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Thread for About The Island
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Starfish
5:48am, July 13, 2009
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[Delete] | The setting of this chatroom and it's roleplay is on the island of Santa Catalina, most of the RP will take place in the main city on the island, Avalon, as well as a fictional college that the creators of this room have put together. Below is more information on the island and links to information on Avalon and things that the island offers.
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is 22 miles (35 km) long and eight miles (13 km) across at its greatest width. The island is located about 22 miles (35 km) south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is Mt. Orizaba (648 m).
Part of the Channel Islands of California archipelago, Catalina falls under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County. Most of the island is owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy.
The total population as of the 2000 census was 3,696 persons, with almost 85 percent living in its only city of Avalon (pop. 3,127, with another 195 south of the city outside of the city limits). The second center of population is the unincorporated town of Two Harbors, in the north, with a population of 298. Development occurs also at the smaller settlements Rancho Escondido and Middle Ranch. The remaining population is scattered over the island between the two population centers. The island has an overall population density of 49.29/mi² (19.03/km²).
Most of the island is controlled by the Catalina Island Conservancy, a private nonprofit organization. The mission of the Catalina Island Conservancy is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation. Through its ongoing efforts, the Conservancy protects the magnificent natural and cultural heritage of Santa Catalina Island, stewarding approximately 88 percent of the island, 50 miles of rugged shoreline, an airport, and more than 200 miles of roads.
The use of motor vehicles on the island is restricted; there is limit on the number of registered cars, which translates into a 10-year-long wait list to bring a car to the island. Most residents move around via golf cart. Tourists can hire a taxi from Catalina Transportation Services. Bicycles are also a popular mode of transportation. There are a number of bicycle and golf cart rental agencies on the island. Only the city of Avalon is open to the public without restrictions.
The only major road into the back country is Stage Road.
About a million tourists visit the island every year; Catalina is serviced by ferries and the "Airport in the Sky." The Catalina Flyer, a 500 passenger high-speed catamaran ferry, departs from Newport Beach, while the Catalina Express, another ferry, departs from San Pedro, Long Beach in Los Angeles County, California. The trip takes approximately an hour and costs approx $65 round trip. Helicopter service is also available from Long Beach or San Pedro.
For information on specific places on the island and activities that people on the island can partake in, click here!
For information on the city of Avalon, click here!
For information about the University, click here!
Edited 5:33am, July 21, 2009 by Starfish, author. |
| Geology and Wildlife! |
Starfish
5:50am, July 13, 2009
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[Delete] | Geology
Catalina is a geographic anomaly. It didn't break away from the mainland, but was formed by the upward heave of tectonic plates. The island is very rich in quartz, to the point that some beaches on the seaward side have silvery-grey sand.
Catalina is primarily composed of two distinct rock units, Catalina Schist from the Cretaceous and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks from the Tertiary period.
Wildlife
In addition to thousands of more widespread species of plants and animals, Catalina is home to 15 taxa found nowhere else.
Flora
About 400 species of native plants grow on the island[11]. Six species, subspecies or varieties are endemic and can be found only on Catalina Island. These plants are: Catalina manzanita ; Catalina mahogany; Catalina dudleya; St. Catherine’s lace ; Santa Catalina bedstraw ; and Santa Catalina Island ironwood . A disjunctive population of Toyon is also a Santa Catalina endemic.
These plants may be seen at the island's Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Gardens and the newly remodeled Golf Gardens miniature golf course.
Fauna
The island is home to five native land mammals: the Island Fox, a subspecies of California Ground Squirrel, the Santa Catalina Island Harvest Mouse, the Santa Catalina Island Deer Mouse, and the Ornate Shrew. Only one Ornate Shrew was ever found, from a now-developed spring area above Avalon. Shrews are difficult to capture and may survive in wetter areas of the island.
