Quirks of Catalina

Catalina is an odd place to work. This morning my alarm went off at 5:40AM and, after hitting snooze once or twice, I managed to sit up in bed and peer out my window. To my great surprise, there in front of me stood a large black silhouette. I rubbed by eyes and squinted out the window once again. It was still there, and as my eyes adjusted I came to realize that it was a bison. That’s right, a bison. An interesting awakening, to be sure.

So what was it doing there? Proximate answer: it was grazing. Ultimate answer: it descended from the herd of 14 bison that were brought to Catalina in 1924 for the filming of “The Vanishing American.” Since then, the herd has grown to a few hundred individuals and has become one of the most iconic symbols of the island. Tourists come to Catalina wanting to see bison, restaurants in Avalon sell “bison burgers,” and a bar in Two Harbors is known for a drink called “bison milk.” They garner more fame than the native species!

Bison run-ins are a frequent occurrence on our study plots. In fact, on our first day in the field Jongmin and I found 40 bison lingering around our parking area. Luckily they are terrified of trucks and are even scared of humans on foot, so they are easily displaced from areas where we want to work. They also make for an interesting sight, foraging on grasses in between patches of cacti. Not exactly what I would call typical bison habitat.

The bison story is but a part of the unique history that has shaped Catalina. It used to be a top vacation destination for the Hollywood elites. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, stars like Charlie Chaplan and Clark Gable made frequent appearances in the resort town of Avalon. The owner of the Chicago Cubs – Mr. Wrigley of Wrigley’s Gum – owned most of Catalina at the time, and the baseball team had spring training on the island. It was the happening place to be.

It was also a prime location for shooting movies. The island’s rugged coastline had the appearance of an exotic tropical island, and it was much cheaper to charter a boat from LA to Catalina than it was to travel all the way to an island, say, in the South Pacific. As a result, over 200 movies were filmed on the island in the early part of the 20th century. Each changed the character of Catalina somewhat, some with the planting of palm trees and others with the introduction of exotic animals like bison.

The Wrigley Family’s claim to Catalina Island lasted straight through to the 1970s, at which time they set aside 86% of the island for conservation and established the Catalina Island Conservancy to be a responsible steward of the land. Now, the island is less of a posh, celebrity-filled paradise, and is more of a sanctuary for the native flora and fauna that make this island truly unique. Indeed, if it hadn’t been for the generosity of the Wrigley Family, much of Catalina would have found its way into the hands of developers and would have a very different appearance than it does today. For that we are grateful, and are proud to report that Wrigley’s is our gum of choice as we meander through the cactus patches of Catalina Island, ever watchful for a lumbering bison.