Internship Program Policy External - Catalina Island Conservancy

outdoor cooking facilities and a children’s playground. The Conservancy is committed torestoring this community resource to its former beauty and improving it for all to enjoy.FAMILIES IN NATURE PROGRAMFamilies In Nature is an outreach initiative designed to enable Catalina resident families to gainaccess to nature based activities, and to have what can be life-changing interpretive experiencesat no cost to them.The Conservancy believes that the enjoyment of the interior by ALL residents is important forthe well-being of the community and the Island’s future. Support of this program will helpcreate a well-informed community who understands and benefits from its native and rare naturalsurroundings, and who will want to protect and restore Catalina for generations to come.NATIVE PLANT NURSERYThe flora of Catalina Island is part of what makes it such a special place. In the late 1980s, theCatalina Island Conservancy established a native plant nursery at Middle Ranch in the Island’sinterior. The nursery’s mission is to provide plant and seed material for restoring native habitatson the Island. (The nursery was named in memory of Mr. James H. Ackerman, a ConservancyBenefactor who also served on the Board of Directors).At the Nursery, plants are grown from seed or from cuttings collected from specimens growingin the wild on the Island. Rare habitat plant species, and endemic or federally listed EndangeredSpecies are the primary focus at the facility.FOXESThe Catalina Island fox is found on Catalina Island and nowhere else in the world. An adult foxweighs just 4 to 6 pounds, and is about 25% smaller than its mainland ancestor the gray fox. Itsdiet includes mice, lizards, birds, berries, insects, and cactus fruit. It is Catalina's largestterrestrial predator.In late 1999, an outbreak of distemper virus caused the fox population to plummet from about1300 to just 100 animals. In 2000, the Catalina Island Conservancy and its partner, the Institutefor Wildlife Studies, implemented the Catalina Island Fox Recovery Plan. This plan combinedrelocation, vaccinations, captive breeding and release, and wild fox population monitoring.The effort was a startling success. In 2004, Catalina’s fox population had grown toapproximately 300. Because of its success, the captive breeding portion of the program wasdiscontinued. That year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Catalina Island fox as afederally “endangered” species.NATURALIST TRAINING PROGRAMThe Conservancy is committed to provide accurate, consistent and up-to-date information aboutthe Island and its many interesting and rare native plant and animal species, not only to our staffbut to all guides and naturalists on the Island. The goal of the Naturalist Training Program is todevelop a corps of Master Guides and Conservancy educators that will expand theConservancy’s educational outreach.Page 3 of 13Catalina Island Conservancy Intern Policy