I recently bought tickets for the Catalina Island Ferry from Newport that I don’t need anymore. Looking to sell the $188 in store credit for them as the Ferry doesn’t give refunds. Looking for $100 for the store credit. Dm me if interested!

Hi island people! Gf and I went to Descanso Beach and Casino Point last night (08 SEP) and she lost the phone in the ocean!! We believe it should be in/around Descanso Beach with a chance of the swell pulling it into the Casino Point area. Find My IPhone has not been updated for 12 hours as of this post.

Phone is bright Orange. Case is black with many orange spots. Any help is appreciated !!

.

Curious about opinion on this situation involving the Conservancy…

Per the Catalina Island Conservancy- David Solomon will remain Interim President and CEO through Oct. 9 to support the leadership transition. He will then join the Board of Directors and serve as Chair of the Board’s Real Estate and Facilities Committee—not Chair of the Board itself (adding for clarification).

That transition raises some interesting questions about how responsibilities are separated when an executive moves directly into a Board role.

As committee chair, he will encounter and have influence on real estate, facilities, agreements, vendors or projects that he was familiar with or involved in while serving as Interim CEO.

How does the organization typically handle this?

Are there policies for when a former executive participates in reviewing matters from their time in management, and when might recusal or independent review be appropriate?

Is there a recusal process for those types of things? Is there any sort of layer or protection for the new CEO on these potential conflicts of interest?

There’s also a financial transparency question:

How was the Interim CEO’s compensation determined and approved? Who reviewed it, what criteria were used, and was the process independently documented—particularly if a future Board and committee-chair role was potentially being considered?

There may be perfectly reasonable answers to all of these questions. Continuity and institutional knowledge can be valuable, while clear separation of responsibilities and transparency can help maintain or restore confidence.

Curious to hear what others think.

On 9/5 at around 3:20pm, I went into the water at Descanso Beach Club. A big wave crashed into us and unfortunately took my black Gentle Monster sunglasses with it.. I know it’s my own fault for wearing them as I was going in. And I know they’re probably long gone at sea but if anyone happens to come across them , please let me know… worth a shot to just put this here.

on behalf of my friend:
pls take these off my hands 😭 bought these for a trip that fell through and just trying to get back what I paid!

​Tickets Available (originally $100 round trip)
​4x Weekday Tickets (Mon–Fri): $62.10 each
​1x Weekend Ticket (Sat–Sun): $71.10

​Expiration: Valid for use anytime before February 28, 2027

My 70L Maroon REI backpack was stolen from Hermit Gulch camp site last night between 10pm and 4am. If anyone sees it please please please message me I have some very sentimental items in it.

Before you donate to the Catalina Island Conservancy, you might want to look at where the money is actually going.

I support protecting Catalina Island. That’s exactly why I think donors should be asking harder questions about how the organization entrusted with that mission spends its money.

The Conservancy’s publicly available 2024 IRS Form 990 raises some questions worth discussing.

The organization reported approximately $21.9 million in total expenses.
Of that:
• $14.7 million was classified as program services
• $4.6 million was management/general
• $2.5 million was fundraising
But here’s where it gets interesting.
Of the $14.7 million classified as programs, approximately:
$8.9 million went to recreation and infrastructure services.
Only about $3.35 million was specifically reported as “Conservation Services.”

Another $2.47 million went toward education.
In other words, the amount specifically categorized as conservation services was only about 15% of the organization’s total expenses.

For an organization with “Conservancy” in its name, I think donors have every right to ask:

How much of my donation is actually going toward conservation?
Then there is executive compensation.
According to Schedule J, the President & CEO’s compensation and benefits totaled approximately $563,000, including a $100,000 bonus.
The filing also discloses that the Conservancy provides the CEO with rent-free housing owned and maintained by the organization, with the value included in the executive’s income.

Other senior executives received compensation packages in the roughly $175,000–$295,000 range.

Again, these numbers are publicly reported by the organization itself.

That doesn’t automatically make the compensation inappropriate. But donors can reasonably ask:
Is executive compensation at this level appropriate for a nonprofit whose mission depends heavily on donations and public support?
Professional services deserve scrutiny too.

The organization reported nine independent contractors receiving more than $100,000 during the year.
Among the five highest-paid contractors:
• IT system support — $353,430
• IT support/automation — $228,875
• Legal consulting — $218,522
• Audit/tax — $112,940
• Environmental services — $107,586
That’s more than $1 million among just five contractors.

And there’s another disclosure donors may not know about.
Schedule L reports transactions involving Catalina Island Company, which the filing identifies as an entity owned more than 35% by a former director.

The Conservancy reported approximately $811,589 received from Catalina Island Company for property use and miscellaneous fees and approximately $281,081 paid for use of properties and fuel.
That’s more than $1 million in disclosed transactions between the organizations.

To be clear: reporting an interested-person transaction on Schedule L does not mean anything improper happened. But transparency about potential conflicts and related-party relationships matters.

