Newsletter
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CREATURE FEATURE: February 2022

A member of the flycatcher family, the Cassin’s kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans) feeds primarily on flying insects! They can often be spotted perched atop trees or on wires looking over open spaces in search of their next meal.
Tags: 2022, Cassin’s kingbird, Creature, Feature, newsletter, OVLC, Winter, wishbone bush
GREEN VALLEY PROJECT — STUDENTS HELP WITH RESTORATION AT THE OJAI MEADOWS PRESERVE

Thanks to support from the Green Valley Project, OVLC has hosted several hands-on habitat restoration events at the Ojai Meadows Preserve with environmental science students from Nordhoff High School.
MANZANITA WINTER POLLEN

Look closely at the decisions they make, as the careful branches twist among paths—unseen made known. The orange branches and peeling bark tell a tale millions of years old
Tags: 2022, Manzanita, newsletter, Pollen, Sophie McLean, Winter
FROM THE FIELD / FEBRUARY 2022

Back in July 2021, the OVLC removed several non-native red gum trees (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) from the Ojai Meadows Preserves. We also removed a Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), a Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis), and a Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta). We made the difficult decision to remove these non-native trees as part of a larger effort to restore the preserve and help make our community more resilient in the long term.
Tags: eucalyptus, native, oaks, ojai, planting, plants, Preserve, remove, restoration
FROM THE DIRECTOR / February 2022

I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of E.O. Wilson on December 26, 2021 at the ripe old age of 92 years. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to interact with Ed occasionally over the years.
PRESERVING PARKWAY: NEW LAND ACQUISITION OF 28 ACRES

This past November, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) joined in partnership with The Trust for Public Land (TPL) to announce the acquisition of 28 acres located just upstream from the confluence of the Ventura River and Cañada Larga Creek. The property, officially named the Parkway Preserve, will protect and restore critical wildlife habitat along the Ventura River, provide opportunities to mitigate stormwater flooding, and provide neighboring communities with increased access to open space along the Ventura River.
Tags: 28, Acquisition, acres, Land, OVLC, Parkway Preserve
CREATURE FEATURE

Beep! Beep! You might know the greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) from the classic Looney Tunes cartoon and how the character Road Runner always seems to run faster than Wile E. Coyote; but this isn’t the case in real life. In fact, coyotes can run up to 43 miles per hour, while the greater roadrunner clocks in at a top speed of 26 miles per hour.
Tags: 2021, Buckwheat, California, Creature, fall, Feature, newsletter, roadrunner
VOLUNTEER PROFILE: STUART NIEBEL — OVLC DOCENT

Stuart Niebel has been an Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) docent since 2012, and has led dozens of tours on our preserves, including guiding hundreds of local school children. We hope you will consider becoming a docent too. Don’t worry if you think you don’t have the knowledge base – Stuart has created extensive docent manuals for the Valley View Preserve, Ventura River Preserve, and Ojai Meadows Preserve! We are proud to highlight Stuart’s contributions to the OVLC, in an interview he had with Land Steward, Linda Wilkin.
Tags: 2021, docent, fall, interview, Linda, newsletter, Stuart Niebel, volunteer, Wilkin
NEW BENCHES AT THE VENTURA RIVER PRESERVE

If you have visited the Ventura River Preserve in the last couple months, you may have noticed some new and enticing places to sit. Specifically, some fine, hand-crafted redwood benches. We’re at long last replacing benches lost in the Thomas Fire and installing new memorial benches too.
Tags: 2021, fall, lang, Linda, newsletter, ryan, stewardship, Ventura River Preserve
TRAMPLE TRAILS: HELP US PROTECT THESE LANDS FOR YOU

There are more and more unsanctioned trample trails popping up all over OVLC preserves, and they are a problem. Some of these trails (like the trample trail pictured to the right) are clearly there because trail users just have to know what is around the bend. You are not a cat. Do not let curiosity overwhelm your faculties. In this regard, we want to assure you, OVLC is not hiding a secret oasis or Garden of Eden. If there is a beautiful spot or stellar vista, we already guide you there!
Tags: 2021, Brendan Taylor, fall, newsletter, OVLC, stewardship, trails, trample, Trample Trails
THE SEED COLLECTOR

There are many lessons learned when the days are spent with plant and animal folk—a literacy of some ancient hum that this unseasoned human must learn. On the fall day before rain this early October—unbeknownst to me—the acorns were ready.
Tags: 2021, fall, Mclean, newsletter, restoration, Seed, Sophie
WELCOME NEW STAFF MEMBERS

