OA River Will Run Through It
by Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Conservation Director Brian Stark
Spring flowers on the Kennedy Ridge Trail at the Ventura River Preserve. Guided hike of Kennedy Ridge Trail offered April 7th. See event calendar on page 3 for details.
Visitors to the historic orange grove at the OVLC’s Ventura River Preserve may have seen a lot of colored flags out there over the past few months. While at first glance one might figure this was Christo’s latest environmental art installation, but it is actually the latest installation by the slightly less well known OVLC field crew. However, far from being just an art project, each flag marks the location of a brand new native plant placed along the future route of Rice Creek, a tributary to the Ventura River. In the past few months, the field crew has planted 4,500 new plants at the project site as part of the restoration of Rice Creek, a project that will involve the relocation of the seasonal stream.
Historically, Rice Creek flowed out of Rice Canyon and traversed the upper bench that once was home to the mighty Ventura River. In the 1920s, however, Rice Creek was placed behind artificial levees and shot off a cliff into the current Ventura River floodplain. The channelization of the stream severed its hydrologic connection to the Ventura River and de-watered 3,700 feet of the historic
pen paces
stream. More than half of the remaining stream corridor was removed for the existing orange orchard. Later this summer, however, Rice Creek will be re-routed back to its historic route.
Placing the stream back into its historic route is important for several rea-
Ssons. First, re-watering the stream in its natural route will reconnect the stream to the Ventura River in a natural confluence. These wetted stream channels act as thoroughfares for migrating wildlife. When we re-create connections, we are uniting ecological connections between the lower floodplains of the river and the hillside habitats. Nature is all about connections. Replacing the stream will also create new habitats for birds and wildlife. The artificial route of the stream flowed through a narrow drainage ditch and then through the rocky substrates of the Ventura River floodplain. The soil conditions along that route did not support the same lush vegetation as the deeper and more nutrient rich soil along the historic route. The difference in habitat quality is substantial. Aligning the stream with its historic route continued on back cover...
Ojai Valley land COnserVanCy P.O. Box 1092 • Ojai, CA 93024
370 W. Baldwin Rd, A-4 805.649.6852 * info@ovlc.org www.ovlc.org
BOard Of direCtOrs
Roger Essick, President
Don Reed, Vice President
Stefanie Coeler, Secretary
Cari Guerrero, Treasurer
Mary Bergen Margot Griswold
Brian Holly Allan Jacobs
Cricket Twichell Nathan Wallace
Barbara Washburn Deborah Whorf
staff
Greg Gamble, Executive Director
Rick Bisaccia, Preserve Manager
Todd Bertola, Restoration Technician
Brad Meiners, Restoration Technician
Darcy Gamble, Development Director
Marti Reid, Office Manager
Brian Stark, Conservation Director
Lorraine Walter, Watershed Coordinator
Lauren Ward, Restoration Technician
An aerial shot of the newly planted Rice Creek route.
Recreation & Beauty On The Preserves
OVLC & Once Upon A Watershed Meet Nature Education Needs
By David White, OUW Director
Once upon a Watershed (OUW) has presented its environmental education programs to elementary public school students in the Ventura River Watershed for the past 6 years. In the 20102011 academic year over 40 classes and 1200 students from a wide range of ethnicities and socioeconomic conditions participated in the program. The goal of the program is to inspire a strong stewardship ethic in the next generation.
Three grades participate; The fourth grade program is “The Story of Our Oaks.” “The Story of our Watershed” is for the fifth grade: and for the sixth grade, “The Story of our River.” Each program has an in-class presentation, sometimes delivered by OVLC’s Brian Stark, a hands-on restoration experience at one of the OVLC preserves and a reflective follow-up activity.
Through collaboration with OVLC made possible by the Bruce & Marilyn Wallace Foundation, this program will again, this year, offer students stewardship opportunities that make real contributions to larger conservation efforts in critical wetland and riparian habitats.
This program cultivates a sense of shared responsibility for our environment and instills confidence and hope by empowering young people to make a real difference as they develop an understanding of our watershed’s ecology and cultural history.
Welcoming More Butterflies to the Ojai Meadows Preserve!
Michelle Dohrn, long time southern California biologist with over 20 years of research experience had been helping at the Ojai Meadows Preserve in the native plant nursery for more than a year when she approached OVLC staff Brian Stark about her project.
After spending a lot of time at the Ojai Meadows Preserve, observing butterfly abundance and occurrence, Michelle concluded that more butterflies could call the Preserve their home. So in the spirit of “if you plant it, they will come” she began compiling a list of the best suited host and nectar plants. Many of the plants needed are already growing in the OVLC nursery.
