Secret Catalina: The Stories Behind the Research - Catalina Island ...

Secret Catalina: The Stories Behind the Research
Thursday, November 10, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Auditorium, California State University’s Chancellor’s Office, Long Beach
10:00 AM Welcoming Remarks
Dr. Anthony Michaels, Chair Conservation & Education Committee, Past Chair Board of Directors
10:10 AM Restoring Catalina: What’s the Tipping Point and How We’re Getting There
Dr. Carlos de la Rosa, Chief Conservation & Science Officer, Catalina Island Conservancy
Malcolm Gladwell’s 2002 book “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference,” has become a must‐read
classic for anyone wanting to make sweeping changes in the ways we deal with life’s persistent challenges. For the
conservation community, the tipping point is reached when our projects and actions take on a life of their own, becoming
intrinsic and essential parts of the community at large. How close are we to reaching this point in our conservation and
education work on the Island You may be surprised at some of the answers to this question.
10:35 AM Plant Programs: An Integrated Scientific Approach to Plant & Ecosystem‐Level Research & Management
Dr. John R. Clark, Senior Plant Biologist & Curator, Catalina Island Herbarium (CATA), Catalina Island Conservancy
An introduction to the "new" Plant Programs with a description of current and future goals, this talk will include an
overview of plant diversity on the Island and how each species is in fact a unique piece of the larger puzzle that is our
Island's ecosystem. To study and conserve Catalina Island we must know the pieces well, the species, and use this
information to make informed, science‐based decisions in management. Recent discoveries will be featured, both native
and introduced.
11:00 AM Chasing the Win‐Win Scenario: Invasive Plant Management that Brings People Back Into the Equation
Tony Summers, Invasive Plants Supervisor and Jeff Gilmour, Invasive Plant Technician, Catalina Island Conservancy
The urban‐wild land interface on Catalina Island includes more than just Avalon. Camps and coves, as well as Two Harbors,
are all hot spots for the spreading of invasive plants and the introduction of new species. They are also essential for human
use of Catalina Island. The Catalina Habitat Improvement and Restoration Program (CHIRP) has developed three initiatives
to preserve the native biodiversity of the Island – each of which take into account the human element.
11:20 AM BREAK
11:35 AM Native Plant Propagation: Establishing Protocols for Appropriate Production and Use
Peter Dixon, Native Plant Nursery Supervisor and Christina Todd, Nursery Technician, Catalina Island Conservancy
This presentation provides a summary of plant propagation efforts at the Conservancy including recent examples of
restoration and mitigation work as well as increased use of native plants in public and private landscaping on the Island.
Plant propagation affects conservation on the Island in both providing native plants for reintroduction and mitigation work
as well as in providing native species as an alternative to unwanted, potentially invasive, non‐native species.
11:55 AM Human Occupation and Landscape Alterations on Catalina Island, California
Dr. Wendy Teeter, Desiree Martinez and Karimah Kennedy, Pimu Catalina Archaeological Project, University of
California, Los Angeles
This presentation explores the complex history of human occupation of Catalina Island and the evidence that these past
inhabitants left on the landscape. The Pimu Catalina Archaeology Project works with Tongva Community members to
identify Catalina ethnographic, archaeological and historical data to integrate Catalina into a wider understanding of
the Southern Channel Island populations and their relationships with other Native Californian people.
12:20 PM LUNCH
...a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation.

1:30 PM From Tourism to Ecotourism: Empowering a Paradigm Shift on Catalina Island
Frank Hein, Director of Education, Catalina Island Conservancy
Catalina Island has been a tourist destination since shortly after George Shatto purchased the Island and began developing
it in 1887. Though the term had not yet been coined, it’s now clear that Catalina has also been an ecotourism destination
from the outset. The business community on Catalina recognizes the market for ecotourism is significant and sustainable
and is pursuing it as a business model. As the conservation authority on Catalina, the Catalina Island Conservancy has a
major role to play in this transition. This presentation explores ecotourism and the Conservancy’s role in empowering a
paradigm shift on Catalina Island.
1:50 PM Bald Eagle Restoration Success on the Channel Islands
Dr. Peter Sharpe, Program Manager and Steffani Jijón, Wildlife Biologist, Institute for Wildlife Studies
This presentation will provide an overview of the multiple‐year Bald Eagle season’s successes and challenges, including new
technologies for the monitoring and sharing of eagle biology and conservation with the public, education efforts on Catalina
as well as all other California Channel Islands.
2:10 PM Investing in the Tipping Scale: Ideas on How to Keep the Momentum Going
Dr. Carlos de la Rosa, Chief Conservation & Science Officer, Catalina Island Conservancy
With the Imagine Catalina Conceptual Plan nearly completed, the concepts and ideas for the future of the Island are
becoming more clear and exciting. But this excitement can’t keep the momentum going by itself. Here we present a few
ideas and concepts that will help push the scales and help maintain the current levels of success in all these areas while
building the necessary constituency for a successful Imagine Catalina program.
2:30 PM POSTER SESSION/WINE & CHEESE SOCIAL
Santa Catalina Island: Past, Present, and Future Study of a Near‐Continent Island System
John R. Clark, Frank Hein, Carlos de la Rosa and Frank Starkey, Catalina Island Conservancy
Relative Habitat Use and Diet of Feral Cats on Santa Catalina Island, California
Darcee Guttilla, Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure on Vandenberg Air Force Base and Paul Stapp, University of
California, Fullerton
Antibody Persistence after Canine Distemper Virus Vaccination in the Endangered Catalina Island Fox
Julie King, Calvin Duncan, Catalina Island Conservancy, Dr. Winston Vickers, UC Davis Wildlife Health Center and
Dr. Deanna Clifford, UC Davis Wildlife Health Center and the Wildlife Investigations Lab, CA Department of Fish
and Game
Romance Without Responsibilities: The Use of Fertility Control to Manage Bison on Catalina Island, California
Calvin Duncan, Julie King, Catalina Island Conservancy and Dr. Jay F. Kirkpatrick, The Science and Conservation
Center, Billings, MT
Mule Deer Impacts to an Island Ecosystem and Post‐Fire Regeneration on Santa Catalina Island, California
Sarah Ratay, University of California, Los Angeles and Tyler Dvorak, Catalina Island Conservancy
Please note, presentation schedule and topics are subject to change.
...a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation.