How many of us think about grass on a daily basis? Not many I expect, and yet it occupies our culture in so many facets. We eat their seeds and sneeze from their pollen. We look at the verdant mountains of their green hue and observe the wind wolves that use them to travel the hillsides, carving a path through the rolling mounds of California. We pull their roots from our gardens, and their burs from our socks. It is an ever-present lifeform that we exist with.

Emma Nathan started volunteering at the start of 2022. Over the past year and a half, she has logged more than 170 hours of volunteer work and recently became one of our first Volunteer Crew Leads. We are proud to highlight Emma’s contributions to the OVLC, in an interview she had with Land Steward, Linda Wilkin.

If you have visited the Ventura River Preserve since the January 9-10 storm, you are likely aware of the extensive changes caused by the flood. Regular visitors to the preserve may have also observed the impact on the trail system, as the region received over 15 inches of rain in less than 24 hours and more than 60 inches of rain in the Ventura River watershed so far this year, resulting in significant alterations.