Ventura River Preserve Getting Bigger

The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy purchased a critical 29 acre property adjacent to the Ventura River Preserve this week. The property lies between the heavily used Oso Trailhead and Riverview Trailhead near Meiners Oaks.

“This is a key part of our and our partners’ vision to create a Ventura River Parkway – a collection of protected, publicly accessible land in and adjacent to the Ventura River,” said Greg Gamble, OVLC Executive Director. “This land is quintessential river bottom and its permanent protection benefits a river system which provides a potential home for over two dozen rare, threatened and endangered species – and it is also a great place to hike!”

This Ventura River Preserve addition will be enjoyed by the tens of thousands of preserve visitors every year. “Our guests probably didn’t realize it was private property when they were hiking by,” noted Don Reed, OVLC Board President. “It is one of those things that a person can take for granted, but thankfully we all can rest easy knowing that it will remain in its open, natural state forever for Ojai residents and visitors to enjoy.”

The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy was awarded an $843,000 grant from the California Coastal Conservancy earlier this year to purchase the property. The Coastal Conservancy shares the vision for the creation of a Ventura River Parkway, and also seeks to protect the habitat of the federally endangered southern California steelhead.

The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy works to protect the views, trails, water and wildlife of the Ojai Valley. Since its founding in 1987, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy has permanently protected over 2,200 acres. On that land every year, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy maintains dozens of miles of trails, guides hundreds of visitors, and hosts thousands of guests—hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, school children and others.