The first volunteer day was held at the end of February. And most of the volunteers were close friends of Michelle’s, including Erin Parker, Sabrina Lewis, Melissa Saltis, Jason Saltis, Kayleigh Jean, Santiago Williams, and Jan. The butterflies are thrilled about the prospect of their new habitat.
Michelle has held federal permits to survey for endangered butterflies and worked in the environmental consulting field as well as in the non-profit arena. If you would like to help install the butterfly garden please email Michelle at quinospt@earthlink.net.
Spring Native Bloom
By Ron Singer, OVLC Nursery Co-Manager
Take a deep breath as you circle the Ventura River Preserve. That exhilarating lilac scent is the omnipresent ceanothus. There are no less than four different species of ceanothus on the preserve, from the white flowered bigpod, to the violet greenbark, to the exotic purple of the hairy ceanothus. Evergreen and standing up to 20 feet tall and wide the ceanothus generally blooms between February and April. Hiking during a hot summer day you will hear the ceanothus fruit popping and exploding as they send their seed in every direction. Rub the blooms or fruits between your hands with a little water for a lovely fragrant soap. The Chumash used ceanothus for fences and corrals as the wood is resistant to rot. The plants are blooming currently so head out to the preserve and enjoy.
Photo above: by Holly Roberts. Children playing in their environment at the Ojai Meadows Preserve.
California Sister
Probably a California Hairstreak
A variety of Checkerspot
Photo above: by Linda Gramckow. David White engaging a group of elementary school learners.
Photo below: Buck brush ceanothus
Know Your Valley, Love Your Ojai
Earth Play Celebration, April 21, 11 AM to 4 PM at Oak Grove School
EarthPlay is a family oriented community event celebrating sustainable living, global awareness, and the joy of nature. This year’s EarthPlay sponsors, Food for Thought, Oak Grove School, Ojai Valley Green Coalition, and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, are inviting all students in the Valley to submit artwork, essays, poetry or performance pieces. Individual students, entire classes or clubs are welcome. Selected essays and poems will be read on the main stage by the student authors, and art work will be displayed. Performance pieces will be scheduled for the main stage and can be anything from a song or dance to a “green” fashion show - the more creative the better! Performances must be no longer than 15 minutes. Schools that participate are welcome to host a table at the event at no charge.
All entries should reflect one of the following quotes:
“The First Law of Ecology: Everything Is Connected To Everything Else.” -Barry Commoner
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world.” -John Muir
“Life and the environment are one thing, not two, and people, as all life, are immersed in the one system. When we influence nature, we influence ourselves; when we change nature, we change ourselves.” -Daniel B. Botkin
A complete description of the performance pieces must be submitted by Monday, April 2, 2012. The due date for essays, poems and artwork is Friday, April 13, 2012. Join us with your children to celebrate the earth together. For details contact Marti Reid at 649-6852 x2 or marti@ovlc.org.
Go to www.ojaiearthday.org
Mark Your Calendar For Upcoming OVLC Events
Guided Hike Up the Kennedy Ridge Trail on the Ventura River Preserve
April 7,10 am to 2 pm: Trail guide author Craig Carey and Rick Bisaccia will lead a hike up Kennedy Ridge Trail at the Ventura River Preserve. Carey recently wrote Hiking & Backpacking Santa Barbara and Ventura (May 2012) and will talk about this on the hike. Bring your picnic lunch. Meet at the Oso Road Trailhead. Cost $10, no-charge for members.
EarthPlay: Ojai’s Community Earth Day Celebration
April 21, 11 am to 4 pm: EarthPlay: Ojai’s Community Earth Day celebration at the Oak Grove School. Hosted by OVLC, Ojai Valley Green Coalition, Food for Thought, and Oak Grove School, no-charge. Details at ojaiearthday.com.
Birds of the Ojai Valley
May 11, 7 pm: Birds of the Ojai Valley presented by local naturalist Allen Bertke, at OVLC headquarters. Cost is $10 per person to attend one or both the May 11 and 12th sessions. Members are free. May 12, 8 am: Birds of the Ojai Valley walk at the Ojai Meadows Preserve, led by naturalist Allen Bertke.
Wildland Fire Prediction & Technology
August 4, 10 am: Attend a morning of cutting-edge information about wildland fires presented by Doug Campbell wildland fire specialist and his colleague, Bruce Schubert, wildland fire prediction model technologist. A sneak peak of the prediction software is located at website www.emxsys.com.
OVLC’s 25th Birthday Party
September 8, Time and place TBD: Join the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy staff and Board of Directors to celebrate 25 years of protecting the Ojai Valley. Give the gift of an OVLC membership to your friends and family. The person who gives the most in membership gifts will win a prize.
