Vol. 8 No. 1
Spring 2012
Conservancy to Host Student Mural Project Wild & Scenic Film Celebrates our Local Watershed Festival for 3rd Year
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Story by Lee Sherman. Photos by Lee Sherman and Stephen Svete.
his past November students from De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts on Ventura Avenue beautified the Ventura River Trail with a mural that was inspired by field trips to VHC’s River Preserve below Foster Park. During these visits they learned first-hand—some got their feet wet—about where our water comes from and the importance of our hillsides and surrounding areas in the health of our watershed. We asked them to write or draw pictures about what they learned and then took the images to renowned local artist MB Hanrahan, who got to work incorporating their designs into a template for a large colorful mural. After being rained out on our first attempt, MB chalked out the patterns
“Film Festival Preview” See Page 6
and prepped the site the following Friday, and the next Saturday morning students and their parents showed up to paint! Hanrahan believes that the cooperative process of painting a mural brings people together and provides a “positive heady experience in interconnectedness, which carries over to our shared responsibilities in taking care of the environment. Both require direct and collective involvement—not one of us can do it alone.” The mural shows this in its bright, dramatic imagery of kids enjoying and valuing the water as a gift from giving hands. You can see a short film of the project, including a fast-forward sequence of the young artists’ progress Continued on page 3
he Ventura Hillsides Conservancy will again host the only Ventura County stop of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival national tour, having won a grant for the third year running from the South Yuba River Citizens League, the festival producer. Wild & Scenic features independent short and feature films highlighting human outdoor adventure and interactions with Earth’s natural places and living creatures. The Conservancy will hold the festival at the Ventura’s Poinsettia Pavilion on two evenings: Friday and Saturday, March 23rd and 24th from 7 to 10 PM. It will screen fifteen films, seven on Friday and eight on Saturday. The films range from one to 30 minutes in length. The Conservancy selected all of the films Continued on page 4
Welcome Melina Watts.........................................2 New Trustee..........................................................3 Film Festival Information.................................5 - 6 Misunderstood Vultures........................................7 Ventura River Clean-Up.........................................8
Welcome Melina Watts
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n late November the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy board hired Melina Sempill Watts as its executive director, filling a position that has been vacant for nearly a year. Watts took the helm of the organization on December 5th. “The Board of Trustees was impressed with the Melina’s experience in resource conservation, community organizing, and fundraising” says Tim Coonan, Conservancy president. “She brings a set of skills in key areas that will enable VHC to organize its many projects and continue its growth. We are already hitting the ground running with Melina. She is busy forwarding a number of conservation and fundraising goals.” Watts spent seven years working at the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains as the Malibu Creek Watershed Coordinator, during which time she raised over ten million dollars for the California Department of Conservation, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains and for environmental programs and projects
as the C onservancy ’ s E xecutive D irector
developed in partnership with the Malibu Creek Watershed Council. Last year, she was promoted to Santa Monica Mountains Watersheds Coordinator, a position she continues to hold on a half time basis. Prior to her career in conservation, Melina worked as a creative executive, writing consultant and script analyst at such companies as the Kennedy/
Who Saves the Hills? our regional biodiversity to continue to conserve natural areas which will allow
By Melina Watts Executive Director
Marshall Company, Pico Creek Productions, The Bedford Falls Company and DreamWorks. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in history. Watts has two sons and a daughter. “I am thrilled about being selected to lead the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy,” says Watts, “and am looking forward to connecting with landowners and the community of Ventura in order to find the best ways to preserve the glorious open spaces that give Ventura its character and beauty.” “The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy is committed to the highest environmental, community and ethical standards. This is an exciting time -- within the last few months we have been approached by four landowners with conservation opportunities. 2012 is the year that we can help our community to make the magic happen. We take our responsibility to protect and provide access to open space in Ventura very seriously.”