Our OVLC family is growing! We’re excited to announce three new staff members: Vivon Crawford, Adam Morrison, and Lisa Nix.
Tags: Adam Morrison, Development, events, Lisa Nix, members, New, restoration, Staff, Vivon Crawford, volunteers
FROM THE DIRECTOR / NOVEMBER 2021

Local conservation organizations like OVLC struggle with how to address the global phenomenon of climate change. What can a small group do to ameliorate threats that affect the very things that we are trying to save but are governed by global scale factors? The discussion can focus on mitigation versus adaptation and resilience. Mitigation comes in the form of investing in forests and other natural systems that effectively store carbon for hundreds of years. Adaptation and resilience measures seek to protect and enhance the local ecosystems in response to anticipated changes. Sometimes, the best approach is both.
Tags: 2021, adaptation, Climate Change, environment, fall, from the director, newsletter, ojai, OVLC, resilience, Thomas Maloney
VOLUNTEER PROFILE

Dave Fleischman started volunteering for OVLC two years ago. Today, he has increased his volunteer involvement with the organization by taking on maintenance of volunteer tools and becoming a volunteer trail crew leader. OVLC Land Steward, Linda Wilkin, sat down with Dave to talk about his time working on trails and volunteering with OVLC. Here’s what Dave had to say:
Tags: crew leader, Dave, Fleischman, interview, OVLC, stweard, trails, volunteer
WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS

OVLC welcomes new board members Fiona Hutton and Cari Shore!
Tags: 2021, Board Members, Cari Shore, Fiona Hutton, July
JESSE GRANTHAM: FAREWELL TO AN OJAI LEGEND & AVIAN EXPERT

Former Board member and dedicated OVLC volunteer Jesse Grantham and his wife Trina have moved to North Carolina to be closer to their grandchildren. Longtime Ojai residents and OVLC supporters know Jesse as the local authority on all things avian. Perry Van Houten wrote a lovely and fitting tribute to Jessie in the Ojai Valley News on April 23, 2021.
CREATURE FEATURE / JULY 2021

OVLC has recently received some new tenants on its Ventura River Preserve. Coyotes (Canis latrans) have been seen displaying territorial behavior near some parts of the river due to a nearby den. Coyotes mate between January and March, and females usually give birth to 4-7 pups after a gestation period of 58-65 days.
Tags: coyote, Creature Feature, OVLC, wild flower
RESTORATION / JULY 2021

OVLC Restoration Field Crew has recently gained a new member, Sophie McLean, to help out with field tasks and nursery management. She has a degree in Plant Biology and is excited to exchange her knowledge with OVLC Nursery Manager, Ron Singer.
NURSERY INTERNS

You may have noticed some new voices on our social media the last few weeks. Thanks in-part to a generous grant from the Rotary Club of Ojai, we have two interns from Nordhoff High School: Alessandra (Ally) Lucchesi and Corallyn Moss. They will be assisting OVLC Nursery Manager, Ron Singer, in growing and caring for the thousands of plants that the OVLC uses annually in restoration projects.
Tags: Ally, Corallyn, ecosystem, Green Valley Project, internship, nursery, plants, restoration, Ron, Rotary Club of Ojai, students, Youth
MEET LINDA WILKIN: OVLC LAND STEWARD

We are excited to formally introduce Linda, OVLC’s new Land Steward and botanist extraordinaire! Linda’s love for plants has given her a breadth of experience in farming, habitat restoration, and nursery work. These days, she is putting her experience and passion toward protecting OVLC’s open spaces. For the last eleven months, Linda has been out in the field engaging with preserve users, dealing with fires at the Ojai Meadows Preserve, fixing kiosks and trail signage, and more recently leading volunteer events.
Tags: Land Steward, leave, Linda, Meet, No, OVLC, stewardship, Trace, Wilkin
FROM THE DIRECTOR / JULY 2021

Between the year and a half of pandemic-constrained life and California’s extreme drought, one could be excused for suffering from a grim outlook. However, we at OVLC see reasons to have optimism beyond the slowly abating (at least locally) pandemic.
WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS!