The Chaparral Ecosystem
October 6, 10 am talk, 12 pm walk: Richard Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute will present on Ojai’s remarkable shrubland wilderness, after which he will lead a hike on the Ventura River Preserve. Meet at OVLC’s headquarters. Reservations required for all events. Please contact Marti at (805) 649-6852 x2 or marti@ovlc.org.
Spring Membership Drive - 25 Years
Celebrating 25 Yrs of Conservation with OVLC’s Spring Membership Drive
OVLC members like you often ask, “Is my membership current? I cannot remember which month it is due.” Renewal letters are often, with good intentions, put in a pile for later and never recovered. If you are not sure when your membership is due, please rest assured you are not alone!
To help mitigate this problem, in 2009, OVLC rolled out an annual spring membership drive where everyone’s annual memberships can be renewed at the same time. Our hope is that eventually as the weather thaws and the flowers begin to bloom that OVLC members will remember to renew their memberships automatically. Consider this a soft training of sorts.
WHEN YOU THINK OF FLOWERS THINK OF RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO THE LAND CONSERVANCY
The OVLC staff understands how difficult it is to track your various memberships and as a result we welcome your call to the office to find out when your membership is due. Please call (805) 649-6852 at anytime and we will cheerfully assist you.
In honor of 25 years of conservation in the Ojai Valley the OVLC is having a contest. Whoever gives the most number of donations in honor of, memory of, or as gift memberships will be eligible to win a prize at the OVLC September 8th birthday party. So when you renew your membership today using the enclosed envelope please consider giving an additional donation, at any level, as a gift or in honor of a dear friend or relative.
continued...
Bob & Kim Perron
Boyd & Karin Dron
Bret Bradigan
Catherine SchmidMaybach
Craig Bensen
Dana & Lindsey Thomas
Dana L. Mathews
Dmitri Siegel & Woodwyn Koons
Ed & Diane Colby
Ernie & Laura Gulovsen
Evelyne Blau
Gretchen & Tim Heine
Jim & Tina Little
Jo Mae Kunz
Jo O’Connell & Byron Cox
John & Kelley Forrister
John Young Hannah
Josh & Sharon McClung
Juergen & Vera Pahl
Kara Partridge Ralston
Lisa Smith
Lynne & Phil Pierpont
Margaret Berry & Mark Silbernagel
Maureen Hannah
Petra M Battleson
Randall & Renee Roth
Rick & Robin Beers
Ross & Heidi Robins
Tony & Emily Ayala
Vanessa Hattoum
GIFTS IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY
From Lynn Schwirtz in honor ofAllison Stillman & Michael Reidinger
From Caroline Herziger in memory ofJanet Lawrence
In memory and honor of Marion McIsaac’s life from -
Dan & Joanna Berry
Karen & Bill Evenden
Lisa & Robert Meeker
Loretta Robertson & Darrell Ziegler
Nita Whaley & Arne Anderson
Tara McIsaac
In memory and honor of Diane Foote’s life from Dawnita Fendley
John & Jo Ann Liput
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
NEW MEMBERS
Alan Monteath
Andrew Snett
Andy Brucker
Andy Furillo
From Gail Furillo, gift memberships for -
Andy Brucker
Andy Furillo
Ben Brucker
Jo Mae Kunz
From James & Barbara Tipton, gift membership for
Josh & Sharon McClung
Photo above: Old Baldwin Trailhead at the Ventura River Preserve wins American Public Works Association’s Ventura County Project of the Year award in the transportation category.
Photo above: Snapshot, almost 10 years ago, of former Executive Director, Jim Engel’s Riverview Trailhead dedication at the then new Ventura River Preserve. Jim is holding a 1928 photo of what is now the Preserve. This photo now hangs in the OVLC office.
Making A Difference At Home
Meet OVLC’s Nursery Co-Managers
A husband and wife team; Ron Singer is a day trader originally from New York and Elisa Neville is an Ojai native working at a marketing firm in Oxnard. More importantly they have an Australian Shepherd Luke who forces them to hike nearly every day. Ron the Rambler enjoys crossword puzzles, the music of Frank Zappa and has become obsessed with our local native plants. Elisa reads too many fantasy fiction novels, pushes baked goods on all her neighbors and found she has a bit of a green thumb.
Photo right: Ron and Elisa manage OVLC’s nursery, for the most part, as a labor of love. See Ron’s blog about native plants at ojairambler.wordpress.com.
