Santa Catalina Island
The island changed hands several times in the 19th century. In 1896, title was vested in a Delaware corporation, the Santa Catalina Island Co. In 1919, Chicago investor William Wrigley Jr. and two associates purchased the company from the Banning brothers, who had made fortunes in Southern California stagecoach and boat lines. Wrigley soon bought out his partners.
In 1972, the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, a nonprofit membership organization, was founded to administer and preserve the island's natural and ecological resources. In 1975, the Santa Catalina Island Co. deeded title to 86 percent of the island's 42,139 acres to the conservancy. The company now owns 13 percent of the island's land, in and around the town of Avalon. The remaining 1 percent is divided among various owners.
Five species of land mammals and five species of bats are native to Santa Catalina Island. Twelve introduced mammal species, including a herd of 400 bison and a substantial population of wild pigs, live on the island as well. Fourteen species of reptiles and amphibians, including two introduced species, and nearly 400 native plant species, including nine endemic species, are found on the island. The waters off Catalina - among the cleanest in Southern California - are home to highly productive kelp beds and thriving colonies of sea mammals.
Latest stories
- USC Price School Celebrates Naming Gift February 9, 2012 2:45 PM
- George Will Shares His Perspective on Politics February 9, 2012 1:10 PM
- Life on the Rez February 9, 2012 12:10 PM
-
For Journalists »
-
USC in the News
for 2/8/2012 »-
The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
-
-
Campus News
- Capital Connections
- USC faculty, staff and alumni in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento
- In Print
- New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff
- Family Matters
- Achievements and awards
- Obituaries