Ventura and to invite each one to join VHC again. Half way through the evening, Gary came right out of his office to tell us that he had just spoken with a single mother of four. She had interrupted cooking dinner and found room in her budget to join the Conservancy, again, as a member. She wants open space for her children and her children’s children. I think about her donation every day that I go to work: I want to help to make it happen for her, for her kids, for all of us. Please join us in the campaign of a lifetime to preserve open space in Ventura for all time: go to www. venturahillsides.org and donate as your spirit moves you. The hills are calling to us.
t nine years old, the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy is a young land conservancy with amazing opportunities ahead of it. Turn away from the ocean and look to the horizon where the green and gold hills roll up against the blue sky and you can see where our hopes are, punctuated by two trees. In a park-starved community, acquiring open space for public access is a civic duty for ourselves, our children, and for future generations. In a world where the environment is under siege on multiple levels, preserving this land is a moral imperative. We have the chance within our own generation to
thrive. We are engaging land owners, writing grants, approaching foundations, working with major donors, developing agency partnerships, exploring every possible venue to be ready to acquire the kind of capital it is going to take to make this happen. At the most basic level, this kind of success is driven by the individual commitments of an entire community, by donations from donors like you and me. The day before Valentine’s Day, I joined new President of the Board of Trustees Tim Coonan and former Presidents Gary Bednorz and Stephen Svete. We gathered to call former members to thank each of them for their commitment to open space in
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Spring 2012
David Comden Appointed as Newest Trustee
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t its February 2012 meeting, the Board of Trustees appointed its newest member, David Comden. He will serve a three-year term, which is renewable one time. Comden is publisher of the VC Reporter newsweekly and Ventana Monthly magazine, publications covering Ventura County’s news, culture, and entertainment scene. He is vice-chair of the Downtown Ventura Organization, an entity promoting economic and cultural vitality in the city center. David will bring a strong business skill to the organization, and is actively involved in shaping the VHC 2012 budget. He’s also a committed preservationist: “We moved to Ventura because of its natural beauty and friendly atmosphere and have been supporters of the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy since its inception. Over the past 100 years, much of California’s open space has been lost. I want to help ensure that moving forward, we work to keep these special places in their natural state so that wildlife can continue to prosper and future generations of people can enjoy them.” At the January meeting, two founding trustees, Bill Smith and Stephen Svete, cycled off the Board in accordance with the Land Trusts accessionsuccession policies. Both had served since 2003. Spring 2012
Student Mural Project Continued from page 1
and an interview with Hanrahan, on our website at www.venturahillsides.org (scroll to the bottom). Sempra Energy Foundation’s Environmental Champions program funded the project. Other partners include the City of Ventura and the Peace and Love Club at De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts. You can view the mural on the Ventura River Trail (the Ventura-Ojai bike trail) just below Foster Park. Please stop by and take a look.
Ventura Hillsides Conservancy Board of Trustees
Tim Coonan, President Tom Weisel, Vice-President Gerhardt Hubner, Secretary Brooke Ashworth Bob Bartosh Gary Bednorz David Comden Jamie L. King Melina Watts, Executive Director — Our Mission — To preserve the hillsides, canyons, and open space that contribute to the natural environment and unique character of the City of San Buenaventura and the surrounding region for the benefit of present and future generations
VHC is a proud member of the Land Trust Alliance Visit www.lta.org
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Conservancy to Host Wild & Scenic Film Festival for 3rd Year Continued from page 1
especially for this program. The Ventura Film Society will assist in producing the event. In an emerging tradition, filmgoers will be treated to some exciting local color told through film. Return Flight: through the “Bring a Friend” campaign Restoring the Bald Eagle, is an inspiring by purchasing gift memberships from conservation success story about the the website, www.venturahillsides.org. reintroduction of this iconic raptor to “Film is a great way to introduce one of its historic homes – Santa Cruz new members to the kind of work we are Island – after a 50-year absence. It will doing to preserve important landscapes screen Friday night. Release Me tells the in the Ventura region, and connect that tale of one man’s fight for the removal of work to a global movement.” says Karen the Matilija Dam. The man that founded Bednorz, VHC Advisor and Wild & the Matilija Coalition has dedicated the Scenic Film Festival committee member. last 20 years of his “There is nothing professional life to like