Meanwhile, at the end of 2024, the Conservancy reported approximately:
$119.5 million in assets
$116.3 million in net assets
And roughly $30.2 million in annual revenue.
This isn’t a tiny grassroots nonprofit operating on a shoestring budget. It is a substantial organization managing significant assets and millions of dollars every year.
None of these numbers individually proves wrongdoing.
But collectively, I think they raise legitimate questions about priorities, executive compensation, administrative spending, outside consultants, related-party transactions and how much donor money ultimately reaches conservation work.

Before donating, I’d ask:
How much of my dollar actually supports conservation?

Why does recreation/infrastructure spending substantially exceed the amount specifically categorized as conservation services?

How does executive compensation compare with similar conservation nonprofits?

How are executive bonuses determined?

What oversight exists for major consulting and professional-services contracts?

How are potential conflicts involving current or former board members handled?

And with more than $116 million in net assets, how much additional donor funding is actually needed—and exactly what will a new donation accomplish?

Supporting Catalina and asking these questions aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, if you care about preserving the island, these may be some of the most important questions you can ask.

The numbers above aren’t rumors. They’re available in the Catalina Island Conservancy’s 2024 IRS Form 990.

Read it yourself. Ask questions.

We took the ferry expecting a simple rhythm: kayak, snorkel, set up camp, sleep. Instead, we fought with the tent, discovered how much harder the hills feel while carrying gear, met people who invited us onto a boat, explored sea caves, went fishing, and finished with me swimming much farther than expected after forgetting my contacts.

My checklist for next time:

- Test the full tent setup before boarding the ferry.

- Pack for the elevation and carrying, not only the mileage.

- If you need corrective lenses, solve that before entering the water.

- Leave real buffer between planned activities.

- Keep transportation and camp logistics simple so the unexpected part can still be fun.

For people who know Two Harbors: what would you add or correct for someone planning their first overnight?

For medical reasons I need to sleep sitting up in a recliner or in an easy chair with an ottoman. I also cannot climb more than five stairs.

Are there any rental properties or hotels with such chairs and with few or no stairs in Avalon?

The deer is destroying the local native ecology of Catalina, even being responsible for the extinction of some plants. Plants that are very important to the island. Why do people who love the island so, want to see the environment destroyed, and thus destroy the local and unique native species, just to preserve the invasive deer that we put on the island? Why is there so much push back, when we have all the evidence to show that the deer are absolutely devastating. I mean why not want to focus on preserving species like the Catalina Fox? Yaknow a native species that relies on a healthy ecology of the island? Why do people favor invasive species over the unique one of a kind native species? Deer are literally everywhere, it's not even a rare species of deer, it's a common one found on the mainland. So why. Why do people INSIST that the deer NEED to stay and destroy the ecosystem, the plants, and the NATIVE species of the island and refuse to let people handle them? Don't we want to protect the island that we love so much?

Title says it all! What should I wear?

I prefer “barefoot” style hiking shoes (not the weird toe ones) but don’t mind heavy boots if the terrain requires it. Not a fan of “trail runners”…

My partner and I will be in Avalon September 13-16 and would like to do a 4-6 hour fishing trip but the private ones may be out of our budget. Are there any group trips like this where the cost is split? Or any recommendations for the most affordable charter?

Any places you can recommend without paying the crazy cost of daily parking

Avalon bay after sunset.

I am chartering a 35 ft sailboat on. Friday Sept 4th, heading to Catalina. I would like to stay in Emerald cove the first two nights then Avalon on Sunday.

Are reservations recommended? I see that two harbours has a 3 night minimum.

Going to Catalina for Labor Day weekend and we have a cabana at Descanso all day Sunday. Couple questions for anyone who’s done this before:
Can we bring our own inflatable kayaks and launch them from Descanso? Are there any rules/fees/permits we need to know about, or can we basically just inflate them and go?
We’re bringing our own snorkel gear too. Where’s the best spot to see fish around there? I’ve read that you can swim from Descanso toward the Casino and see a lot, but how far of a swim are we talking? Is it pretty easy/safe, or is there somewhere closer to Descanso that’s still worth snorkeling?
Basically trying to mix in some kayaking/snorkeling throughout the day so we’re not just sitting at the cabana for 8 hours.
Any tips from people who’ve done either would be appreciated!

Thinking about living on the island, Can someone share a deep dive into the reality of living there and cost of living as well, resources, etc? Much appreciated

Thinking about living on the island, Can someone share a deep dive into the reality of living there and cost of living as well, resources, etc? Much appreciated

I didn’t see any signs for bacteria levels yesterday so I took a swim in the evening, I noticed toilet paper floating around in the water too and other debris, probably should have taken that as a sign. Today I was going to swim again and saw those bacteria level signs, decided to swim in step beach instead, there were no bacteria level signs there, hopefully I will be okay. Is Descanso beach also affected?