From the Director

Upon arriving in late 2019 as the new Executive Director, several OVLC supporters exhorted me to focus on protecting more land in the Ojai Valley. At the time, I thought that seemed like obvious advice. After all, preserving, stewarding and restoring land and habitat is the core mission of any land trust.

The Board of Directors Acquisitions Committee helped to get things oriented as there were already several projects in various stages. One potential acquisition was the 44-acre Riverview Trailhead that OVLC had been trying to buy for decades. Thanks to the generosity of Redemption Church, Riverview was already established as a cherished trailhead to the Ventura River Preserve.

This trailhead is in some ways the most noteworthy of the three successful land acquisitions announced by OVLC this summer due to the length of time it took to add that property to the existing Ventura River Preserve. However, having land deals take decades is not uncommon in land conservation. In some places it is probably the rule rather than the exception.

Like all land trusts, OVLC sees conservation as a perpetual commitment, so it makes sense that in land conservation, patience truly is a virtue. To illustrate this point, Jim Engel, one of OVLC’s former directors, joined us at the dedication of the also long-awaited Broida Bridge on the Ojai Meadows Preserve and at our celebration of a successful capital campaign for the acquisitions (he also worked on both projects in his time at OVLC). Seeing Jim reconnect with old friends was a good reminder that community-based conservation starts with community!

The power of patient community conservation efforts pays lasting dividends due to the permanence of land conservation. While advocacy is needed to defend nature, those victories can be fleeting and somewhat ephemeral. The land acquisitions announced this summer mean that 234 acres will forever be part of the valley’s natural capital. 

Since perpetuity is such a long time, OVLC thanks all of you who generously supported the capital campaign to ensure that these lands, and the organization that protected them, will be around to build community and protect the habitats and character of this little valley…forever.

Tom Maloney, Executive Director