CI professor Clare Steele will visit the Ojai Library at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 to deliver a presentation titled “Ocean Litter and Microplastics: A New Wave of Research.” Dr. Steele comes from CSU Channel Islands (CI), and is the first speaker in this season’s CI Library Lecture Series.

This talk will explore recent advances in the problem of microplastic pollution and discuss how changes in consumer choices, policy, and legislation can reduce the impact of microplastics on the Southern California coast.

California author Obi Kaufmann will visit the Ojai Library at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 to present a book signing for his 2017 epic, The California Field Atlas. Kaufmann—a poet, painter, and naturalist—sees California as a magical network of living systems that connect in a grand, quilted array of ecology and beauty.

Shortly before the Thomas Fire changed life so dramatically for local residents, the Ojai Women’s Fund (OWF) held its year-end event to honor and award 11 Ojai nonprofits with $64,000 in community grants. The funds raised during 2017 via OWF membership donations will help support Ojai programs serving five focus areas: arts, education, environment, health, and social services.

The OWF is a collective of hundreds of Ojai women who pool donations to create and gift grants to local nonprofits that serve Ojai through a wide variety of programs: from those that meet critical health and social service needs, to those that further education, provide environmental protection, or simply to enhance the human spirit through arts.

In its first two years as a local grant-funding philanthropy, OWF has raised and gifted $124,000 via generous donations of nearly 400 members. All women who live in the Ojai Valley are welcome to join the Ojai Women’s Fund. Visit www.ojaiwomensfund.org for more information.

Aria Elan and Eden Edwards will visit the Ojai Library at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, to deliver a concert entitled “An Afternoon of Jazz and Storytelling.” Singer/songwriter Elan has spoken and performed at women’s conferences, colleges and universities, libraries, and more. Edwards, a Grammy scholarship recipient, is a sophomore at Camarillo High School, an artist, and an environmentalist.

These events are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Ron Solórzano, Regional Librarian, at 218-9146.

The Ojai Library is located at 111 East Ojai Ave. Hours of service are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Herb Walks with Lanny Kaufer has arranged with author Obi Kaufmann for an intimate event in Ojai on Saturday, February 10th, 10: 00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Ventura River Preserve and a downtown indoor location. Obi will join Lanny on a nature walk in the morning and then share the process of creating his 2017 book, The California Field Atlas, in an afternoon slideshow presentation. The indoor session will include an on-the-spot, live painting in the watercolor-and-calligraphy style of the book’s illustrations.

$25 for adults; $20 for seniors 62 and older; $15 for students 13-18

Register at www.HerbWalks.com or call 805-646-6281.

The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai is pleased to present an exhibition featuring members of the Ventura County Handweavers Spinners Guild, March 3 – April 15. Every Saturday and Sunday, members will present free demonstrations of fiber processes in conjunction with the Center’s educational programming.

Founded in 1970, the Ventura County Handweavers & Spinners Guild is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the education and promotion of fiber arts, with a focus on weaving and spinning.

The public is invited to attend the Reception on Saturday, March 3rd, from 2 – 5 pm.

Events by Ana Baker

Ventura Poinsettia Dance Club Monday nights 7:30 – 9:45p.m. Poinsettia Pavilion. Ballroom, swing, Latin and line dancing. $10 members, $12 non-members. Dance lessons 6:45 – 7:15 $5 for couple $3 for single. Call Rick 415-8842 for more information.

Ventura’s ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club offers games for all levels of play.  Learn the game, play with your peers, and earn master points while you are having fun.  There is a game every day of the week.  Check out their website at www.vcbridge.org.

The Ventura Retired Men’s Group welcomes interested men to their semi-monthly Tuesday lunch ($15) meetings at the Ventura Elks lodge. This regular congenial social event, besides a healthy, satisfying meal, supplies a welcome atmosphere to talk and joke, hear a speaker on a variety of relevant topics. Hear more from Steve at 642-1359.

Country Western Line Dancing every Tuesday 7 – 9 p.m. Instruction every night. Located at the Moose lodge, 10269 Telephone Road. More information at countrylovers.com.

The Ventura County Philatelic Society meets on the first and third Mondays each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Foothills, 6279 Foothill Rd. Admission and parking are free. Come for a great evening.
Contact Bill Garner 320-1601 or [email protected].

