SAVE RIVERVIEW TRAILHEAD
Wherever you grew up, whether in the Ojai Valley or elsewhere, how many of the surrounding street names besides your own did you know? If you’re like most people, probably not many. The streets are just fixtures of your community, so a detail as minor as the name is unimportant compared to the fact that your friend lives one street over and your school is at the end of another street five minutes away. Riverview Trailhead seems to be a similar fixture in this community.
Rice Trailhead, the Middle One, River Trailhead, the Rice Road One: these are just a few of the names people use for Riverview Trailhead. Many people also think that OVLC already owns Riverview Trailhead, despite the fact that the kiosk map has always shown it as private property and separate from the Ventura River Preserve. But, of course, not everyone sees that kiosk at Riverview, probably because they are using other trailheads, particularly Oso Trailhead, which is tied with Riverview Trailhead for the busiest trailhead in the valley.
Despite sometimes being overlooked, Riverview Trailhead is still a vital fixture of this community because it is the starting point for many preserve users visiting the Ventura River Preserve. Without Riverview Trailhead, Oso Trailhead would be a zoo—or at least more of a zoo than it currently is, especially on a hot summer day when people flock to the river. By purchasing Riverview and making official what many already mistakenly assumed was true, OVLC is helping to ensure that recreational use remains at a sustainable level by dispersing visitors across various trailheads and the trail system at the Ventura River Preserve.
Protecting Riverview Trailhead in perpetuity ensures that water from Cozy Dell Creek has a designated area to disperse as well. Although Cozy Dell seldom floods, in the event of a recurrence akin to the January 2023 incident, it becomes increasingly imperative to preserve the floodplain and maintain its undeveloped status. With the imminent acquisition of the entire Riverview Trailhead property, encompassing portions of the land beneath the parking area, OVLC has taken proactive measures (with permission from the property owner) by removing the old kiwi orchard to initiate land restoration. Failure to protect the property leaves the door open for reversion to agricultural use, which could potentially exacerbate pressure on our water supply and vulnerability to future flood damage. Now, as efforts are underway to secure protection for the property, the removal of the kiwi orchard has already elevated the valley floor’s most splendid panorama.
One of the main draws of Riverview Trailhead is undoubtedly the breathtaking vista it offers—just look at the river bottom right there, framed by the imposing Santa Ynez mountains in the distance. It’s one of the most accessible spots in the valley to watch the sunset. OVLC is genuinely pleased that for most visitors, the allure lies not in the trailhead itself, but in the opportunity to soak in the surrounding natural beauty or embark on the trails. After all, trailheads tend to be crowded with cars, fences, and trash cans—not exactly the picturesque environments OVLC strives to conserve. While our focus remains on preserving the surrounding land, until we gather sufficient funds to acquire it, we appeal to you to lend your support, if only temporarily, to protect what is evidently a vital community asset, known to few by name!
Brendan Taylor, Director of Field Programs