DEAL in Catalina

We’re back safely in Des Moines, after two long days of travel. Being back is almost a culture shock, because this trip opened my eyes to a new way of looking at the world. One of the first things I’ve noticed off the island is the amount of waste we produce. After breakfast this morning, my leftovers went to the garbage instead of to a compost pile. Showers on the island were few and far between–and super short. Here I run gallons of water for 20 minutes. I even caught myself about to dump a newspaper in the trash today.

Back in the real world–because Catalina is too awesome to be real–it’s hard to keep sight of how we’re impacting the Earth. So for me, the goal now is to be aware of exactly how my actions affect the environment. This week showed me what to look for. Now the trick is to live it.

We’ve been in LAX for five hours or so, and our plane doesn’t leave for another five hours or so. We are taking one of those lovely flights they call RED Eyes. No doubt our eyes will be quite red when our plane takes off at 11:59 p.m. Then we have a connecting flight in Chicago O’Hare (“A delay waiting to happen,” according to Dave), and we arrive in DsM at 8 a.m. or so tomorrow. Hello long night, no sleep.

Yesterday was a bittersweet day on the island. We finished up our respective projects and celebrated with a romp on the ropes course. We took another tour after dinner to show off all the work we’ve done during the week. It was great to see what other groups were working on and how far they’d come–the beachfront classroom in particular looked great, and I hadn’t seen it all week.

We had one last bonfire with our new eco-friends–featuring some really poorly sung Disney songs. Then it was goodnight and goodbye early in the morning. The majority of us hiked the five miles to Two Harbors to catch our boat, one last push for sustainable travel. We were too tired to mock the “On a Boat” skit, and the hour-long trip to L.A. flew by. After a brief adventure through the airport, we found food in abundance in the international terminal, and trekked to our gate, where we are stationed still.

I’m about to begin cutting vlogs, so wish me luck, and check back in a bit for some video.

We’re all huddled up in blankets at the moment, watching One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Classic. We just got out of the ocean from our night snorkel—which was awesome. We were all a little nervous, but the water was great and the experience was unforgettable We saw three or four round rays, a crab, and some kelp fish that were floating sleepily in the water. The best part, though, was when we turned off our flashlights and swam through the bioluminescent plankton and such. They light up like stars when you wave your arms and legs—I don’t know how, but it’s very scientific. Anyway, you feel like you’re swimming through the night sky.

Yikes. I just loaded the video from the last two days onto my computer, and we have over 46 minutes of footage. Lots of vlog potential there, although it seems that whenever someone gets on camera, they get progressively sillier… everyone’s planning on a killer bloopers reel.

But I digress. My group did more work today on the deer trail, and planted some baby natives (slang for endemic plant species). They’re doing great with a little water, mulch and tender loving care. The other groups were transplanting and weeding in the garden, getting everything ready for the growing season.

Oh—I almost forgot the crisis! We had a crisis this morning at about 10:30 a.m.—a fire to be exact. But never fear, it was only a drill—although drill translated to something like an hour-long kayak and barefoot hike through the cactus. The “waves” were getting “huge,” and we were all “scared children,” so we had to beach our kayaks on Emerald Bay, one cove over from the CELP camp. Silly me decided there would be no need for shoes, so I went barefoot, along with three or four others. Bad choice. We had to hike up a rocky cliff face and down the Inspiration Point trail back to camp—both of which are riddled with cactus and sharp rocks. Luckily we all made it uninjured and crisis-free.

Continuing with the unchronological nature of this blog, last night was excellent. We hiked over to Parson’s, where we did some more hiking, and played in the ocean, just enjoying each others’ wonderful company. We had a bonfire and camped out on the beach, falling asleep under the thousands of visible stars. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We woke up before dawn and hiked back in time for breakfast, which led to yet another eventful day.

Today I challenge you to enjoy nature at night. Look at the stars for a moment, or listen for night creatures—other than the crawling traffic. If you look hard enough, you’ll be amazed at what you can see in the dark.

This morning most of our group woke up for an early morning kayak orientation session. I was not among them, as my body was still adjusting to the killer four-hour hike yesterday. It was absolutely beautiful, but almost straight uphill for 1800 feet. We walked along a narrow ridge on the way back, with the Pacific stretching for miles on both sides. Gorgeous.

As soon as we returned, it was back to work. We split into four groups again, weeding, fenneling, potting plants, and doing odds and ends in the garden. Needless to say, we were stoked when it was finally lunch time—and more importantly, nap time.

