Callie Little
Sowing the Seeds Part Deaux
Part Une was actually one of my first ever (2012!!). I was so young and naive and rain wasn’t a distant hazy memory. And I didn’t know how to insert YouTube clips. Gotta love the 1989 hair on these fellas no? You may have noticed hulking metal behemoths crisscrossing the Ojai Meadow Preserve this week. […]
Fall Fliers
Last Saturday, local avian stud Jesse Grantham led a herd of bird nerds on a lap around the Ojai Meadow Preserve. The fall migration season is picking up steam and the group espied 35 species. Some highlights to astound and enthrall will ensue post-haste: A marlin is a large sporting fish. Merlin is an Arthurian […]
Calling All Acorns
I am a lazy person. Always have been, always will be. That doesn’t mean I can’t get many things accomplished. I pace myself, and I know how to tactfully get other people to do things for me. I’m calling on you again. All eleven of you. Well, at […]
Visit Us On Ojai Day
Come visit us in the non-profit section on Ojai day! Our booth will be in Libbey Park under the shade of the oak trees. Ojai Day is on October 18th this year from 10 AM to 5 PM Ojai Day is a free community celebration featuring over 100 artisan vendors, a robust food court, five […]
The Birds of Summer
The spring migrants are long gone and this year’s batch of fledglings are fighting for survival. There seem to be three birds which accompany me on every hike. Bold, beautiful and never bashful these three are the soundtrack for my perambulations. This is the first local bird beyond scrub jays and crows that I could […]
Sierra Serenade Part Two – Lundy Canyon
I know, we did Lundy last year. It deserves another visit. Trail was virtually empty at 10am, we got the waterfall all to ourselves for a whole 20 minutes. I think we saw at least 50 wildflower species, not counting flowering shrubs. To read more posts from the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Nursery Manager Ron Singer, […]
Sierra Serenade Day One – Parker Lake
It’s that time of year again. As I type this it has been raining for three straight hours, and we watched lightning start a fire maybe a mile from the back porch. Don’t fret, we got off the trail just in time and then let the Clinton-era internet connection run all night to upload the […]
Bloom of the Month For June
This is one of those underappreciated overlooked beauties. Grows just about everywhere, usually lumped in with the other myriad random asters. But it is especially impressive and pink this year, and I have yet to sing its praises so here goes nothin’: Oh so many names. I first learned it as Perezia. In Spanish it […]
Annual Member Celebration
September 13, 2014 5-9 pm At the Ventura River Steelhead Preserve (Not yet open to the public!) Click here for Directions Members Only Want to bring a friend? Have them join or renew today! If you are unsure if your membership is current, feel free to email tania@ovlc.org or call (805) 649-6852 and we will […]
Nursery Stowaway
Every winter I start a whole bunch of Lupinus albifrons with seed collected from our very own Ventura River Preserve. It absolutely adores the rocky, sandy well aerated soils of the river bottom area. One of the more spectacular blooms of the late winter Back to the nursery. They germinate beautifully, like 90% success rate […]
OJAI VALLEY LAND CONSERVANCY BUYS 160 ACRES AT AUCTION
The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) was the successful bidder at an auction of a 160 acre parcel which is important for the Ojai Valley’s water supply. The forested parcel in the foothills north of the Ojai Valley is remote, wild, and largely surrounded by national forest. It is also an important catchment basin that […]
Workday on the Ojai Meadows Preserve
Last week we had a planting day with Mr. Lepine’s Environmental Field Studies class from Nordhoff and Janis Duncan’s 3rd and 4th graders from Meiners Oaks Elementary, at the Ojai Meadows Preserve. The Big Brother/Sisters and their energetic pint-sized partners worked together to add some additional color and variety to the infamous Oak Circles I featured […]
Are Euc Idding Me? – On The Ojai Valley Meadows Preserve
There has been quite a bit of grumbling in the local media about the rampant “destruction” being wrought upon the Ojai Meadow Preserve by the OVLC. It is not my goal to point out how wildly underinformed some our local neighbors are. I shall instead take the high road and show you one of the […]
Ojai Meadows Preserve Restoration Update
When the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) purchased the property that would become the Ojai Meadows Preserve, it was done with the shared community goals of providing relief from localized flooding, reducing storm water pollution, providing a refuge for birds and wildlife, and creating a safe public space where people could enjoy nature close to […]
Cluff Vista Park Undergoes Maintenance
Lately, Cluff Vista has been getting some love from both the City of Ojai and Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Restoration Field Crew. The park has been pruned, cleaned, planted, and mulched. Just before Christmas Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Field Crew planted native plants grown in their own Ojai Meadows Preserve nursery to fill in the […]
Soil Sampling Coming Soon to the Ojai Meadows Preserve