Mended Hearts of Ventura. Come share if you have had heart surgery or stent implant.
Group meets the first Tuesday each month on the 8th floor at Community Memorial Hospital. They have excellent speakers leading Cardiologists, Nutritionists, and Dietitians etc. from our area.
Contact Richard Hatcher at 644-2733.

Audubon events:

February 3, 9 a.m. Work Day Fillmore Fish Hatchery. Sandy Hedrick 340-0478
This is a new venue for restoration planting for the balance of this work season. Planting native plants for a future interpretive center on 5 acres at the entrance to the Fish Hatchery. .

February 10, 8:30 a.m. Canada Larga. Linda Easter 519-2833.
Drive and walk this beautiful canyon road and one of the best birding hotspots.
Target birds will include: Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Nuttall’s Woodpecker and White-breasted Nuthatch.

February 19, 8:30 a.m. Barranca Vista Park. Adele Fergusson 415-4304
Hope to see Townsend Warblers, Nuthatches and Red Shouldered Hawks.

February 24, 8:30 a.m. Ormond Beach. Tevin Schmitt (661) 904-1563
Will look for a variety of waterfowl.

Feb. 3: The Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra, KuanFen Liu Artistic Director celebrates its 15th Season “Sounds of Generation Z” concerts Friday Saturday at 7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church 1338 E Santa Clara St. The concerts will highlight solo student musicians Peiming Yang, Petite Suite by Claude Debussy. Donations of $20 are appreciated. Youth 18 and under are free. For more information call 484-8000 or visit website www.CHICOVC.org.

Feb. 4: Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions will be holding their Monthly Meeting on Sunday from

3 – 5:30 p.m. The Age of Consequences film at E.P. Foster Library, Topping Room, 651 E. Main St.

Through unflinching case-study analysis, distinguished admirals, generals and military veterans take us beyond the headlines of the conflict in Syria, the social unrest of the Arab Spring, the rise of radicalized groups like ISIS, and the European refugee crisis – and lay bare how climate change stressors interact with societal tensions, sparking conflict. Following the film will be a discussion about our local responses to this global crisis. theageofconsequences.com.

Feb. 4: The 1892 Dudley Historic House Museum will be open for docent-led tours from 1 – 4 p.m. accompanied by period music in the parlor and upstairs library landing. The museum is located at the corner of Loma Vista and Ashwood streets. For information please call 642-3345 or visit the website at www.dudleyhouse.org.

Feb. 8: The Ventura County Professional Women’s Network (VCPWN), one of the county’s long standing organizations supporting the interests of women business owners and professionals, is hosting their monthly dinner meeting at 5:30 PM at Wedgewood Banquet Center Courtyard by Marriott Oxnard, 600 E Esplanade Dr.

VCPWN is excited to host author, speaker, and the founder of Zest Business Consulting and Miracle Manifestation Groups, Jennifer Martin. Jennifer will be presenting: Leveraging Your Personal Brilliance: Bringing the Best of YOU to Work and to Life”

For more information about the event log on to www.vcpwn.org. You can also get more information about joining this great group.

Feb. 10: The Ventura College Men’s and Women’s basketball teams, along with the Ventura Breakers Youth Basketball Club, will host the 19th annual barbecue fundraiser dinner and games on Saturday.

Tickets are $15. Barbecue dinner at the Ventura College Cafeteria will be served from 4-7 p.m.

Ventura College will play Moorpark College, with the Men’s game at 7p.m. and the Women playing at

5 p.m. Ticket prices include dinner and admission to both games. Proceeds benefit VC men’s and women’s basketball and the Ventura Breakers Basketball Club. Information and tickets: 289-6118, and www.vcweplayhard.com.

Feb.13: 7:30 pm Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road.

We often hear how the Audubon Society began in response to the slaughter of millions of water birds. Join VAS chapter vice-president, Cynthia Hartley, for an overview of the origins of the Audubon Society 100 years ago. Then we’ll move forward in time and look at modern day least tern and snowy plover conservation work at Ormond and Hollywood Beaches. Learn about life and death in the dunes, and the work done by current day activists to help protect our nesting shorebirds.

She has a master’s degree in geographic information science (GIS) from the University of Maryland and teaches GIS (computer mapping) at CSUCI. She is also a member of the Ormond Beach Scientific Advisory Committee that advises The Nature Conservancy, The City of Oxnard and the California Coastal Conservancy as they plan for the Ormond Beach Restoration project.

club’s hardbound bi-annual anthology, newsletter and website. Go to venturacountywriters.com for more information, email [email protected] or call Sheli Ellsworth at 499-3490.