By the afternoon, we were ready to really dig into our projects, so I tackled the fennel again. We had more help this time, and cleared out even more space. At one point we were bush-whacking through 7-foot tall weeds, clearing a path for the new fennel waste pile. Others were doing some trail maintenance and general cleanup in the area, and it’s amazing how much it’s improved

We were supposed to go on a night snorkel, but everyone was absolutely exhausted, so they gave us some extended free time. We spent some quality time with UTA watching Shawshank Redemption and drinking tea, which was the perfect end to the day. By 9:30 p.m. we were out cold.

Now, we’re preparing to go on our overnight adventure to Parson’s Landing. We were going to voyage there by kayak, but a weird, heavy fog is rolling in, and there are supposed to be five-foot swells on the beach. So we’re hiking three miles instead. We’ll spend the night under the stars and head back tomorrow morning. Excellent. Peace out til then.

Our sleeping patterns have changed drastically in just four days’ time. It’s only 9:10 p.m., but the whole crew is getting ready for bed. Usually we’re up past midnight at school. I guess that’s a testament to how hard we work here, as well as the amount of food we consume—everyone waits for them to call seconds, then stampedes toward the kitchen.

It seems like half the energy we spent today was just pulling on wet suits for our morning snorkel. The swim itself was fairly short, but we got to see tons of ocean wildlife: bright orange Garibaldis, schools of dark (insert name of cool fish here), sea cucumbers, a nudibranch (a brightly colored sea snail), and the very rare Sheep Crab. Of course there was a ton of kelp. The ten of us will have seven years good luck now, since we all kissed the slimy sea cucumber—a brave feat, since they eat poop and poop sand.
We got some quality sun bathing time before lunch, and all hung out on the dock, talking and laughing—we have a never-ending cache of Catalina inside jokes growing by the day.

Then it was off to work again. We split into four teams, and tackled some heavy projects. Some of us were still beautifying the camp and outdoor classroom, others were building walls in the garden, and my group declared war on the fennel field.

Most of the plants grow taller than me and the roots go down a good 12 inches into the ground—they’re related to carrots. Tackling them with nothing but a shovel is daunting, but we managed to clear about 15 square yards in three hours. It did smell delicious though, with a subtle black licorice scent. We made it to dinner scraped, scratched, exhausted, and sunburnt—but with a great sense of accomplishment. Winning battles against tall plants is oddly rewarding.

The ten of us have started discussing the sustainable project we’re doing when we get back to Des Moines. We want to build trails around the area, since that’s something that locals really want to have. There are apparently some other groups already trailbuilding though, so we’re interested in making informational signs instead. We want to take what we learn here and apply it to Iowa, so people can learn about native plants and animals while doing some hiking. There are some really colorful and artsy signs in the camp here (pictures to follow), so we want to get local artists to help us out. We’ll also ask any students who want to get involved to help, and we’ll continue the sign project throughout the summer.

So that’s what we know at this point. We’ll keep you updated as plans progress. And sadly, I’m losing my ability to stay up late as well, so I think I’ll head out for the night. We’re climbing to Howling’s Peak at 6 a.m., which is the pinnacle point of the island. I can see it from camp, and it’s a long way up—and a three-hour hike. Wish us luck.

I’m writing this from Inspiration Point—only a short hike from our beach camp up the nearby cliff. It looks out over the blue ocean to smoggy L.A. (just a faint outline in the distance). Seagulls, crows, and cormorants skim the water, occasionally slipping a treat into their beaks. My hands are cold from sea breeze, but it’s refreshing to be chilly in the heat of mid-afternoon.

The sea—about 100 feet down—is tri-colored: clear, light blue near the tide pools, rich indigo-blue in the deep water, and swirly brown where the kelp forest dances in the current. Tomorrow we’ll be snorkeling down there, and I can’t wait.

Today was the first of many work days. The lot of us split into two groups—one to work on the outdoor classroom, and one to beautify the tree and shrub gardens around camp. Either way, we were basically pulling weeds, but we learned a lot in the process. For instance, I learned that you can split an intertwined Bird of Paradise plant—vibrant with spiky orange flowers and wide palm fronds—into two lovely plants and they’ll be just fine. I learned that what we consider food “waste” (compost) feels fresh and smells fresher, especially when given to feed a potted plant. I learned that you can eat lots of weeds. Sky Rocket grows on the beach and has cute purple flowers—and its leaves and buds taste like wasabi. Cheese wheel grows everywhere here, but it’s wide leafy head tastes like spinach.

We also went on a killer hike this morning and learned that what is now a lush, green, canyon used to be a barren wasteland, thanks to goats, sheep and pigs brought by humans. Now there’s only one wild pig—aptly named “Ninja Pig”—left on the island, and no goats or sheep. There’s still tons of non-native species here though. 95 percent of grasses on the island are European, and fennel runs rampant and chokes out native plant life. In areas that have eroded, however, the CELP team will plant prickly pear cactus to discourage people and animals from the area, and eventually native species will start to sprout. That’s one of the coolest uses for cacti I’ve ever heard of, and it still blows my mind what a good idea it is.