Welcome new board members!
Tags: Bill Brothers, Board Members, Lu Setnicka, New, OVLC, Sarah Sheshunoff
CREATURE FEATURE

Have you noticed all of the beautiful bluebirds flying around the Ojai Meadows Preserve? The Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) is one of our local residents that we are lucky to have year-round here in Ojai.
JOIN OUR ADOPTER PROGRAM

Wish you could volunteer on your own schedule? Now you can! We’re very excited to announce that with funding from the Ojai Women’s Fund we are starting our Volunteer Adopter Program. This will help us maintain our 27 miles of trails and our oak woodland restoration sites. Individuals will be able to take on responsibility for a section of trail on our various preserves (Trail Adopters) or several oak restoration circles on the Ventura River Preserve (Restoration Adopters). Join our new Adopter program!
Tags: adopter, OVLC, Program, restoration, stewardship, trails, volunteer
RESTORATION / MARCH 2021

If you walk in the Ojai Meadows Preserve, you may have noticed burned areas scattered throughout the preserve. The Ventura County Fire Department believes that each of these fires was intentionally started, and is investigating further.
Tags: asonist, burn areas, meadows, native, ojai, plants, Preserve, restoration, seed mix, spreading, volunteers
STEWARDSHIP / MARCH 2021

Lately, the iconic switchbacks on the hillside with the water tank are being short cut and a new trail is forming, following the ridge Luci’s Trail meanders up.
Tags: Boyscouts, Brady Vondriska, Luci's Trail, OVLC, Preserve, repairs, shortcutting, trail work, Troop 504, Valley, View
FROM THE DIRECTOR / MARCH 2021

If you have recently driven down Santa Ana Road, you may have noticed a small herd of goats grazing the fields at OVLC’s Ventura River Steelhead Preserve.
MEET YOUR OVLC STAFF

While OVLC copes with elements of the new normal of the pandemic, we are encouraged by the recent staff changes, and look forward to coming through this strange time stronger than ever. Keep your eye out for Linda, as well as our restoration crew, and if you see them out on a preserve, please feel free to introduce yourself and say hello!
VOLUNTEER PROFILE

Over the years, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy has had many outstanding volunteers. Rob Young is one of them. He has been instrumental in many projects throughout the preserves, yet his leadership and commitment shined even brighter in his work on the construction of the Allan Jacobs trail and bridge. We would like to thank Rob for his years of volunteering and dedication to the OVLC. Volunteers like him and countless others are instrumental to our success protecting the preserves’ open spaces and trails. Rob was generous to take some time to talk to OVLC Land Steward, Linda Wilkin, about his experience volunteering and the building of the Allan Jacobs bridge.
Tags: Allan Jacobs Bridge, Allan Jacobs Trail, ojai, OVLC, Profile, Rob Young, volunteer
2020 FISCAL YEAR* ANNUAL REPORT

* FY 2020: October 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020 In 2019, the OVLC Board chose a new auditor in its efforts to further improve internal controls after the unfortunate embezzlement in 2019. As we had hoped, that firm was extraordinarily detailed in the preparation of our Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 audit, which took until […]
Tags: 2020, Annual Report, Fiscal Year, newsletter, OVLC
Restoration / December ’20 OJAI MEADOWS PRESERVE SOUTH CHURCH FIELD

OVLC field crew has been hard at work controlling weeds. One area in particular that has changed dramatically in the last year is what the OVLC calls the South Church Field at the Ojai Meadows Preserve.
Tags: fall, field, field crew, from the field, news, newsletter, stewardship, summer, trails, work
Stewardship / December ’20

In March, with the Allan Jacobs Bridge nearly complete, it was time to plan our next projects for our volunteer trail program. We decided to turn our attention to the three trails the OVLC adopts from the Los Padres National Forest: lower Gridley Trail, lower Pratt Trail, and Foothill Trail. With this goal in mind, […]
Tags: CREW, fall, from the field, news, newsletter, stewardship, summer, trails, work
FROM THE DIRECTOR / December ’20

It has been said that the only constant is change, and like our society at large, 2020 has been a year of change at OVLC. In addition to the staff changes detailed on page 4 of this newsletter, the organization has a newly streamlined mission statement, a new July 1 fiscal year, and a new […]
Tags: fall, from the director, Maloney, news, newsletter, summer, Tom
Please Welcome Our New Executive Director!

