The Catalina Island Conservancy’s bold vision: Imagine Catalina
By Ann Muscat, President/CEO Catalina Island Conservancy
Catalina is a unique and special place. Where else can visitors easily experience so wild an environment just off the coast of such a large population as southern California? Formed in 1972, the Catalina Island Conservancy owns and stewards 42,138 acres, 88 percent of Catalina Island. The Conservancy is committed to its mission to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation.
The natural setting across the Conservancy-held land retains much of its original biological value. It offers a unique laboratory and classroom for ecosystem protection and restoration in conjunction with multiple uses by both locals and visiting people. Its overarching goal being sustainability, the Conservancy sees myriad opportunities for formal research and education, while offering unsurpassed opportunities for nature-based learning and recreation. Over 60,000 youth visit the 7 camps on Conservancy property each year. With sixteen unique and rare plant communities, and at least 60 plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth, Catalina Island is biologically important and unique—a veritable haven for enjoying, understanding, and sustaining nature.
During the Conservancy’s history, it has employed best practices to protect and restore Catalina while welcoming the public to enjoy its rugged beauty. Recent successes have included:
The Conservancy is also proud of its rich tradition and relationships with many yacht clubs in Southern California. Both through philanthropic contributions and land leases the Conservancy has worked extensively with the yacht club community and is grateful for their generous support.
In 2010, the Catalina Island Conservancy embarked on a strategic planning effort to guide its course for the next twenty years, which we refer to as Imagine Catalina. In developing this vision we sought the advice of internationally recognized sustainability experts, like William McDonough, author of the ground-breaking book “Cradle to Cradle”. Imagine Catalina is the vision and promise of new ways to walk lightly upon the land. It is a blueprint for how people can make a positive mark upon the earth: stewarding wild places so that they thrive, teaching the next generation values, skills and concepts that support both ecological and economic sustainability, and using resources thoughtfully and joyfully for recreation and reflection.
We are excited about some of the early Imagine Catalina initiatives. For example, we will soon begin re-building of the Catherine Hotel site in Avalon to be what we refer to as the Trailhead, where visitors to Catalina can learn about the Island and opportunities to experience the natural environment. We are relocating, restoring and expanding the historic stagecoach stop, Eagle’s Nest Lodge, which will provide a window into Catalina’s cultural history. We are also exploring how to provide new environmentally appropriate camping opportunities within the interior of the island along the Trans-Catalina Trail. The careful balance of conservation, education and recreation will guide all our efforts.
We have a lot of work ahead of us with Imagine Catalina and change isn’t for everyone, but the Catalina Island Conservancy Board and staff are committed as ever to the mission of the Conservancy and need your help! We value your thoughts and perspectives and are constantly seeking feedback to help us do our job better.
This year is our 18th annual Conservancy Ball on April 13, 2013 at the Avalon Casino Ballroom – please mark your calendars! San Diego Yacht Club is partnering with the Conservancy this year to make this ball a great success. We have appreciated the tradition of yacht club participation in our annual event and hope to see both friends and new faces at the ball.
We have strived to be an efficient organization; the Conservancy has been able to cover all of its administrative and operating expenses through earned income and endowment revenue. This means all charitable contributions made to the Conservancy are 100% dedicated directly to our program activities that fulfill our mission.
We view this Conservancy as a partnership, and we welcome and invite all feedback. Call (562) 437-8555 or email us, info@catalinaconservancy.org. You can also visit www.catalinaconservancy.com to learn more about our organization and work. We look forward to seeing you at the Conservancy Ball.