Each year, more than one million visitors flock to Catalina, however, many families in Avalon have seldom, if ever, visited Little Harbor and Shark Harbor on the backside of the Island due to their work schedule, lack of personal transportation and other resources. In response, the Conservancy has created the bilingual "Families in Nature' program to provide recreational learning opportunities and access to the interior at no cost to Island families.

"We hope that over the next several months, every family in Avalon will have a chance to take at least one of these field trips," said Aaron Morehouse, the Conservancy's Education Programs Supervisor. "This is why we scheduled the program for the "low season" when families may have more time together on Saturdays."

The Families in Nature pilot program will consist of nine monthly field trips to the Little Harbor area beginning Saturday, October 11th and going through May 5th of next year. Each trip will be on the second Saturday of the month with the exception of the last of the programs which will be on Tuesday, May 5th.  In addition to Dr. Carlos de la Rosa, Chief Conservation and Education Officer, the trips will be supported by local youth, Jorge Mora and Jose Gamboa, former Rose Ellen Gardner Interns trained as naturalists.  Programs will provide bi-lingual interpretation.

The Conservancy will supply field guides and other bilingual handouts, binoculars, insect collecting nets and magnifying glasses to allow families to discover the wonders of nature that Catalina has to offer. Families must provide their own picnic lunch that they can enjoy at the Little Harbor campground.

A typical trip will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Nature Center at Avalon Canyon where guides will give an overview of the day's activities and answer questions. The bus will leave the Nature Center at 10 a.m. headed toward Little Harbor. Along the way, bilingual interpreters will discuss several topics including burn area recovery, and interesting plants and animals that live on Catalina. The bus will stop in Middle Ranch where participants will meet Pimu, the American bald eagle, and Tachi, the Catalina Island fox.  The group may stop at the James H. Ackerman Native Plant Nursery for a tour and to learn more about native plants.

The trip continues past Eagle's Nest Lodge, arriving at Little Harbor at about 12:30 p.m. Families who brought lunches can enjoy them at picnic tables near the beach, then have a chance to go swimming. 

At 2:30 p.m., families will have a choice of two bilingual nature walks. One will go across the "Whale's Tail" to Shark Harbor where the group will hear about erosion, coastal ecosystems and the way plants and animals arrive on islands through "wind, wave and wing." Families will use binoculars to spot birds and learn about the plants and animals that live at the shore. The second walk will be along the beach at Little Harbor where families will discover shells and creatures that live along the shore. They will also explore the "Salina" - the place where fresh water meets seawater - to observe dragonflies, damselflies, shore birds and other interesting animals. The group will search for the elusive trapdoor spider and other insects in the area.

After the walk, both groups will meet back at Little Harbor to talk about what they have experienced. Families are then free to enjoy Little Harbor on their own. The bus will leave Little Harbor at 5 p.m. for the hour-long trip back to Avalon. A photo album of the trip will be made available to all participants on the Conservancy's website to keep the memories of the adventure alive.

For more information on the Families in Nature Program, and to reserve space for your family for the first trip on September 27th, please call the Conservancy's Education Office at 510-0954.