Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC)

Ovlc protects and restores The open space, wildlife habitat, watershed, and views of The Ojai Valley for current and future generations. These preserved lands provide community opportunities for outdoor recreation, education, and climate resilience. Each year, hundreds of local students visit ovlc preserves for outdoor education programs, in addition to The tens of thousands of visitors who enjoy hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and more.the ovlc currently manages roughly 2,400 acres of open space in The Ojai Valley of which 2,000 acres are open for free public access. Ovlc has several new projects that have The potential to add additional protected Land. In The past year, we maintained over 5,000 native plants to restore and enhance habitats on ovlc preserves. Ovlc acquired a 9.40 acre parcel on san antonio creek in unincorporated ventura county. San antonio creek is a priority stream for The recovery of at least two federally endangered species: southern California steelhead trout and California red-legged frog. Acquisition of this parcel further protect habitat suitable for both of these species.along rivers and streams, ovlc has completed The removal of 110 acres of invasive arundo donax - 25 acres from san antonio creek and 85 acres from The ventura river. In 2022 building upon these efforts, ovlc mapped The riparian corridors of The upper ventura river watershed and identified only 70 acres of arundo left to remove. Ovlc entered into an agreement with ventura county fire to remove another 20 acres of arundo from The ventura river and 3 acres of arundo from san antonio creek to eliminate these explosive fuel loads. Ovlc also received $777,414 grant from The California department of forestry and fire protection for watershed-wide programmatic permits and implementation through 2026. At The ventura river preserve we continued restoration efforts at The 23-acre oranges to oaks site and prepared The area for success once grant funding support ends. In addition to weeding, watering, and mulching oak circles, we replanted failed shrubs, de-caged mature plantings, and cleaned up irrigation materials. At The Ojai meadows preserve we expanded our work in a new restoration area, as mitigation for The ventura county watershed protection district. We hosted local environmental science students, who helped plant oak circles and native grasses to support restoration efforts and connect their education to The natural world around them. We also maintain a native plant nursery at The Ojai meadows preserve, and two high school interns provide assistance and gain hands-on experience, working in conservation and leadership.the extraordinary record winter rainfall caused a remarkable level of flooding damage to ovlc trails. This led to an outstanding fundraising and volunteer effort. Ovlc reopened its 27 miles of trails for public recreation in record time with The dedicated support of our donor and volunteer community.