The staff and Board of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) are excited to introduce Tom Maloney as our new Executive Director. His background in Economics and Resources Management and Administration, along with 25 years of conservation experience, make him the ideal candidate to lead the OVLC. “We are fortunate that Tom will be joining […]
Mountainfilm on Tour 2019

Thank you for coming to Mountainfilm!
Save the date: Mountainfilm 2020 September 18 & 19.
Tags: Mountainfilm, movie night
Under the Open Sky 2022

Join us Friday, September 16, at Under the Open Sky—a locally sourced farm-to-table dinner by Lorraine Lim Catering, beer poured by Topa Topa Brewing Co., wine from WarRoom Cellars, a virtual auction, and a paddle raise. When the sun sets we will enjoy a collection of films selected for this special event that will not be shown on Saturday night. All attendees will also receive a complimentary ticket to Saturday night’s Mountainfilm on Tour. This event will sell out. Please purchase your tickets early.
From the Director / June ’20

At the OVLC, we think about community, because quite candidly we couldn’t be here without the support of our generous community. OVLC preserves are the places where the community comes to rejuvenate, exercise, or simply reflect. While COVID-19 has altered how we gather, with physical distancing in place and community and volunteer events on hold, […]
Donor Celebration

Member Celebration
June 22 from 5-8 pm
Ventura River Steelhead Preserve
From the Field

It has been another busy season for the field crew! This three-person team installed a recording breaking number of plants this season. While the final count has yet to be tallied, the number is in the thousands. The primary focus for restoration this season was the 36-acre orange grove project on the Ventura River Preserve […]
We are your local land trust, and we want to hear from you!

Brendan Taylor, OVLC Stewardship Director, is in the process of creating a 5-year plan for the stewardship of the preserves. We recently sat down with him to learn more about this plan, and why feedback from the community is so important. Q: Why are you embarking on a 5-year plan for the preserves? A: A […]
Kathy’s Commitment

Kathy Bennett loves to look out her window at the mountains that the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) has protected forever. She is “paralyzed by the beauty of it all,” and has included the OVLC in her estate planning because “she wants to make sure that it is there for future generations.” While Kathy loves […]
Congratulations, Xena!

As the weather gets warmer, Xena wants to remind everyone that the ground can get very hot for paws. She recommends getting out on the trail early in the morning or in the evening, or investing in some shoes for your furry friends. Otherwise, you might end up carrying them on the trail. Photo: Xena […]
Tags: dog
Thank you and we wish you the best, Natalie!

For the last two years, the OVLC has had the honor of counting Natalie Everton as a member of the field crew. While she will be leaving the OVLC to start her next adventure, she has certainly left her mark on the preserves. We will truly miss this wonderful woman, from her wealth of knowledge […]
Planting on the Preserves

A huge thank you to Ojai West and International Rotary for the donation of 100 5-gallon coast live oaks that are being planted at the Ventura River Preserve. The oak circle in the photo, and many others, were re-planted in December a year after burning in the Thomas Fire. In addition, 35 OVLC supporters grew […]
In Defense of the Trees

Invasive Beetle in Ojai What do beautiful communities, rich wildlife habitats, parks, bird nests, our global climate, and tire swings all have in common? They all depend on trees, a notable symbol representing a healthy environment. Much of the conservation and restoration work undertaken by the OVLC has revolved around the planting and protection of […]
Restoration at Work

Some history of the Ojai Meadows Preserve At a quick glance, it is obvious that the Ojai Meadows Preserve is doing what it’s meant to—connecting people to the natural world. However, unless you remember the way Highway 33 used to flood during a rainstorm, you may not realize the important role the preserve plays in […]
Thank You, Volunteers!

In the field, in the office, at events, and wherever else we need help—our amazing volunteers put in 4,214 hours last year! We are so grateful for every minute you take to help us conserve Ojai. You make it possible for us to do all that we do and we are excited for another year […]
Tags: trail building, trail work, volunteer, volunteers
Protecting What He Loved

Bequest from Peter Noone Peter Kinnoch Noone embodied the down-to-earth style of the outdoor industry and is credited with shaping the development of the outdoor retail store as a commercial force, customer refuge and the forefront for the protection of wilderness. He laid the foundation for his career by skiing, climbing and fly-fishing his way […]
New Signs on the Preserves

When the Thomas Fire burned through the preserves, it cooked quite a few of our trail-junction signs and caused damage to some informational kiosks as well. The fiberglass on the trail signs warped, melted, and became a hazard to clean up. We have cleared most of the old, […]
Tags: signs, Thomas Fire, trail work, trails, Ventura River, Ventura River Preserve, VRP