Visitors to the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Ojai Meadows Preserve may see an unusual sight next week. That is when a soil drilling rig will appear on the back of the preserve near the intersection of Lomita Avenue and Besant Road. The purpose of the rig is not to drill for oil or water. Rather, […]
Rice Creek Reroute in Ojai
Some of you may have noticed the changes afoot in and around the orange grove down at the Ventura River Preserve. I’ve got the inside scoop from Restoration Stud Brian Stark: 1. What were the origins of this project? The idea really started with previous staff members like Stevie Adams, Rich Handley, and Executive Director […]
Rice Creek Returns Home After 90 Years
Rice Creek is a seasonal tributary of the Ventura River that drains the hillsides above the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s majestic Ventura River Preserve. Hikers in Rice Canyon can see the modest creek, and know that it supports a variety of native plants and wildlife. However, the lower sections of the small Creek have seen […]
Meadows Restoration Update
Starting this week, if you look around the Ojai Meadows Preserve, you will see that a lot of activity is underway on the open fields. This work represents the final phase of the master restoration plan prepared for the site in 2004. The open fields are currently being managed for weed control and, ultimately, their new function […]
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Anything I could conceivably write about today would pale in comparison to the coolness of these photos. Taken on OVLC’s new Fox Canyon Trail (of course) above Shelf Road. Thanks to the intrepid Bardsley Smith for introducing us to Urocyon cinereoargenteus: Some neat facts about the Gray Fox: It is thought to be the most […]
Parker Joins Ojai Valley Land Conservancy
The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy announced the hiring of Tania Parker as their new Director of Advancement. As Advancement Director, Parker is responsible for strengthening the relationship between the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, its members, and the community as a whole. “We are very pleased to have Tania join OVLC,” said Executive Director Greg Gamble. […]
Local Partnership Improves Stream Habitats in Ojai
Usually, the sound of a chain saw coming from a local creek is cause for concern. Recently, however, this sound has been associated with habitat improvements for fish and wildlife. A partnership between the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC), the California Conservation Corps (CCC), and the Concerned Resource and Environmental Workers (CREW) has just completed […]
The New Trail On The Block
Loving the June gloom, am I the only one who wants it to stay until September? What can I say, OVLC has been on a roll. In the last 3 years they have opened the Kennedy Ridge trail, Old Baldwin wheelchair accesible trail, not to mention the Gridley/Fuelbreak connector trail. Next week they will branch […]
Bloom of the Month
Now for what you’ve all been waiting so patiently for… the bloom of the month. Not such an easy task in September when the local color palette ranges from tan to brown to rust. Hold on… what are those bright red things hugging the hill as you drive up 33 to Ojai? Ah of course, […]
Ojai’s Meadow Lark
A merry and jolly Friday to all. Please check this weekend’s calendar if you haven’t succumbed to football induced malaise yet. Proud to have OVLC VIP Brian Stark ITH (In The House, I just made that one up). In anticipation of Saturday’s birthday party for the Conservancy we are taking you on an insider’s tour of the […]
Our Meadow
I recently came to the realization that after 100 posts in 7 months I’ve given a scant few sentences to the Ojai Meadow Preserve. What can I say, I’m a Ventura River Preserve guy, with it’s miles of quiet sylvan trails and punishing ascents (and ankle deep piles of horse apples). But in light of […]
Endangered Bird Heard for the First Time on the Ojai Meadows Preserve
The southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) is indeed a ‘rare bird’ in every sense of the word and today it was heard and confirmed for the first time on the Ojai Meadows Preserve. Bird expert and retired US Fish and Wildlife Service employee Jesse Grantham and his friend Peter Larramendy were bird watching on […]
Rare Venomous Snake Found at Ventura River
Spotted night snakes are rare in the Ojai Valley which is located at the very western edge of the spotted night snake’s habitat. A black patch on the neck and blotches that look like a double row of spots will help identify this snake. These snakes are usually small and the eyes are unmistakable with […]
Once Upon A Watershed Makes A Difference: Ojai & Ventura Children in Grades 4 – 6 Learn About the Outdoors
This week local educators David White and Heather King took Topa Topa, Oak Grove, and Summit school sixth grade students on an adventure at Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s new, not yet open to the public, Ventura River Steelhead Preserve. At the preserve these children, through the Once Upon a Watershed (OUW) program, continued their hands […]
Passion Inspires Rice Creek Realignment
On Saturday the Sespe Fly Fishers Club recognized Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s commitment to preservation of the environment and support for local conservation through direct action in the Ojai Valley. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, is committed to supporting local conservation efforts. Couinard is also a fly fisherman and member of the Sespe Fly Fishers […]
