Tag: newsletter
2020 FISCAL YEAR* ANNUAL REPORT

* FY 2020: October 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020 In 2019, the OVLC Board chose a new auditor in its efforts to further improve internal controls after the unfortunate embezzlement in 2019. As we had hoped, that firm was extraordinarily detailed in the preparation of our Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 audit, which took until […]
Tags: 2020, Annual Report, Fiscal Year, newsletter, OVLC
Restoration / December ’20 OJAI MEADOWS PRESERVE SOUTH CHURCH FIELD

OVLC field crew has been hard at work controlling weeds. One area in particular that has changed dramatically in the last year is what the OVLC calls the South Church Field at the Ojai Meadows Preserve.
Tags: fall, field, field crew, from the field, news, newsletter, stewardship, summer, trails, work
Stewardship / December ’20

In March, with the Allan Jacobs Bridge nearly complete, it was time to plan our next projects for our volunteer trail program. We decided to turn our attention to the three trails the OVLC adopts from the Los Padres National Forest: lower Gridley Trail, lower Pratt Trail, and Foothill Trail. With this goal in mind, […]
Tags: CREW, fall, from the field, news, newsletter, stewardship, summer, trails, work
FROM THE DIRECTOR / December ’20

It has been said that the only constant is change, and like our society at large, 2020 has been a year of change at OVLC. In addition to the staff changes detailed on page 4 of this newsletter, the organization has a newly streamlined mission statement, a new July 1 fiscal year, and a new […]
Tags: fall, from the director, Maloney, news, newsletter, summer, Tom
From the Field / June ’20

Used baby diapers, empty beer cans, human feces, and punctured flotation devices have no place on the preserves. Similarly, the OVLC is very conscientious in where it places trails, trying to minimize the environmental impact of our presence in nature, yet every day we find new trails down to the river. At this time in […]
What’s In Bloom? Spring ’20

Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea) Woolly Bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum) This evergreen shrub looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, but it’s one of our favorites! The next time you’re out hiking on the backcountry trails of the Ventura River Preserve treat your nose to the wonderful scents of woolly bluecurls. You’ll smell hints of […]
From the Field / February ’20

Here at the OVLC rain is a very exciting event—it kicks off the start to planting season for our field crew! We are out and about on all of the preserves, but we are especially proud of our plantings along San Antonio Creek, where native plants have successfully replaced invasive arundo, and at the old […]
From the Director / June ’20

At the OVLC, we think about community, because quite candidly we couldn’t be here without the support of our generous community. OVLC preserves are the places where the community comes to rejuvenate, exercise, or simply reflect. While COVID-19 has altered how we gather, with physical distancing in place and community and volunteer events on hold, […]
From the Director / February ’20

Ojai is an extraordinary place filled with remarkable people in an amazing natural setting. It seems that the valley exerts a persistent pull on anyone who has spent any time here. In addition to these distinctive qualities, increasingly the Ojai Valley faces many challenges all too familiar to communities throughout California and the West. Perhaps […]
Thank you and we wish you the best, Natalie!

For the last two years, the OVLC has had the honor of counting Natalie Everton as a member of the field crew. While she will be leaving the OVLC to start her next adventure, she has certainly left her mark on the preserves. We will truly miss this wonderful woman, from her wealth of knowledge […]
Improved Hiking Access through Forest Service Partnership

It’s been a good month for improved hiking access with projects put in place in partnership with the US Forest Service (USFS). The Foothill Trail adopt-a-trail agreement and the Pratt Trailhead rehab project have finally launched. Heidi Anderson, the Ojai District’s Wilderness Trails Manager and temporary duty District Ranger Yolanda Saldana worked with OVLC to […]
Tags: Foothill Trail, Fox Canyon Trail, hike, hikes, hiking, Luci's Trail, newsletter, trails
Cleaning up the Ventura River

Pulling old dolls, smashed bicycles and discarded tires out of the river isn’t what everyone wants to do on their holiday, but for some 50 volunteers on Presidents’ Day, that’s exactly what they did; and the river was better off for it. Ojai people of all ages came together with trashcans and buckets and collected […]
Tags: clean-up, newsletter, river, Ventura River, volunteers, water
OVLC Summer Newsletter

Our summer edition of the Open Spaces newsletter is in the mail. Here it is for those of you who prefer to read it online: You can check out our past newsletters here »
Tags: events, grants, newsletter