Tag: restoration
OVLC ACQUIRES 9.55 ACRES IN SAN ANTONIO CREEK

Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) announces the purchase of 9.55 acres of land in San Antonio Creek. The acquisition signifies a milestone in the ongoing efforts to protect and restore the Ventura River watershed and the natural landscapes of the Ojai Valley forever.
National Trails Day: June 3, 2023

In celebration of American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, OVLC is hosting a number of volunteer opportunities including good old trail maintenance, trail cleanup, and some trail restoration work too. Projects will run from 8:30 am – 12 pm and range from easily accessible and not physically demanding to requiring a nice hike in with some rigorous work.
This is the perfect opportunity to get out in nature with the people you love, give back to the trails that bring us together, and make sure no one is left out. Our National Trails Day volunteer projects are fit for all ages and skill levels. We encourage you to invite the whole family!
OVLC NATIVE PLANT NURSERY INTERNSHIP

OVLC in partnership with Green Valley Project are looking for Native Plant Nursery Interns! This is a wonderful learning experience for high school students in the valley. All are encouraged to apply!
Seek the Creek

The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy is conducting a community visioning process for the future removal and restoration of the Matilija Dam. This is an exciting project that will return the critical waterway of Matilija Creek to its original flow, providing much needed public open space to our region.
Join us for a community meeting on February 22, 23 or 25, where we’ll discuss potential use of the land around the Matilija Dam, as well as opportunities to provide more immediate improved access to existing open space in our region.
Native Plant Month

This November, OVLC is celebrating Native Plant Month to highlight the vital role native plants play in our local ecosystems and community. The Ojai Valley is currently experiencing landscape-scale shifts in our oak woodlands, chaparral, riparian, and agricultural lands. While climate change is a global issue, climate resilience requires a local strategy; and restoring ecosystem functions of native habitats will support the system’s ability to rebound from these extreme climate events.
Join us this month for any and all of the following events as we discuss the importance of native plants and how they benefit our local ecosystems and help strengthen our community’s resilience to climate change.
OAK RESTORATION AT THE OJAI MEADOWS PRESERVE

On June 20 and 21, OVLC hired The C.R.E.W. to remove 7 non-native trees at the Ojai Meadows Preserve as part of a greater conservation effort to restore oak woodlands and savannas in the Ojai Valley.
Why Oak Trees?

Every year OVLC plants hundreds of oak trees. These oak trees help the Ojai Valley become resilient to a changing climate. The oaks we plant today start off small and fragile, but with time they will become majestic towering oaks that define Ojai’s landscapes. Restoring our lands back to oak woodlands has a myriad of benefits for our […]
More Than Just Your Pretty Views

From almost anywhere in Ojai, you can look out at the undeveloped hillsides and know you are home. In addition to conserving Ojai’s scenic backdrop, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s protection and restoration of land has a myriad of benefits that go beyond beauty. The diverse and rich habitats that thrive in these open spaces provide the following essential ecosystem services that increase our resilience to a changing climate.
THE GREEN VALLEY PROJECT

The Green Valley Project (GVP) is an environmental initiative led by The C.R.E.W. in partnership with Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Once Upon a Watershed, Pax Environmental, and Watershed Progressive.The GVP plans to restore ecosystems in the Ojai Valley over the next 20 years, so they can provide habitat for abundant wildlife and improve Ojai’s resilience to drought, fire, and climate change. Principal funding comes from a generous multi-year grant from the Cotyledon Fund, a private donor-advised fund. The partners are also committed to raising support from community donors, and state and local grants.
OVLC TRAIL MANAGEMENT

The OVLC’s mission is to protect and restore the open space, wildlife habitat, watersheds, and views of the Ojai Valley for current and future generations. Due to a number of factors, many land trusts do not allow public access on their lands. One significant factor concerns the fact that recreational trails can impair habitat values […]
Restoration After the Thomas Fire

