Issue-driven environmental education: Ecology, conservation, economics, and social sciences on Catalina Island, California

Background/Question/Methods

There are many challenges in carrying out comprehensive conservation programs in complex socioeconomic settings. Catalina Island has a resident population of over 4,500 people and receives more that a million visitors each year. Managing 88% of the Island as open lands, the Conservancy provides access to visitors and residents through a variety of activities, including hiking, biking, horseback riding, camping, vehicular tours and organized events. Simultaneously, the Conservancy has implemented a series of broad conservation actions, including reintroduction of endangered species, recovery of damaged ecosystems, and removal of invasive species of plants and animals. As a science-based conservation organization, we use ecology as the foundation for management decision-making, looking for a balance between the conservation mission and goals of the organization, the economic needs of the Island community (largely supported by recreational activities, many of them in the wildlands we manage) and the impact of these activities on the unique and often irreplaceable nature of the island habitats. Issues with community impact, such as invasive species feral animals, wildland fire, and sustainability, are approached through an integrated, issue-driven environmental education program. The program includes: Youth education for the student population (roughly 800 students) which take the students out in the field and put them in contact with the researchers, wildlands managers and the natural habitats; family-oriented outdoor activities bringing the into contact with the island’s habitats and unique species; and specialized training for tour guides and operators on the various ecological and conservation issues facing the Conservancy. The main goals of the programs include the creation of the next generation of Island Stewards that will continue the long term goal of preserving and sustaining a healthy, functioning ecosystem.

Results/Conclusions

To date, all tour guides and operators on the island (over 100 individuals) have participated in one or more training sessions. A majority (over 80%) of students from K-12 on the Island have participated in one or more programs, including internships, after-school programs and special events; all educators at several camps and coves (about 100 camp staff) have received specialized training on conservation issues, reaching this way a population of over 60,000 youth that attend yearly these camps. Drawing heavily on the tenets of community-based social marketing, these programs are involving educators, students, families and other community groups and addressing desirable environmental behaviors to deal with pressing conservation issues.