So now I challenge you to open your eyes to the beauty of nature—even if most of it is still frozen. Pay attention to the tree buds when they come in, and maybe even taste one if the urge strikes. Take a walk, and notice the plants that will soon bloom into lively ecosystems of their own. Find color, and cherish it.

We got to L.A. at about 9 p.m. California-time, and we were exhausted. Luckily, we had an awesome taxi driver who showed us his city and drove us safely to our hostel. We only got lost once, and there was a very helpful public safety man who helped us reach our destination. Ok, lies. Mr. Public Safety didn’t even know what a hostel was, even though he was parked 10 feet in front of it. Anyway, then Gabe the Hostel Guy got us settled in our rooms, and we hit the sack to prepare for an early boat ride to the island.

Before I continue, I’d like to thank SNL for the “On a Boat” sketch. We were so excited to actually get on a boat the next morning that we started singing it while we were still in the taxi. It was stuck in our heads all day. After two cups of coffee, no food, and about a one-hour-tour—not three, luckily—we made it to Avalon, which is the gorgeous tourist town of about 2,000. Just a hop, skip and a jump took us to Two Harbors on the other side of Catalina.

At this point we were fairly cold, hungry, and sick of the “On a Boat” song, but we made it. Travis, the director of CELP, met us and put us on another boat, and we finally made it to the camp.

First impressions: the island is surreal. It’s green now, which apparently doesn’t happen often, and the palm trees really do sway in the ocean breeze. The girls’ cabin is about 20 yards away from the seashore, and the boys’ cabins face a beautiful canyon full of lush Mediterranean foliage. There are squirrels and foxes unique to the island, and apparently about 70 bison—two of which have wandered to our area recently. Even though they’re only here for tourism, we’re hoping to catch a glimpse.

We took a guided tour of camp while Travis explained the various projects we’d be doing. Invasive species are one of the biggest threats to the natural wildlife, so we’ll be doing a lot of pulling, cutting and killing—but in a good way. We’ll also build trails through the fennel fields (which are delicious), and work on the huge sustainable garden they’re building, as well as in the existing veggie garden.

Almost the whole camp is zero-waste. They compost all their food, paper, napkins, and even underwear–and it saves 40,000 pounds of waste per year. Meat and dairy products are the only exception, but that’s just to keep the smell manageable. The compost goes back into their delicious gardens, and the cycle starts over again. They make salads from the invasive species they’re clearing out, and they never use more water or electricity than they need. They only throw away things they absolutely have to.

So we walked and tasted our way around Catalina, which for me was the only way to go. I suggest going with a guide who knows edible plants like the back of his hand, as well as everything you ever wanted to know about island evolution (Did you know that big animals get smaller, and small animals get bigger on an island? The mice here look more like rats, and the one-of-a-kind Santa Catalina Island fox is cat-sized).

We ended the day with a campfire and a night hike to Inspiration Point. The Colorado State and Kanard kids are great–they taught us to play snaps–and we look forward to working with them this week, as well as University of Texas when they get here today.

Today I challenge you to conserve a bit of energy. Open your windows instead of using lights. Turn off the water while you soap up your hands. Use a blanket instead of the heater. Any little thing can make a difference. It certainly has here.

Hey all,

Thanks for taking time out of your busy Net surfing to check us out! We’re excited to have you with us on the first ever Zero-Waste, Carbon-Neutral, sustainable Drake spring break to Catalina Island. Whew. What a mouthful.

Tomorrow is the big day. Everyone’s pumped and ready to get out of Des Moines (which is currently a whopping 11 degrees). One more day of stressful classes, and we are ready for a bit of fun in the sun, eco-style.

While we’re there, the 10 of us–we’ll introduce ourselves in a bit–will be in the capable hands of CELP (Catalina Environmental Leadership Program), and will be doing all sorts of projects to make Mother Earth a little more earthy. For a whole week we’ll be removing invasive species, building trails, landscaping, and composting, as well as other projects yet to be revealed.

We’ll also have some fun along on the way, with lots of hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, and swimming. I’m looking forward to the famed night swim, where we’ll snorkel in the pitch black ocean (holding hands, of course).

We arrive in L.A. tomorrow night, and will stay in a hostel with some other cool college kids before heading to the island. Hopefully we’ll be posting some more blogs and vlogs within the next day or two. Each day we’ll follow a few DEAL members, and they’ll take you through our environmental adventures.

So stay tuned for more eco-awesomeness to come. And in the meantime, do something green today, and please leaf us a comment.

P.S. A big shout-out of thanks to the amazing Adam Hammes for getting us on our way!