[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11992-11993]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 LOOKING BACK OVER THE PAST 13 YEARS OF THE CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALAN S. LOWENTHAL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 7, 2016

  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, as Dr. Ann M. Muscat retired on June 25, 
2016 as president and CEO of the Catalina Island Conservancy, it is 
important to step back and look over her successful tenure. She has 
served as

[[Page 11993]]

president and CEO for more than 13 years--the second longest tenure of 
any previous Conservancy president.
  ``Ann and the Conservancy have achieved a lot,'' said Los Angeles 
County Supervisor Don Knabe. ``I've had the great pleasure of working 
with Ann and her team, all of them consummate professionals who are 
dedicated to getting things done.''
  ``Under Ann's leadership, the Conservancy has become a living 
laboratory of innovation in conservation, education and financial 
sustainability for nonprofit organizations,'' said Catalina Island 
Conservancy Board of Directors Chair Stephen Chazen, Ph.D. ``The 
Conservancy has significantly improved the Island's ecological health, 
greatly increased access to Catalina's wildlands and expanded and 
enhanced its educational programs to better serve students living in 
Avalon and visitors from the mainland.''
  Here is a look back at how the Conservancy and its stewardship of 
Catalina Island have flourished since Muscat joined the organization in 
2003:
  During Ann's 13-year tenure, and through its Catalina Habitat 
Improvement and Restoration Program (CHIRP), the Conservancy staff has 
completed vegetation mapping of the entire Island, including non-native 
and invasive plant species. It has controlled and eradicated numerous 
invasive plant species that were eliminating native and rare 
biodiversity. It also expanded the native plant nursery's scope to 
include landscaping initiatives on the Island, along with restoration, 
and significantly expanded the native seed collection.
  The Conservancy has been a leader in removing non-native and highly 
destructive animal species from the Island, leading to the rediscovery 
of native plants previously believed to be extinct. It also brought the 
Catalina Island fox back from the brink of extinction and supported the 
successful recovery of the bald eagle.
  Its wildlife biologists have implemented innovative social 
(repatriation) and scientific methodologies (contraception) for 
managing the bison herd. They also have conducted bird and small mammal 
surveys, discovering nesting sea birds on cliffs and nearby rocks, and 
implementing protective measures for bat populations.
  In addition, the Conservancy has pursued research partnerships with 
universities and museums from across the country, including a multi-
institution collaboration that resulted in a comprehensive look at the 
Island's oak woodlands.
  Working with the Long Beach Unified School District, the community 
and philanthropic organizations, the Conservancy has greatly increased 
access to natural and intellectual resources over the past 13 years. It 
implemented extensive educational enrichment and internship programs 
for the local school population through the establishment of the K-12 
NatureWorks workforce development and STEM education initiative.
  In its continuing service to the local community, the Conservancy 
provided free access to the wildlands of Catalina for Island families 
without vehicles. It implemented a free of charge Naturalist Training 
Program for tour operators and local businesses, as well as Conservancy 
front line staff.
  To ensure visitors to the Island could access the wildlands and learn 
about Catalina's ecosystem, the Conservancy created the 37.5 mile 
Trans-Catalina Trail. It also has secured funding and developed plans 
for further trail improvements and expansions.
  It significantly expanded and improved the Jeep Eco-Tour program and 
developed a signage and way finding system across the Island. It added 
new running and biking events, an Island Ecology Travel Program and 
Wild Side Art Program to increase access and awareness. In addition, it 
increased volunteer program initiatives to include AmeriCorps, American 
Conservation Experience and numerous university-level spring break 
programs.
  So that visitors and others had more information about Catalina 
Island and the Conservancy, it added a Nature Center in Avalon and a 
Mobile Nature Station that has served Avalon and Two Harbors, along 
with interpretive panels in the Garden and at campgrounds and 
trailheads. The Conservancy also expanded and revamped its outreach and 
marketing materials, including maps, field guides, monthly e-
newsletters, videos, an extensive photo library and expanded web site.
  To serve a greater good beyond Catalina's shores, the Conservancy 
launched a successful radio show and web site, Isla Earth, on 
environmental issues that aired for 10 years on over 320 radio stations 
across the country.
  To provide the needed programs and ensure the organization's long-
term financial health, the Conservancy has focused on raising revenues 
and creating a sustainable business model that will ensure the Island 
will continue to be restored and protected for future generations.
  In the past 13 years, the Conservancy has increased its operating 
budget nearly three times through an increase in philanthropic giving 
and mission-based earned income. It has significantly expanded its 
donor base and created a reserve fund to address deferred maintenance 
projects across its 42,000 acres. Projects have included improvements 
at Airport in the Sky, across its road and bridge system, a new pier, 
replacement and expansion of its vehicle fleet and upgrades to its 
numerous buildings.
  The Conservancy also revamped its organizational structure, adding 
new departments and expanding existing functions while providing 
professional development and training for all staff. The Conservancy's 
staff has doubled in size and moved to a more customer service/
community orientation. The Conservancy also expanded and updated 
employee housing, adding 14 new units, to support recruitment and 
retention of staff.
  The Board of Directors and the Conservancy's staff have worked 
together to develop a strategic vision for the organization's future, 
called IMAGINE CATALINA. They worked with nationally recognized 
sustainability architect William McDonough and landscape architect 
Thomas Woltz to develop a long-term strategic vision.
  It imagines an Island that represents California as it can be, 
demonstrating how nature and humans can thrive together. It envisions 
Catalina and the Conservancy serving as models for science-based 
conservation, for training tomorrow's stewards of the natural world, 
for connecting people to nature and for creating sustainable finances 
and operations.
  To implement IMAGINE CATALINA, the Board and staff launched the 
Conservancy's first-ever capital campaign, and they are more than 
three-fourths of the way to fully funding the first phase. They 
celebrated the groundbreaking for the campaign's flagship project, the 
Trailhead Visitor Center, on June 24, 2016. Another groundbreaking is 
scheduled on October 14, 2016 for the next major project, improvement 
and expansion of Catalina's trail system, and planning is well underway 
for a major ecological restoration effort on the Island's West End.
  ``Ann and her team's excellent stewardship work at the Catalina 
Island Conservancy is leading edge and has served as a model for many 
other land trusts,'' said California Council of Land Trusts Executive 
Director Darla Guenzler.
  Ann has also been a leader beyond Catalina. She was a founding Board 
member of the California Council of Land Trusts and served as its Chair 
of the Board. She is also a member of the Steering Committee for the 
Southern California Open Space Council and an Advisory Board member of 
University of Southern California's Wrigley Institute for Environmental 
Studies.

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