community witness the removal “Film is a great way to support, documented of the dam. That man by memberships, introduce new members to aid in grant is local activist Paul Jenkin. Filmmaker requests. I hope to the kind of work we Darryl Mimick will everyone coming are doing to preserve address the audience to our event will after the Saturday important landscapes in consider becoming a night screening. member.” the Ventura region, and Special guest Kyle The event will Thiermann will speak involve a number of connect that work to a to the Saturday night community partners, global movement.” audience. He is including Patagonia, featured in a Brower the Ventura Film Youth Awards short, Society, the Ventura showcasing his work using surf videos to Breeze, Ojai Beverage Company, VC raise millions of dollars for environmental Reporter, Ventura County Star and causes. the City of Ventura Environmental In addition to providing engaging Sustainability Department. Filmgoers cinema, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival can purchase tickets from the doubles as the Conservancy’s official Conservancy’s website at www. annual membership drive. Festivalgoers venturahillsides.org. Tickets are also who join the Conservancy with a available at: the Ventura Visitors and minimum $35 membership receive two Convention Bureau at 101 South free film festival tickets. A $50 or greater California Street; Great Pacific Iron membership yields four free tickets. Works at 259 West Santa Clara Street; Students with a valid ID can join for $20 and Simone’s Coffee & Tea at 7818 and receive a free ticket. And finally, Telegraph Road. current members can receive free tickets —Story by Stephen Svete 4
Ventura Hillsides Conservancy Outlook
About the South Yuba River Citizens League SYRCL is a watershed advocacy group that was started in 1983 by a small group of concerned citizens who banded together to fight against several proposed dams. The festival’s namesake is in celebration of achieving Wild & Scenic status in 1999 for 39 miles of the South Yuba River. The Wild and Scenic Environmental festival celebrates its annual event each January in Nevada City, California, and features over 125 awardwinning films, plus speakers, celebrities, and activists who bring a human face to the environmental movement. Further information about SYRCL is available on the web site www.yubariver.org.
Spring 2012
Wild & Scenic Film Festival Program Friday Night Films
Timber, Adam Fisher (USA, 1 minute) - I used MY natural resources to make a film about OUR natural resources! This short animated film uses the trimming of a beard to make a point about irresponsible usage of everything the Earth has to offer. The Craziest Idea, Andy Maser (USA, 7 minutes) The world’s biggest dam removal begins this Saturday on Washington’s Elwha River. American Rivers teamed up with our partners to produce a short film that captures the excitement surrounding this river restoration.
March 23rd and 24th
Explore biomimicry, the science of emulating nature’s best ideas to solve human problems. Set in South Africa, the film follows Time magazine “Hero of the Environment” Janine Benyus as she illustrates how organisms in nature can teach us to be more sustainable engineers, chemists, architects, and business leaders. After 3.8 billion years, nature has discovered not only how to survive but also how to thrive as a system. Benyus brings deep affection for the natural world as she guides us toward a vision of a planet in balance between human progress and ecosystem survival. Gloop, Gaby Bastyra & Joe Churchman (UK, 4 minutes) - “Gloop” is a dark fairytale that follows the meteoric rise of plastic from its inception in Leo’s gloomy laboratory 100 years ago. Told like a Brothers Grimm fable, “Gloop” offers a poignant and lasting message about the price we pay for the convenience of plastic.
Return Flight: Restoring the Bald Eagle, Kevin White (USA, 14 minutes) - The bald eagle was once an important avian predator in the Channel Islands, a group of islands just off the coast of Southern California. Then in the early 60¹s the bald eagles disappeared due to egg collecting, hunting, and DDT contamination. This short film chronicles how a dedicated team of biologists and their partners has been working tirelessly for decades to bring the bald eagle back to the Channel Islands, leading to some amazing results. Look to the Ground, Lauren Leisz (USA, 5 minutes) - Look to the Ground is a snapshot of the inspiring story of Bobby McMullen, an extreme athlete who is legally blind, and who has worked against the odds to become a top mountain bike downhiller. Imagine riding your mountain bike at full speed down a steep serpentine trail at night while looking with one eye through a rolled up piece of paper with wax paper over the end. The other eye is closed. Just such a scenario describes much of Bobby McMullen’s life: He is a blind mountain biker. Look to the Ground is his story. Second Nature: The Biomimicry Revolution, Guy Lieberman & Matthew Rosmarin (South Africa, 24 minutes) Spring 2012
Connecting the Gems, Deia Schlosberg & Gregg Treinish (USA, 27 minutes) - Follow two National Geographic Adventurers of the Year on a 520-mile trek through one of the Northern Rockies’ premiere wildlife corridors. The two hikers traverse the Yellowstone to Frank Church region, paying particular attention to large carnivores and the challenges they face as they journey between these two ecosystem ‘gems.’