The Heart Beat of the Ojai Meadows Preserve Native Plant Nursery
by Ron Singer
Elisa and I have been running the nursery for over a year now and we appreciate this newsletter as a venue to share OVLC nursery news. We and other volunteers collect seeds and take cuttings from the wild to propagate our native plants for various OVLC restoration projects. We are happy to say that products of the OVLC nursery are now growing in the Ojai Meadows Preserve, the Ventura River Preserve and the River Confluence Preserve near Casitas Springs.
Cuttings season is in full swing and we could use help both out in the field
and in the nursery. Seed collecting season is over but we are planting trays all year long. Our plant list contains everything from colorful california poppies, to fragrant sagebrush, to fifteen foot elderberry trees. We try to grow all of the local plants because they are more difficult to find at retail. Please contact us directly at elisaneville@gmail.com if you would like to help raise young plants for the Ojai Valley.
Sincerely,
Ron
& Elisa
Photo above: Plant babies being raised at the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s nursery located in a corner of the Ojai Meadows Preserve. To lend your time or services email brian@ ovlc.org.
Photo left: Sespe Fly Fishers worked on a Saturday to plant hundreds of plants at the creek realignmnet project on the Ventura River Preserve.
Connect To A Cause That Reflects Your Values
Barnhart & Barnhart, Long Term Care Insurance
Thank you Barnhart & Barnhart Insurance for being an Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) business sponsor. Did you know that Barnhart & Barnhart specializes in long term care insurance
THANK YOU BUSINESS SPONSORS
OJAI MEADOWS LEVEL
www.oldcreekranch.com
www.rabobank.com
SAN ANTONIO LEVEL
667 South Rice Road
channelislandssportfishing.com
www.thomasmalley.com
www.oaksspa.com
ojaicommunitybank.com
www.shanbrom.com
www.oxy.com
SULPHUR MOUNTAIN LEVEL
for at home and away? The following is an interview between Darcy Gamble of OVLC and Kate Barnhart of Barnhart & Barnhart Insurance.
Q. Kate, Why don’t more people have long term care insurance?
A. Well, Darcy I think people make assumptions about long term care insurance (LTCI) that are not necessarily true. More and more people are getting long term care insurance, but too many people are putting it off until it is too late and they cannot qualify for coverage because of ill health or dementia. Long term care insurance covers in-home health care in addition to assisted living and nursing facility care. Many people think that in- home health care is not covered. Seventy percent of LTCI claims are for home care; the average length of a claim is 2.7 years. This is an insurable expense.
Q. What exactly is long term care insurance, Kate?
A. LTCI is asset protection. If you want to pass your assets on to your surviving partner or children or grandchildren or favorite charities, insure your long term care expenses. If not, spend your own money and do not buy LTCI. Any policy can be tailor-made to fit one’s budget. Health insurance pays your doctor and hospital bills if you get sick or injured. But LTCI protects you from the significant financial risk that is posed by the potential need for long term care, and goes beyond medical care and nursing care to include the assistance you could need if you ever have a chronic illness or disability that leaves you unable to care for yourself for an extended period of time.
Q. Kate, Why is long term care insurance more important now more than ever?
at Home & Away
Kate Barnhart a long term care insurance expert who can help you with your other insurance needs as well.
2000, this number rose to nine million Americans at nearly $55,750 per year. It's currently near $75,000 per year. By 2030 those needing long term care will skyrocket to 23+ million Americans, with projected care costs reaching $300,000 per individual annually. My husband and I have insured our long term care risk. What we pay for our annual premium would be less than the cost of one month’s care.
IN-KIND SPONSORS
A. Darcy, In the year 2020, some 12 million older Americans are expected to need long term care. Most will be cared for at home. Family members and friends are the sole caregivers for 70 percent of elderly people. This is exhausting work. We want to oversee and guide this care, not do it.
Q. What are the costs of long term care vs. the cost of long term care insurance?
A. Darcy, The costs are rapidly increasing. In 1994, 7.3 million Americans needed long term care services at an average cost of nearly $43,800 per year. By
The actual premium paid for long term care insurance depends on many factors, including your age, the level of benefits, and the length of time you are willing to wait until benefits begin. I can help you discover what a long term care policy would cost you.
Q. At what age should we consider getting long term care insurance?
A. That is an excellent question, Darcy. One should apply for LTCI when one is healthy and can pass underwriting. The longer you wait the more expensive the policy and the less likely it is that you will qualify for it. Give me a call at 805646-0088 and we can discuss whether a LTCI policy is appropriate and affordable for you.
