfecting the system. That prompted her to recruit science and electrical engineering master’s student Fernando Sotelo ‘22.

“The first time we tested the boat was at the swimming pool at UTEP — just to make sure it could float,” laughed Sotelo, study co-author and now UTEP alumnus.

Over a year, Sotelo refined the aluminum watercraft, a 3-foot-by-3-foot circular craft that rests on a thick black inner tube, testing it in various environments.

Sotelo’s goals included boosting the boat’s hours of operation and reliability and making it fully autonomous and responsive to potential environmental factors like wind speed and temperature flux. A fail-safe can detect when batteries are low, or wind gusts are too high and trigger a return-to-base function.

The rudderless watercraft operates with four thrusters, allowing it to travel up to 5 feet per second and easily rotate 360 degrees. A solar panel and lithium battery will enable the boat to last up to four hours at sea — covering an area of up to 472,400 square feet.

The vessel features a multi-beam echo sounder, a sonar system that casts sound waves from the bottom of the boat. Water depth can be calculated by the time it takes for the sound wave to water to hit the seafloor and return to the sonar system. The sound that returns to the device can help detect the type of material on the seafloor.

Alvarez has put the instructions to lina Museum for Art & History. We felt that change better reflected what your experience will be when you visit. Our museum is the only institution dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the Island’s history, but we’ve also been collecting art from the very beginning. When we opened the new building, we were able to have that art help tell the Island’s history and bring special exhibitions (histo- replicate the boat online. “The reason we wrote the paper was so that anyone can reproduce it by themselves,” she said. “It serves as an effective guideline to get ry and art) to the Avalon community and its visitors. We have just about completed a renovation project in which we have added a multi-purpose room to be used for our educational programming (current and planned). them started.”

For more information about the Museum and its exhibits and events, please visit https://www.catalinamuseum.org/.

The boat and its capabilities were broken down in the May issue of the journal Sensors