Saturday Night Films
Yelp, Tiffany Shlain (USA, 3 minutes) - Technology can be addictive. In a tribute to Allen Ginsberg’s classic 1956 poem, we created a short film lampooning the addictions of our generation. Brower Youth Awards: Rhiannon & Madison, Rikshaw Films (USA, 4 minutes)- Meet Girl Scouts Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva, 15 and 16, who are winning their fight to green Girl Scout cookies.
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continued on next page 5
father to capture unique footage and also shadowed the adventure of Jon Waterman who became the first to paddle the entire length of the river.
One Plastic Beach, Tess Thackara & Eric Slatkin (USA, 8 minutes) - Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang have been collecting plastic debris off one beach in Northern California for over ten years. Each piece of plastic Richard and Judith pick up comes back to their house, where it gets cleaned, categorized and stored before being used for their art. The couple makes sculptures, prints, jewelry and installations with the plastic they find washed up, raising a deeper concern with the problem of plastic pollution in our seas.
Release Me, Darryl Mimick, Amanda Wasserman, and Skye Featherstone (USA, 14 minutes) A story of one man’s journey to fight for the removal of the Matilija Dam. Paul Jenkin, a passionate environmentalist and founder of the Matilija Coalition has dedicated the last 20 years of his professional life to witness the removal of the dam and bring awareness to its negative ecological impacts, such as the annihilation of the steelhead salmon and the displacement of sediment. Additionally, this is a story about individuals having a sense of purpose in their communities and taking initiative to solve local issues. People have the power to incite positive change; all they have to do is take that first step. Paul Jenkin is a perfect example of this.
A Liter of Light, Nick Santiago and Mike Talampas (Philippines, 2 minutes) The film documents a foundation’s project to light up a poor neighborhood through the efforts of a local man who works for them. He becomes a beacon of hope to his community when he installs hundreds of solar-powered light bulbs in his neighbor’s houses. The clever device is made from old plastic soda bottles filled with water and bleach. Many of the homeowners can barely afford electricity and because their houses stand so close to each other, they don’t really get much daylight. With a little bleach, water and good will, their days are now much, much brighter. Brower Youth Awards: Kyle Thiermann, Rikshaw Films (USA, 4 minutes) - 21 year old Kyle Thiermann’s surf videos have created millions of dollars in environmentally responsible investments. Marion Stoddard: The Work of 1000, Susan Edwards & Dorie Clark (USA, 30 minutes) - Can one person truly make a difference? The Work of 1000 tells the inspiring story of a woman who takes on big business, politicians, and public skepticism to save a dying river--and in the process becomes a citizen leader honored by the United Nations. Chasing Water, Pete McBride (USA, 30 minutes) - Follow the Colorado River, source to sea, with photographer Pete McBride who takes an intimate look at the watershed as he attempts to follow the irrigation water that sustains his family’s Colorado ranch, down river to the sea. McBride teamed up with his bush-pilot 6
Ventura Hillsides Conservancy Outlook
Ventura Hillsides Conservancy Outlook q
Tel: 805-643-8044 P.O. Box 1284, Ventura, CA 93002 www.venturahillsides.org Robert Louis Chianese, Editor email: editor@venturahillsides.org
q Outlook is published semi-annually by the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, a 501 (c) (3) California nonprofit organization. Story submissions and ideas welcomed. Copyright ©2012 Ventura Hillsides Conservancy All rights reserved
Spring 2012
Most Misunderstood Bird
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By Bob Chianese
hen vultures circle overhead, we imagine a desert waterhole complete with a cow skull and a dying cowpoke: those swooping silhouettes become emblems of impending death. Hollywood rules again! Despite brownish black wings with white undersides and that naked ruddy head, a turkey vulture is actually one of our “greener” birds. It’s a clean up unit, and eco-scavenger, gorging on carrion and gulping down road kills. Such decaying corpses would otherwise add even more rot to our growing roadside litter and spread disease among other animals. Some of their diet is already putrefied, but vulture urine is antibiotic, purifying their legs after a riotous, feet-first, head-in banquet. Their scientific name, Cathartes aura, means “golden purger.” An overstuffed feeding group or “wake” of them may have to up-chuck in order to get off the ground. Those vultures, yuk! However, Native American fables honor them as savior birds. One day when Sun moved too close, scorching