Satisfaction Thru Helping Protect Ojai Valley
Two Cool Ways To Support the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Work
Here are two ways to support the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s work that perhaps you never thought of until now: 1) Become a trailhead host, and 2) Ask your favorite businesses to become OVLC business sponsors or, if you own a business, show your support and get publicity in exchange by becoming a sponsor.
Trailhead hosting includes teaming up with a friend or a new friend assigned by the trailhosting coordinator and enjoying at least one two hour stint at the Riverview Trailhead on the Ventura River Preserve or the main entrance to the Ojai Meadows Preserve. The goal of the trailhosting program is to educate preserve users about OVLC, solicit new members, encourage membership renewals and serve as a resource
Approximately eighty percent of preserve users do not know who owns and cares for the preserves that they use. If they knew about the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s efforts to protect the views, trails, water and wildlife in the Ojai Valley would they become members? We think so because almost 95 percent of all new members are preserve users and become members because they appreciate their recreation time on the OVLC preserves. Without member support the OVLC might not be able to care for the preserves or add more protected areas for people and animals to enjoy!
Hosting shifts are every second and third Saturday in April, May and June from 9 am to 11 am and 11 am to 1 pm. Training and materials will be provided. Please contact Darcy at (805) 649-6852 x6 you are interested in becoming a trailhead host. We are also looking for a Trailhead Host Coordinator to help with scheduling and training.
The second way to support the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s work is to ask your business owning friends to consider becoming a sponsor of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy.
Sponsorships begin at $500 and last a full year. Some of the benefits, depending on the level, include pre-screening advertising at the Ojai Playhouse, ‘Thank You’ ads in the Ojai Valley News, mention in each OVLC newsletter, and inclusion on banners at events and signs at educational sessions. We also offer custom benefits and are open to ideas that will help drive business. We can honor full in-kind or partial in-kind sponsorships as well, which means goods or services that are donated instead of cash.
For more information about benefits please call Darcy at (805) 649-6852 x6 or email darcy@ovlc. org. You will also find information online at ovlc. org/join-us/business-sponsors. Please patronize the OVLC sponsors listed on page 6 whenever possible. OVLC does good work because of your support!
Andrew & Judith Gustafson, OVLC members for 20 Years
“I was at the recent Wild About Ojai program about plants and the Chumash People by ethnobotanist Jan Timbrook, and all I can say is, “that program had me on the edge of my chair the whole time!” It was terrific! I am so thankful to the OVLC for arranging these programs by professionals who have studied the plants, fish, animals, birds and geology of the Ojai Valley in great depth and come here to share their knowlege. I am so proud to be a member of OVLC, knowing that my contributions help make this quality of community education available.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OVLC! Birthday Party on 09/08/2012
events,
Myrna Cambianica’s photo of a majestic tree on the Ventura River Preserve. Work as a trailhead host this spring and connect with the beauty.
PO Box 1092 Ojai, CA 93024
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Evidence of racoons on the Ojai Meadows Preserve. A tracking class was recently offered on the Ventura River Preserve. Let us know if you are interested in tracking.
Track Teaser
Contact Brian Stark at brian@ ovlc.org if you know what animal made these prints.
continued from front cover...
also re-unites the visible stream with its original sub-surface hydrology.
Construction is expected this summer for the diversion of the stream. We began planting this year so we could get a head-start on creating the habitats along the stream. It is also a way to ensure that the stream channel stays more stable once water is added. By having some vegetation already rooted on the site, we reduce the risks of any of these plants washing out and the plants can help slow stream flows and prevent erosion. This year we planted 2/3 of the route and we will begin the remainder this fall as the earthwork is completed. We expect that the stream will take a few seasons to adjust to its relocation, but we look forward to letting these natural processes happen.
The restoration of Rice Creek is part of a larger project in the orange grove section of the Ventura River Preserve that will also see the removal of most
of the orange trees and their replacement with oak trees, native grasses, and wildflowers. The project is a multi-year effort to enhance habitats, provide natural and educational experiences for our Preserve visitors, and honor the generosity of those that supported the protection of the Preserve.
GIFTS IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY continued from pg 4...
From Lucy & Peter Read in honor of Oliver Wilson & Kaarina Tienhaara
In memory and honor of Frank Real’s life from Maruja Real
From Ruth Walker, gift membership for Vanessa Hattoum
In memory and honor of John G. Bee’s life from Susan Bee
From Virginia & Lowell Martinson, a gift membership in honor of Yvonne Minor
In memory and honor of Holger Bismann and Mike Colpo’s lives from Yvon & Malinda Chouinard
Membership renewals & annual fund aknowledgements are listed in OVLC’s winter newsletters.
left: A group of CREW staff helping with the planting.
Photo