More Than Just Your Pretty Views

From almost anywhere in Ojai, you can look out at the undeveloped hillsides and know you are home. In addition to conserving Ojai’s scenic backdrop, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s protection and restoration of land has a myriad of benefits that go beyond beauty. The diverse and rich habitats that thrive in these open spaces provide the following essential ecosystem services that increase our resilience to a changing climate.

Restoring the land

In 2020 OVLC affirmed our commitment to restoration by making it part of our mission statement. Removing invasive species and planting native plants restores biodiversity, saves water, reduces fire risk, increases slope stability on stream banks and hillsides, provides habitat for wildlife, and revives our innate sense of place.

Four OVLC staff are dedicated to restoring the land and its ecological benefits for all of us.

Storing carbon

Habitat restoration often has the added benefit of increasing carbon storage. Deep-rooted and long-lived native plants sink more carbon into the ground than most of our non-native species. An oak tree that we plant today—and OVLC plants hundreds every year—will pull excess carbon from the atmosphere while enhancing habitat for the next two hundred years.

Our shared home

What is more Ojai than the yipping of coyotes at night? Or the rare and magical sighting of a bobcat, bear, or even mountain lion that gets your heart pumping? Our wildlife is the living symbol of an intact and resilient ecosystem and serves to connect us to the natural world.

Protecting our water

Water is essential for all life in the Ojai Valley, and so protecting the Ventura River and its tributaries is a top priority for the OVLC. Land protection is also a critical step in balancing water demands. As a land trust, OVLC seeks to play a larger role in protecting our most vital resource—from restoration to land protection our work spans the whole watershed.

Changing climate

Climate change is shrinking and shifting habitat at an alarming rate—we’ve all seen the news about Polar Bears. As our climate shifts in the Ojai Valley, we are already seeing plant and animal communities transition to higher elevations and shaded north facing slopes. OVLC works to protect a broad range of habitats and the diverse flora and fauna that call Ojai home—as a diverse ecosystem enhances environmental resilience.Defending against fireA clearly defined wildland-urban interface enables firefighters to create defensible lines and firebreaks to help protect our community from wildfires. OVLC’s preserves serve as these buffers, and we seek to acquire lands to further protect our community from increasingly intense fires.

Defending against fire

A clearly defined wildland-urban interface enables firefighters to create defensible lines and firebreaks to help protect our community from wildfires. OVLC’s preserves serve as these buffers, and we seek to acquire lands to further protect our community from increasingly intense fires.