Annual Bird Count on the River
Spring 2012
the Earth, various animals tried to drag it farther away, with disastrous results. Vulture soared up to Sun on its broad wings and pushed it safely higher. However, nudging Sun cost Vulture its gorgeous head of back feathers, leaving it bald and burnt. Would that some animal could today rescue us as heroically from global warming. The fable suggests how high the stakes are—for both animal and human beings. New World vultures belong to the raptor family and are not related to those in Europe, Asia, and Africa— they share affinities due to the magic of convergent evolution. Turkey vultures mate for life, nest on ledges and in abandoned buildings, and often gather high up in large roosts, or “venues,” where they can see both sunrise and sunset. In the morning they spread their six-foot wings to dry off and gather warmth. They can litter the base of a favorite roosting tree with myriad feathers. Using keen eyes and noses to locate food, they soar on currents and thermals high and far with v-shaped
Turkey Vulture, juvenile with gray head fuzz. Photo by Bob Chianese
wings, gently rocking with the wind and then glide down for a closer look. They will actually fly low and look at you — but not to worry, they will not attack, though they will assault sick or dying small animals. Turkey vultures are quite common in our southern California region and soar above the Ventura Hillsides regularly. Next time you see one, look up and see not a ominous sign of death, but rather an avian ecological wonder—the golden purifier on the lookout to turn decay into new life!
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entura Audubon held its annual Christmas Bird Count on December 17, 2011. Sector One includes the Ventura River drainage from Foster Creek bridge to the river estuary, and up the coastal beaches. A big sector! The new Hillsides Conservancy property, a riverside “slice,” enabled us to get a more accurate account of duck species, which hide under the overhanging arundo. Hooded Merganser are only seen in this part of the River. Also seen there were Gadwall, American Widgeon, Ring-Necked Duck, Bufflehead, Red-Breasted Merganser, Green-Winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, and, of course, Mallard. We didn’t know we had so many species of ducks, did you! Another exciting bird we saw in the river plain in that area was a Golden Eagle that swooped across from the Canada Larga area, over the plain, and flew along the ridgeline of Red Mountain, allowing all of us good looks. We are grateful that the Hillsides Conservancy is committed to acquiring and preserving the riverine wilderness that provides habitat to so many species! — Kay Regester, Ventura Audubon, Sector One Coordinator Ventura Hillsides Conservancy Outlook
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Ventura Hillsides Conservancy PO Box 1284 • Ventura, CA 93002 A ddress S ervice R e q uested
Stewardship Committee Activities by Dave Romero
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he VHC Stewardship Committee had an active year in 2011. With the mandate of developing and implementing management plans for all the VHC properties, the committee prioritized the tasks within those plans, and implemented as many as possible for the 18 acres on our four parcels. We completed a Foster Park Area master plan for connecting trail systems, conducting baseline biological surveys, and removing the invasive giant cane plant, Arundo donax, as the major components, along with setting aside budget for stewardship of the properties. A common nemesis for all our Foster Park properties, the arundo plant, which grows up to 20 feet tall, has taken over much of the banks along vast stretches of the Ventura River corridor, effectively choking out native plant species, displacing native wildlife habitat, and blocking views of the river.
Arundo Eradication efforts by Stewardship Committee volunteers. Photo by Derek Poultney
After educating ourselves as to the methodology and the regulatory requirements, we implemented a series of highly effective arundo eradication efforts, systematically clearing a significant amount of it. This enables access to previously choked-off portions of the properties and affords better views of the river. A few native plants and some oak sprouts from acorns planted last summer are even poking up their heads. 2012 promises to be an equally busy year, with ongoing eradication efforts, establishment of visitation guidelines for the properties so they can be enjoyed by all, and vegetation mapping. There are ample opportunities for volunteers to get involved in the Conservancy stewardship work, so join us and see firsthand the fruits of your labor!
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follow us at : w w w.f aceb o o k .co m/ ventu ra hi l l s
Ventura Hillsides Conservancy Outlook
Spring 2012