Elderhostel is a non-profit, educational organization which offers short-term (usually five or six nights) college level academic programs at host educational institutions around the world. Courses are not for credit; there is no homework; there are no exams; and participants usually do not require any specific prior educational background. Programs typically are five or six nights, with at least 22.5 hours of academic course work plus some extracurricular activities. To keep tuition modest, participants live on campuses or at comparable educational or commercial facilitates. Meals are wholesome and nutritious institutional fare. Individuals 55 years of age and older are eligible. A spouse or adult companion need not be 55 to attend.

Elderhostel on Catalina Island

The University of Southern California's Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Catalina Island offers upwards of eighteen five-day Elderhostel programs per year. Total cost to participants is $433, with full or partial hostelships available to eligible applicants on a first-come basis. Tuition includes all classes, materials, field trips, room and board, and transportation to Avalon at the end of the program. Programs focus on natural science and environmental studies.

Classes offered

Theme Week: Catalina By the Sea: An Island Ecological Excursion
Investigate natural history on the "Island of Romance" with local naturalists and biologists. Study the flora, fauna, geology, archaeology and history of beautiful Santa Catalina Island through talks, workshops and activities. Revisit the lives and times of stone-age islanders, explorers, pirates, treasure hunters, movie-makers, resort moguls and conservationists. Enjoy a visit to our marine touch tanks, take part in a microscope lab, get creative in our popular nature printing workshop and bring your camera for the moray eel feeding demonstration. Explore Catalina Island by land and sea, including an end of week coastal cruise (included in tuition) to the famous seaside resort town of Avalon.

Three-Subject Course:
Jostling Plates in the Ring of Fire: Wedged between the North American and Pacific plates, earthquake-faulted rocks on Catalina Island speak of ancient volcanoes as mighty as Mt. St. Helens. Study the dramatic history of offshore California through labs, lectures and field trips. Catalina's Marine Wilderness: World-renowned for fishing and diving, Catalina's underwater ecosystems range from kelp forests and rocky intertidal to sandy beaches and mudflats. Visit this colorful ocean realm through lectures, labs, touch tanks and field trips. A Natural History of Catalina Island: Encounter the flora, fauna and romantic past of one of the world's most famous island resorts. Lectures, walkabouts, and a naturalist-guided van trip into the interior are highlighted by an ocean beach picnic at Catalina's most scenic cove.

Ellen Kelley
(310) 510-4021
ekelley@usc.edu