Partnerships
The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy is honored to partner with the following agencies on mutually beneficial projects for the Ojai Valley and the Ventura River watershed.
California State Coastal Conservancy
Mission – The Coastal Conservancy acts with others to preserve, protect and restore the resources of the California Coast. Our vision is of a beautiful, restored and accessible coastline.
The California State Coastal Conservancy has provided grant funding for acquisition of the Ventura River Preserve, Confluence Preserve, Steelhead Preserve, and Rio Vista Preserve. OVLC has worked with them in planning and realizing the Ventura River Parkway and is an active participant the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration project planning currently underway.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Mission – Conserving California’s Wildlife.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has provided grant funding for the acquisition of the Steelhead Preserve and for a baffle/streambank restoration project on the Ventura River Confluence Preserve. A partner and key player in salmonid recovery in the Ventura River watershed.
www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Administration/Grants/FRGP
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Mission –To efficiently achieve voluntary habitat restoration on private lands, through financial and technical assistance, for the benefit of Federal Trust Species.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has provided grant funding to the C.R.E.W. to remove invasive non-native plants from the Ventura River Preserve and worked with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to prepare a Safe Harbor Agreement so we can spend less time on permitting for our restoration projects. They have been a partner in protecting endangered, threatened, and other special status species.
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Mission – provides products and services that enable people to be good stewards of the Nation’s soil, water, and related natural resources on non-Federal lands. With our help, people are better able to conserve, maintain, or improve their natural resources. As a result of our technical and financial assistance, land managers and communities take a comprehensive approach to the use and protection of natural resources in rural, suburban, urban, and developing areas.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service has provided funding for streambank stabilization project and invasive non-native plant removal on the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy preserves. They have been a partner in restoring OVLC lands.
NOAA Restoration Center
Mission – Created in 1991, the Restoration Center is the only office within NOAA solely devoted to restoring the nation’s coastal, marine, and migratory fish habitats. The Restoration Center works with a wide array of partners to restore mangrove, salt marsh, seagrass, oyster, coral reef, kelp forest, and river habitats.
NOAA Funded a project to remove Arundo from Rice Creek on the Ventura River Preserve and to help restore the riparian corridor with stimulus funds. The NOAA Restoration Center also funded a portion of the bank stabilization project at the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Confluence Preserve in 2007, a pilot program to demonstrate natural processes at work to stabilize river banks from erosion.
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration
Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project
Mission – works cooperatively with public agencies, non-profits, scientists, and local communities to acquire and restore rivers, streams, and wetlands in coastal southern California.
The Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project has provided funds for habitat restoration, invasive non-native plant removal and an environmental education program (Once Upon a Watershed) on our preserves. They have been a partner in restoring our lands.
California Conservation Corps
Mission – The young women and men of the Corps work hard protecting and restoring California’s environment and responding to disasters, becoming stronger workers, citizens and individuals through their service.
California Conservation Corps workers have installed bio-engineered bank stabilization structures, planted native vegetation, and removed invasive non-native plants on our preserves. They have also done important trail re routes on the Ventura River Preserve. The CCC is a conservation work crew that has trained supervisory staff in trail building and aquatic and terrestrial restoration techniques.
Concerned Resource Environmental Workers (The C.R.E.W.)
Mission – The C.R.E.W. is an environmentally oriented nonprofit youth leadership and employment organization. Founded in 1991, the C.R.E.W. provides leadership and job training, paid employment and community service opportunities to local youth aged 14 to 21, while providing the resources needed to preserve, maintain, and improve public and private wild lands as well as to protect local communities against the threat of wildfire.
C.R.E.W. workers have constructed miles of trails and removed invasive non-native plants on our preserves. They are a conservation work crew of local youth with supervisors trained in trail building and invasive species removal. They also have done a lot of the OVLC’s yearly fire clearance work, and helped out with restoration activities including planting and weeding on the Ventura River Preserve and Ojai Meadows Preserve.
Once Upon a Watershed
Mission – Once Upon a Watershed seeks to awaken wonder, appreciation, discovery and connection with the natural world. Through hands-on watershed education, restoration, and stewardship experiences, our programs cultivate a sense of shared responsibility for our whole earth system, instilling confidence and hope by empowering young people to make a real difference at the local watershed scale.
The Once Upon a Watershed (OUW) education program works with local students in the Ventura River watershed to awaken wonder, discovery and connection with the natural world. Through hands-on watershed education, restoration, and stewardship experiences they cultivate a sense of shared responsibility for our whole earth system, instilling confidence and hope by empowering young people to make a real difference in their own watershed. Many of the programs take place on the OVLC’s Ojai Meadows and Steelhead Preserves.
