Getting Out is Really Getting In…Into the Interior - Catalina Island ...

Nature’s Notebook
Posion Oak
It’s Poison Oak Season!
The bare sticks and twigs that remain dormant all winter are now producing
a canopy of shiny leaves. Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) can display
itself as a bush, a vine twining up the trunk of an oak, a twisted root and
sometimes even take on a tree form. The lobed leaves come in many shades,
ranging from light green to pumpkin orange to brick red. The leaves are
arranged in three leaflets, thereby leading to the saying of “Leaves of three,
let it be!”
Poison oak is widespread throughout mountains and valleys of California,
generally growing below 5,000 feet in elevation. It commonly grows as a
climbing vine with roots that adhere to trunks of trees in shady canyons, but
can also be found in streamside habitats. On Catalina it can be found in such
places, as well as in chaparral and coastal sage scrub communities.
A rash from run-ins with poison oak is caused by a chemical called Urushiol, which is present in the
leaves, branches and roots. When any of these plant parts are touched the oil is absorbed into the skin
and the rash that forms is our body’s defense against this foreign substance. While most people tend to
have a negative view of this plant because of this allergic reaction, poison oak plays an important role
on the island by the habitat it provides and the diversity it contributes to our island ecosystem. If you
can get past the negative association with poison oak, you will begin to see how striking this plant
really is. This summer, watch for poison oak to avoid getting a rash, but also to appreciate its beauty and
chemical uniqueness.
Young Naturalists on Catalina
Island Scholars, a group of 4th, 5th and 6th graders from
Avalon School, studied recycling as their project for this
school year. These are a sampling of their thoughts.
Recycling Poems:
We could reduce paper to make trees safer.
All the trash is really dirty we could quickly reduce to
make it tiny.Taking recycling seriously could
definitely clean the dump. But if you slowly recycle
the dump will grow big.
Use blue bags to recycle paper, cans and glass.
Neatly sort and recycle to keep clean.
We cleanup simplify pickup clean.
Making the Difference
With the assistance of Volunteers, the Catalina Island Conservancy is able to provide a wide curriculum of courses and
classes specifically designed for students. The Education Department appreciates the following volunteers for
dedicating their valuable time: NCCC Western Region Americorps, Lynn Burt, Jeff Chapman, Judith Clark, Rita Dlugokecki, Dean Hill, Laurie
Hill, Dick Kellogg, Nancy Kellogg, Denise Knapp, Whitey Mendenhall, Richard Pelouze, Lisa Stratton, and Cambel Berk University of Arizona.
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Catalina Island Conservancy