CATALINA – BEFORE MODERN HISTORY
Archaeologists scour the Island for answers
By Linda Farley, Manager Conservation Operations
My job coordinating scientific research for the Conservancy allows me to access very remote, often stunningly beautiful parts of the Island. Catalina is now in a state of ecological recovery following years of overgrazing and a devastating fire. And it is encouraging to see new growth and discover new populations of rare plants, see eagles and foxes, and encounter flocks of migratory birds in the oak woodlands and grasslands.
Invariably, though, contemporary naturalists find themselves wondering what the landscape must have been like hundreds of years ago, before modern history. On Catalina 400 years ago, how was the ecosystem different, when approximately 1,000 Native Americans, the Tongva, inhabited the Island? Were the hills blanketed in spring with wildflowers, edible lilies and wild onions? What was it like to rest in the shade of an ironwood grove and feast on roasted abalone? UCLA archeologist Wendy Teeter is one who may know.
Invariably, though, contemporary naturalists find themselves wondering what the landscape must have been like hundreds of years ago, before modern history. On Catalina 400 years ago, how was the ecosystem different, when approximately 1,000 Native Americans, the Tongva, inhabited the Island? Were the hills blanketed in spring with wildflowers, edible lilies and wild onions? What was it like to rest in the shade of an ironwood grove and feast on roasted abalone? UCLA archeologist Wendy Teeter is one who may know.