The Catalina Island Conservancy has a few great opportunities for travelers and locals who would like to volunteer. Each Thursday, depending on driver availability, the Conservancy offers volunteering at the Native Plant Nursery.
Volunteers are picked up in town on Thursday mornings and driven to the James H. Ackerman Native Plant Nursery at Middle Ranch in the Island’s interior. The Nursery’s mission is to provide plant and seed material for restoring native habitats on the Island. Volunteers work on a variety of horticultural tasks depending on needs, from sowing seeds and watering to going out into the field weeding, transplanting and taking care of the many newly-planted trees.
This time of year, a lot of the volunteers coming out to the Native Plant Nursery are college students on Spring Break, choosing an ‘alternative’ Spring Break that incorporates environmental or social causes. Recently, a group of volunteers from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., worked to maintain endemic Island Oaks that were planted right after the fire in 2007, as well as endemic Catalina Ironwoods, Toyon and Catalina Cherry, all planted in the last 2-3 years.
Volunteers from Xavier recently helped tear down a 50-foot section of broken fence by pulling out posts and cutting the old fence off. They replaced fencing by pounding new posts, reattaching all of the wires and putting up new ‘deer-buster’ fencing. Many expressed an interest in coming back, which is something a common thread with lot of the groups, organizations and individuals that have volunteered on this beautiful island. Many of the organizations are multi-year volunteers.
In addition to volunteering at the Native Plant Nursery, the Conservancy hosts a beach cleanup on the second Saturday of each month. There are also large, annual events that people plan trips around in order to volunteer, including the Catalina Island Marathon and the Conservancy Ball. At the Conservancy Ball, volunteers help with various tasks including ballroom set-up, giving directional assistance, checking in and escorting guests to their seats, and assisting with the Live and Silent Auctions.
With 42,000 acres to preserve, the Conservancy is tasked with a monumental responsibility. Community members and those who love the Island make an enormous impact when they give back by volunteering their time. They truly help forward the Conservancy’s mission to be a responsible steward of Catalina’s lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation.
For more information – or to volunteer – reach out to Lesly Lieberman, Volunteer Coordinator for the Catalina Island Conservancy at 310-510-2592 x112, or llieberman@catalinaconservancy.org.