The Conservancy is also working to restore bald eagles to the island, with several chicks hatched in 2007. These would edge out an invasive golden eagle population that threatens the native Island Fox. DDT, which was used before as a pesticide, softened the shell of the egg, which made it harder for the egg to reach its hatching.
In the waters surrounding the island, there are schools of fish like garibaldi, Yellowtail, Kelp Bass, White seabass, Giant sea bass, Leopard sharks, blacksmiths, opaleyes, sheepheads, lingcods, bat rays, horn sharks, mackeral, bonito, barracuda, herring, anchovies, sardines, and many more.
The Catalina Orangetip butterfly is a notable insect of the island.
Bison
A herd of American Bison roam, supposedly first imported in 1924 for the silent film version of Zane Grey's Western tale, The Vanishing American. Over the decades, the bison herd grew to as many as 600 individuals. Bison were routinely removed and sent to the mainland to auction. Recently however, another solution was implemented. The Conservancy initiated a scientific study that determined that a herd of between 150 and 200 would be good for the bison, and ecologically sound for the island.
In 2004, the Conservancy partnered with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the Tongva (thought to be Catalina's original inhabitants some 7,000 years ago), and the Lakota tribe on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. A hundred bison were relocated "home" to the Great Plains. The Conservancy plans to pursue a similar plan when the bison population exceeds 200 individuals. Although the bison are not native to the island, they comprise an important role in the cultural fabric of Catalina. Therefore, the Conservancy has no plans to remove all the animals from the island.
In 2007, biologists found that the American Bison of Santa Catalina Island are not pure bred; 45 percent have a domesticated cow as an ancestor.
Edited 5:47pm, July 13, 2009 by Starfish, author. |
| Education |
Starfish
5:58pm, July 14, 2009
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[Delete] | Children in Avalon attend schools in the Long Beach Unified School District.
There are two schools on Catalina Island. Two Harbors is served by a one-room school house for grades K-5; students travel to Avalon for grades 6-12. Avalon schools are housed on one main campus that includes Avalon Elementary School, Avalon Middle School and Avalon High School. About a dozen children attend the Two Harbors school and about 800 students attend Avalon schools each year. Thousands of school-age youths travel from the mainland to study at the Catalina Island Marine Institute every year.
The USC Wrigley Institute research and teaching facilities at Two Harbors, maintained by the University of Southern California and named for Philip K. Wrigley, consist of a 30,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) laboratory building, dormitory housing, cafeteria, a hyperbaric chamber, and a large waterfront staging area complete with dock, pier, helipad, and diving lockers. The facility was made possible by a generous donation from the Wrigley family. |
| Catalina Island Conservancy |
Starfish
10:10pm, July 22, 2009
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[Delete] | The Catalina Island Conservancy (CIC) is a nonprofit organization established to protect and conserve Santa Catalina Island, California. CIC was established in 1972 through the efforts of the Wrigley and Offield families. CIC was created when both families deeded 42,135 acres of the island over to the organization.
The stated goal of the CIC is to keep Santa Catalina Island wild by promoting preservation and restoration efforts based on sound science. Due to so many efforts in the past to capitalize on the island many invasive flora and fauna were introduced which the CIC either removes or mitigates the impact of. On one occasion the introduction or reactivation of existing distemper nearly wiped out the Catalina Island fox. The CIC, in cooperation with The Institute for Wildlife Studies vaccinated the remaining fox population against distemper.
Due to this outbreak The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the Catalina Island fox an endangered sub-species.
Due to the impact of fauna on island flora CIC is reluctant to take any action against invasive species without first subjecting the problem to rigorous study. At one point the collection of Bison imported onto the island was under consideration, but through study the organization determined that if the bison population were kept to between one hundred fifty and two hundred head they are actually beneficial to the island.
For information about the Conservancy, click here!
Edited 10:58pm, July 22, 2009 by Starfish, author. |
| Island Map |
Seahorse
10:13pm, July 22, 2009
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