Catherine Tyrrell

Catherine, a Loreto Bay part-time resident for 10 years, worked in environmental policy and planning for more than 30 years in Los Angeles, California. She and her husband Tom first read about Loreto Bay in an Alaska Airlines magazine which featured kayaking in Loreto on its cover. They decided to check out the new Loreto Bay development in person, fell in love with this place “where the mountains come to swim in the sea,” bought on the spot, and never looked back. Her peak kayaking experience was seeing a pod of blue whales off Carmen Island in the distance and experiencing them suddenly surfacing within 100 feet of her kayak. 

Catherine’s interest in Keep Loreto Magical began with a presentation by Mark Spalding, president of the Ocean Foundation, where he laid out the threats of mining in the pristine watersheds of the Loreto area. Catherine has participated on the organizing committee for Keep Loreto Magical’s Noche Magica events since inception.

Catherine has a master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA and was the first executive director of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project, a USEPA National Estuary Program. She served as the Assistant Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and as the Environmental Affairs Director for the creation of the new sustainable community of Playa Vista where she and her husband Tom now reside when not in Loreto or traveling. She currently serves on the Board of the Friends of Ballona Wetlands, Ballona Discovery Park Partners and the Bay Foundation. She is also the president of the Ballona Wetlands Conservancy.