Catalina Island Conservancy has revamped Whites Restoration Area with fresh fencing, new and colorful interpretive signs, and a refreshed trail. The area, along with the newly-improved (and newly-named) Trask’s Trail, is open for visitors to explore and enjoy.

Whites Restoration Area boasts incredible biodiversity. The native plant haven features a variety of Channel Islands endemic and Catalina endemic and native species, including Channel Island tree poppy (Dendromecon hardordii), Saint Catherine’s lace (Eriogonum giganteum), Catalina nightshade (Solanum wallacei), Trask’s yerba santa (Eriodictyon traskiae ssp. traskiae), Santa Catalina ironwoods (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. floribundus), Santa Catalina Island manzanita (Arctostaphylos catalinae), and more. Repaired exclosure fencing better protects these delicate native and endemic species from grazing non-native Mule deer, allowing the flora to thrive.

New signage enhances the education opportunities within the exclosure. Not only are many individual plants labeled with their common species name, binomial name, and status denoting whether it is a Catalina Island endemic, native, or Channel Islands endemic or native, but also additional signage provides further information and facts about select species. These signs can be found along both branches of Trask’s Trail.

The entrance for Whites Restoration Area and Trask’s Trail is located about a quarter mile behind the gate leading to Whites Landing, across from the entrance for Black Jack Campground. It is an easy walk after parking outside the gate. Be sure to shut the exclosure gate to make sure no critters sneak in.

This project truly embodies the intersection of conservation, education and recreation. Learn more about Whites Restoration Area and Trask’s Trail in the Spring 2023 edition of Conservancy Times, Catalina Island Conservancy’s member publication. In the meantime, visit the thriving exclosure and enjoy the beautiful view – not only of the landscape, but of the dream for Catalina’s future.