SANTA CATALINA ISLAND, Calif. — Santa Catalina Island is the crown jewel of the Channel Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Southern California that is so biodiverse that it is often called “North America’s Galápagos.” A rugged mountain jutting out of the sea, Catalina, as it is commonly known, is home to more than 60 plants and critters found nowhere else on earth. Plump quails and miniature foxes unique to the island scurry across the dirt roads that wind through scrubby hillsides. Thick
The habitat on Santa Catalina Island is suffering because much of the native flora has been ravaged by animals shipped here over the past century for ranching, hunting and filming movies.
In a conservation battle that pits native vegetation against imported deer, Catalina Island residents say they'll take venison over "stupid plants" any day.
In a conservation battle that pits native vegetation against imported deer, Catalina Island residents say they'll take venison over "stupid plants" any day.