STEWARDSHIP / WINTER 2023
OVLC Director of Field Programs, Brendan Taylor stands in the center of a blowout in Rice Canyon
The recent January rain events were much needed for the flora and fauna on OVLC preserves, although they also created much destruction. The Ventura River and its tributaries raged, taking out large swaths of native vegetation (including mature trees), and sending massive boulders tumbling. The river forged new paths, creating deeply-incised channels all along the river corridor. The swimming hole in the Ventura River Preserve filled in with sediment, and the river, which previously collected there, now runs 100 yards away to the east.
While the landscape has been permanently altered, this is just nature taking its course. Had the river bottom been developed into a golf course, condos, or a working ranch (all which were intended developments before the OVLC protected this land forever), the devastation would have been immense.
But that doesn’t mean there was no damage to parts of our community’s built environment: Over two miles of trails on the Ventura River Preserve were wiped off the map, slides covered up trail tread, blowouts cratered multiple areas, trees dropped and blocked passage, and eroded gullies formed up and down portions of trail where we haven’t seen them before.
Starting on January 12—just two days after the rains—we were out on the trails with volunteers, removing slides and reclaiming blown out tread. In the first month after the storm, 252 volunteers put in 1082 hours on storm-damaged trail repair! We have numerous school and scout groups offering to come help, plus, we are routinely getting around 15-20 people signing up for each of our half-day community volunteer projects.
To bolster our recovery efforts, we are proud to announce a new partnership with the Ojai C.R.E.W. The C.R.E.W. has always worked on OVLC lands, performing weed management, fire clearance, and helping on the occasional trail project. However, over the coming weeks and months, they will be working on OVLC trails constantly. As this is a partnership, the C.R.E.W. won’t just work on OVLC trails. Instead, this is an opportunity for The C.R.E.W. to develop new and advanced trail work skills that can carry forward to projects on trails throughout the Ojai Valley and beyond—not just on OVLC preserves. This means that The C.R.E.W. will learn about trail design and layout, improve their ability to identify trail problems and create solutions, and work on a myriad of trail projects beyond just brush clearance.
The C.R.E.W. will develop these skills as they work to repair OVLC trails because the damage done requires a variety of fixes. We will have to rebuild retention features, install new and improved drainage structures, cut out downed trees, push aside massive boulders, and reroute some sections of trails. As a result of the flooding, there will be some side routes, primarily on the river bottom networks, that will not be brought back. This flood has taught us that some of the trails in that area are ill-advised as they would very likely be washed away again in the near future since climate change is increasing the frequency of storms like the January 9-10 storm.
Importantly, while we will not reclaim some old routes, we have already created a new path across the Ventura River. A physical connection to the river is of paramount importance to this community—we know that because in the days immediately following the storm, crowds were gathered at Riverview Trailhead, anxious to behold the beauty and power of mother nature. So, with help from our amazing volunteers, and in partnership with The C.R.E.W., we’ll take the risk of building a connection out to and across the Ventura River once more, because even though these trails will inevitably be damaged again, seeing the river take its natural course is worth the work, and the trails across the river are spectacular!