Volunteer Groups Get Complimentary Campsite Stays

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Each year, more than a million visitors come to Catalina Island and many of them never venture beyond Avalon. But to truly enjoy the respite of nature, camping at one of the Island’s campsites can offer an opportunity to unwind and recharge. A new perk offered to volunteer groups enables visitors to experience the great outdoors at a major discount.

“We want to offer the camps to our volunteers as a thank you for volunteering with us,” said Conservancy Volunteer Manager Miguel Campos. That includes transportation to and from Avalon to either Black Jack Volunteer Camp or Laura Stein Volunteer Camp.

To take advantage of the deal, which can amount to savings worth hundreds of dollars, a group of friends, family members or an organization can simply volunteer with the Conservancy. Campos said the standing Tuesday and Thursday volunteer days are a great way to get involved with work in the Ackerman Native Plant Nursery, along the coasts or wherever else restoration work is taking place.

Chris Young, director of the volunteer department, envisions this as an opportunity for outdoors enthusiasts to utilize a cost-effective way to experience new adventures. “A family or group of friends can come up Friday and volunteer, then enjoy the camps Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

Black Jack and Laura Stein Lower and Upper Volunteer Camps were recently renovated to include several new features that improve the camping experience.

Black Jack features four new canvas tents, each outfitted with eight cots. Laura Stein includes four tents – two at the upper campsite and two at the lower campsite. Both campgrounds offer bathrooms with showers, and a kitchen with running water, refrigerator and cooktop. They are solar powered.

“We’re glamping up here,” said Campos.

It may not be truly “roughing it,” but Campos said the camps are most certainly immersed in the Island’s wildlands.

“We’ve got squirrels running through here. Foxes come smell your food, they like to know what you have,” he said. “We get a lot of fox that come through and bison that roam right through here.”

Black Jack is located in the mountainous interior, while Laura Stein is perched above a cliff with an ocean overlook. Either way, Campos said past volunteers have appreciated having a place to rest their heads away from the hum of Avalon.

“You go from the busy, busy touristy town to nice and quiet nature,” he said. “It’s such a unique experience for them. First, they’re on an island. A lot of them have experience camping and hiking but never on an Island. What they take from volunteering with us is taking in all the uniqueness we have – plants and animals.”

Visit the Conservancy events calendar for volunteer opportunities or email Miguel Campos
directly at volunteers@catalinaconservancy.org.

Volunteer opportunities include invasive plant removal, native plant nursery opportunity (seed sewing, division of seedlings, up potting), trail work in the spring, weeding and erosion control in Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden, walking the fences of restoration areas to check for breaches, beach cleanups and support with wildlife projects.

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