The native vegetation that covered the preserves before the Thomas Fire is adapted to fire—meaning many of the plants will grow back. We are already seeing shoots emerge from the base of laurel sumac, yucca, wild cucumber, and soap plant; oak trees that lost their leaves have already begun to leaf out and are now […]
Ojai Meadows Restoration Tour

Ojai Meadows Restoration Tour
Ojai Meadows Preserve
Saturday, June 3 at 9 am
San Antonio Creek Update

Since the fall of 2016, the OVLC has been removing arundo from San Antonio Creek along Creek Road. Arundo, which is native to the Indian sub-continent and looks similar to bamboo, has infested watersheds throughout southern California, including the Ventura River Watershed. Arundo crowds out plants that are native to our creeks and consumes a lot of water—see below. It also creates a major fire threat, increases flood risks, and deprives habitat for wildlife.
Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project

Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project
Talk by Paul Jenkin
March 11, 10 am – 12 pm
OVLC Office
A is for Acorn

Believe it or not it’s acorn collecting time again Collecting as many as we can for restoration projects Drought has seriously hampered acorn production in California Exudation is the sticky substance you find on damaged acorns. Leave them be. Find an oak with grass underneath for a soft landing and better chance of survival. Green […]
Why the oak circle?

Why the oak circle? Anyone that has been out to see our oak plantings on the Ojai Meadows Preserve and the Ventura River Preserve may have noticed a familiar planting pattern; that circular zone planted with oaks and shrubs. We call them oak nodes, or oak circles. We’ve had a few questions on the theory […]
Cluff Vista Park Undergoes Maintenance

Lately, Cluff Vista has been getting some love from both the City of Ojai and Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Restoration Field Crew. The park has been pruned, cleaned, planted, and mulched. Just before Christmas Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Field Crew planted native plants grown in their own Ojai Meadows Preserve nursery to fill in the […]
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 […]
Press Release: Rice Creek Flows Free

This winter, Rice Creek will flow along its native route for the first time in roughly 85 years. The seasonal tributary of the Ventura River is located on the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Ventura River Preserve. Back in the 1920’s, the stream was diverted from its native route to make room for a 60-acre orange grove. […]
Rice Creek Reroute in Ojai

Some of you may have noticed the changes afoot in and around the orange grove down at the Ventura River Preserve. I’ve got the inside scoop from Restoration Stud Brian Stark: 1. What were the origins of this project? The idea really started with previous staff members like Stevie Adams, Rich Handley, and Executive Director […]
Meadows Restoration Update

Starting this week, if you look around the Ojai Meadows Preserve, you will see that a lot of activity is underway on the open fields. This work represents the final phase of the master restoration plan prepared for the site in 2004. The open fields are currently being managed for weed control and, ultimately, their new function […]
Local Partnership Improves Stream Habitats in Ojai
Usually, the sound of a chain saw coming from a local creek is cause for concern. Recently, however, this sound has been associated with habitat improvements for fish and wildlife. A partnership between the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC), the California Conservation Corps (CCC), and the Concerned Resource and Environmental Workers (CREW) has just completed […]
Ojai’s Meadow Lark

A merry and jolly Friday to all. Please check this weekend’s calendar if you haven’t succumbed to football induced malaise yet. Proud to have OVLC VIP Brian Stark ITH (In The House, I just made that one up). In anticipation of Saturday’s birthday party for the Conservancy we are taking you on an insider’s tour of the […]
Our Meadow

I recently came to the realization that after 100 posts in 7 months I’ve given a scant few sentences to the Ojai Meadow Preserve. What can I say, I’m a Ventura River Preserve guy, with it’s miles of quiet sylvan trails and punishing ascents (and ankle deep piles of horse apples). But in light of […]
Passion Inspires Rice Creek Realignment

On Saturday the Sespe Fly Fishers Club recognized Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s commitment to preservation of the environment and support for local conservation through direct action in the Ojai Valley. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, is committed to supporting local conservation efforts. Couinard is also a fly fisherman and member of the Sespe Fly Fishers […]