Spring 2012

Spring Newsletter 2012 Volume 19, Number 1
Open Spaces
A River Will Run Through It
by Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Conservation Director Brian Stark
sons. 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...
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
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-
Ojai Valley Land Conservancy
P.O. Box 1092 • Ojai, CA 93024
370 W. Baldwin Rd, A-4
805.649.6852 * [email protected]
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
An aerial shot of the newly planted Rice
Creek route.
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
Recreation & Beauty On The Preserves
OVLC & Once Upon
A Watershed Meet Nature Education Needs
Welcoming More Butterflies to the Ojai Meadows Preserve!
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.
Photo above: by Linda Gramckow.
David White engaging a group of
elementary school learners.
2
A variety of Checkerspot
Probably a California
Hairstreak
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
[email protected].
Photo above: by Holly Roberts.
Children playing in their environment
at the Ojai Meadows Preserve.
California Sister
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 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.
Go to www.ojaiearthday.org
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 [email protected].
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 [email protected].
3
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.
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.
WHEN YOU THINK OF
FLOWERS THINK OF
RENEWING YOUR
MEMBERSHIP TO THE
LAND CONSERVANCY
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 of Allison Stillman &
Michael Reidinger
From Caroline Herziger
in memory of Janet 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
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.
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.
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
SUPPORT!
NEW MEMBERS
Alan Monteath
Andrew Snett
Andy Brucker
Andy Furillo
4
In memory and honor
of Diane Foote’s life from
Dawnita Fendley
John & Jo Ann Liput
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
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
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.
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 [email protected] if you
would like to help raise young plants for
the Ojai Valley.
Sincerely,
Ron & Elisa
Photo left: Sespe Fly Fishers worked on a
Saturday to plant hundreds of plants at the
creek realignmnet project on the Ventura
River Preserve.
5
Connect To A Cause That Reflects Your Values
Barnhart & Barnhart, Long Term Care Insurance at Home & Away
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
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?
667 South Rice Road
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.
channelislandssportfishing.com
Q. What exactly is long term care insurance, Kate?
OJAI MEADOWS LEVEL
www.oldcreekranch.com
www.rabobank.com
SAN ANTONIO LEVEL
www.thomasmalley.com
www.oaksspa.com
ojaicommunitybank.com
www.shanbrom.com
www.oxy.com
SULPHURMOUNTAINLEVEL
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?
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
6
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.
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!
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.
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
Visit us online at www.ovlc.org or stop by the office
7
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 351
Ojai, CA
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.
Photo left: A group of CREW staff
helping with the planting.