Catalina Island Restoration Project
Ensuring a Resilient Catalina for Future Generations
About the Catalina Island Restoration Project
The Catalina Island Restoration Project, undertaken by the Catalina Island Conservancy, is a comprehensive initiative aimed at regenerating and safeguarding the natural ecosystem. The project seeks to protect the Island’s biodiversity, mitigate erosion, prevent wildfires, and create a sustainable, thriving environment for both wildlife and humans. The Project is built on three key pillars – habitat regeneration, plant restoration, and species management.
Steve Tabor
Jack Baldelli
Who We Are
The mission of the nonprofit Catalina Island Conservancy, established in 1972, is to be an exemplary steward of Island resources through a balance of conservation, education, and recreation. The Conservancy’s vision is to establish a functioning island ecosystem for all to enjoy.
For more than 50 years, the Catalina Island Conservancy has embraced a mission set forth by its founders to maintain the integrity of one of the most important island ecosystems on Earth. Catalina Island serves as a model of how ecosystem management can coexist with opportunities for outdoor recreation, inclusive of people of all backgrounds and abilities.
View Video Recording from the Community Forum
January 31, 2024
View Questions and Answers from the Community Forum
January 31, 2024
From Our President & CEO
On behalf of the Catalina Island Conservancy, I’d like to thank you for your continued support. Through your generosity, the Conservancy has made significant strides over the past 51 years toward its goal of building a more resilient, healthy, and safe Island. This mission has never been more essential than now as we witnessed the catastrophic devastation of Lahaina, Maui brought on by climate change and invasive grasses. While I wish I could say that Catalina Island is immune to such threats, science shows that it is not. As temperatures continue to rise globally – and the protective plants on Catalina Island that lessen the threats of wildfires continue to be devastated – immediate action is required. The Catalina Island Restoration Project is the next step in building resiliency and restoring Catalina Island to an ecosystem better capable of protecting itself for visitors and residents. While the Project brings difficult choices, we will continue to make decisions that are ecologically sound, supported by science, and move us toward a healthier, safer, and more resilient Catalina Island for future generations.
Again, thank you for your support of the Catalina Island Conservancy and dedication to the future of Catalina Island.
Whitney Latorre
Why This Matters
The Catalina Island Restoration Project is important to protect the unique Catalina habitat on which both human and wildlife communities depend.
Islands are at risk biodiversity hotspots, supporting approximately 20% of Earth’s biodiversity and 50% of threatened species, all on only 6.7% of the globe’s land surface area. The arrival of introduced species to islands is a major threat to these biodiversity hotspots with invasive species a primary driver of recent extinctions. The removal of invasive mammals has been shown to greatly benefit biodiversity conservation across island ecosystems.
Invasive animals are a common problem across island ecosystems throughout the world, with the California islands (including the California Channel Islands and Baja California Islands) being no exception. There have been more than 40 eradications from 20 California islands. Globally, it is recognized that few conservation actions are as important for islands as invasive species removal. More than 2,000 invasive species eradications have been performed on more than 1,200 islands worldwide.
Science, Data, & MethodologiesView Why This Matters
What Supporters are Saying
Global organizations understand the importance of healthy island ecosystems. The Catalina Island Conservancy has received the support of science leaders from around the world. Hear why they stand behind this important project.
You Ask, We Answer
The Catalina Island Restoration Project is a complex initiative with many moving parts. We’ve compiled some commonly asked questions and their answers to give you more information. If you do not see your question here, please Contact Us.
Get Involved
Join the effort to ensure a resilient Catalina Island for generations to come.
Donate
Funds provided to Catalina Island Conservancy through membership and annual support, major donations, corporate sponsorship and foundation grants that directly support the Island Restoration Project that includes habitat regeneration and species management, education opportunities, and recreational access.
Advocate
If you support the Catalina Island Restoration Project and would like to help, share your thoughts with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
Participate
The Catalina Island Conservancy is committed to providing accurate and comprehensive information. To see our conservation efforts in person, please sign up to join us on a complimentary tour of Whites Restoration Area, a site on the Island showcasing the contrast between areas protected from the destruction of invasive species and the rest of the wildlands.
Contact Us
The Catalina Island Restoration Project, undertaken by the Catalina Island Conservancy, is a comprehensive initiative aimed at reviving and safeguarding Catalina Island.
We welcome your feedback on the project and would like to hear from you.
