A vast, complex system of water cuts through the Ojai Valley like a kingsnake through a bunchgrass meadow. Meandering and weaving through the hillsides, its channels are both shaped and guided by the land. Sediment grains, too small and irrelevant to notice, drift through the system, their individual destinies adding to the personality of the watershed. This dance between water and sediment embodies the river’s character, almost artful in its innumerable expressions. What does it mean for a small granule to rely on the drifts of such incomprehensible power as moving water? What is it like to witness the cyclical, meandering nature of a river from inside the river itself? It isn’t a linear answer, but a kaleidoscope of possibilities in which energies are converging. To envision the watershed as a vivid quilt sown with patchworks of textured grains, that are individually brilliant and yet cohesively lush, is to understand life as a tessellation with layers of beauty. 

A fire, a pandemic, a flood: combined, these three disasters started, and stalled, a nearly seven-year-long campaign to build three new bridges on OVLC’s preserves. As of July, that effort finally finished with the construction of the Broida Bridge at the Ojai Meadows Preserve (OMP)! These bridges didn’t just take time to be built, they also cost a combined total of around $800,000. But the time, cost, and energy that went into the three bridges were worth it because bridges offer connection in a multitude of ways.

Fiscal Year 2024 (July 2023 - June 2024) was a transformative year for the OVLC, marked by significant land acquisitions and program achievements. These milestones not only expanded our conservation footprint but also strengthened our commitment to preserving the unique natural beauty of the Ojai Valley.