Rice Creek Restoration Time Lapse
In October 2013, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, along with our team of engineers and contractors, freed Rice Creek from an artificially created diversion ditch and back into its historic native route. The project healed a severed hydrologic connection between Rice Creek and the Ventura River. The project re-wetted ¾ of a mile of historic creek channel and will result in about 10 acres of new stream habitat. In the 1920’s Rice Creek was simply removed to make room for an orange orchard. Rice Creek is back! Along the historic route, over 10,000 new native trees and shrubs have been added to restore riparian habitats. We are now just waiting for rain so we can see Rice Creek flow free for the first time in 85 years!
Brian Stark
This could have been a major money-maker for the OVLC. Many men would have PAID to run the excavator like that