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Volunteers help Ventura Hillsides Conservancy at Big Rock Preserve

Unveiling the bike rack are Christy Weir Ventura City Council, Jay Licata Aera Energy, Matt Wyatt Aera Energy, Derek Poultney Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, Michelle Newell Aera Energy and Ron Henry  Aera Energy.

On Saturday, Nov. 19, more than 20 volunteers joined the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy (VHC) at their Big Rock Nature Preserve near Foster Park to plant willow tree cuttings and unveil a bike rack that was recently installed on the property. Donated by Aera Energy, the bike rack is just one of many improvements VHC has made at Big Rock over the past year.

“We appreciate the work VHC does to protect the environment and are happy to provide this bike rack to the community,” said Michele Newell, public affairs specialist for Aera Energy. “We hope that riders pedaling along the Ventura-Ojai bike trail will stop, lock up their bikes and explore the beautiful Big Rock Nature Preserve.”

The 17- acre Big Rock Preserve is a collection of properties owned by VHC. The name Big Rock comes from a once-popular swimming hole on the property that was home to a large boulder before floods swept it away. Though the boulder is gone, the water remains.

VHC has spent the past year planting more than 500 trees, clearing invasive plants and creating trails at the Big Rock Nature Preserve. The nonprofit land trust hosts volunteer work events on the third Saturday of each month. To find out about future volunteer opportunities, visit www.venturahillsides.org and click on the events tab.

The Ventura Hillsides Conservancy is dedicated to preserving and protecting Ventura’s hillsides, rivers and wildlife.  Founded in 2003, the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is supported by over 450 members, local business, community stakeholders and government partners.  The land trust currently owns 28 acres of land along the Ventura River and is actively fundraising for hillside property on the Walker-Hearne Ranch in east Ventura. For more information about the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, visit: www.venturahillsides.org.

About Aera Energy: Aera Energy is proud to be a respected and responsible California oil company accounting for nearly 25 percent of the state’s oil production.

 

Grand opening held at Ventura College

Roe Estep creator of sculpture explaining the steps to her creation to friend Kathy Johnsen. Photo by Bernie Goldstein

On Dec.1 the Ventura College Art Department held the grand opening of their remodeled Studio Arts Building (SAB) and the newly constructed New Media Gallery  at 4667 Telegraph Road.  It featured  studio class demonstrations, faculty and student displays, and a closing reception . The Art Department maintains two galleries: Gallery 2, a student-run gallery and art lab, and the New Media Gallery exhibiting work by historically significant and nationally known artists. Additionally, these exhibition spaces provide students with hands-on experience in gallery and museum management.

 

Local program receives $10,000 donation to enhance watershed education program

The funding will help the program extend its reach and continue its mission .

Once Upon a Watershed, an Ojai-based education program providing hands-on watershed education, restoration and stewardship experience to 4-6 grade students in Ventura County received their second installment of a $30,000 commitment from Aera Energy, an oil exploration and production company located on Ventura’s Westside. The funding, provided over three years will help the program extend its reach and continue its mission which is to teach students about the importance of protecting the watershed and help them understand their responsibility in protecting the whole earth system.

“Our program provides educational information about our environment to the younger generation who may not understand their individual impact on the world around them,” said David White, project coordinator. “This partnership with Aera provides us important funding to grow and expand our program which ultimately helps us reach more students on this important subject.”

“Aera’s commitment to protecting the environment is one of our core values and we have the utmost respect for the environmental resources here in Ventura,” explains Michele Newell, Aera spokesperson. “We are proud to partner with Once Upon a Watershed and support this valuable program that teaches the youth of the area about the importance of caring for their environment.”

For more information about Once Upon a Watershed go to www.onceuponawatershed.org

The Silver Pantry

Doug and Mandy met at a chocolate-making class. Photo by Bernie Goldstein

by Mira Reverente

One’s love affair with food supposedly starts at a young age, as was the case with Doug Paschen. Growing up in Westlake Village, Paschen has fond memories of cooking with his mom which eventually paved the way for studies at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York.

It was also at CIA where he met his wife Mandy, originally from North Carolina. Fast forward to 15 years later and a stint in a Swiss chalet, the two now own The Silver Pantry, a gourmet meal delivery service for seniors.

In their kitchen in Ventura, the couple joke around about how they met – at a chocolate-making class, according to Doug. His wife laughs and shakes her head, and proceeds to prep vegetables.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are their busiest days, spent prepping, cooking and delivering meals to seniors from Ventura all the way to Santa Paula, Camarillo and Westlake Village, and several places in between.

“We deliver lunch and dinner meals that are fresh, locally sourced, easily re-heatable and never frozen,” says Doug. Clients can choose from a range of meal options – three-day to seven-day, lunch or dinner, or both.

The current menu includes many mouth-watering offerings such as Pesto Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta, Chicken Teriyaki, Seared Salmon, Beef Brisket, BBQ Spare Ribs and Eggplant Parmesan – comfort food done in a healthy way.

“There’s lots of flexibility in our offerings, no delivery fees and we even offer a five-day trial plan,” says Mandy. “We can also tailor-fit meals to address gluten and diabetic needs, among others.”

Doug’s culinary background in assisted living drove them to go into the meal delivery service for seniors back in March of this year. “Baby boomers are now a large part of the population,” says Doug. “As they age at home, cooking well balanced meals becomes more difficult and their nutrition suffers. We knew we could be part of the solution.”

Says Mandy, “We want them to enjoy eating. We want them to enjoy interactions – when we deliver there is some face and talk time.”

It’s the relationship-centered, going-the-extra-mile gestures they do and offer that sets them apart from the competition. “Little things like opening lids and unloading – we do those,” says Mandy.

Growing the business

Expansion is definitely in the works. “We do want to cover a wider geographic area, but right now our focus is on exceptional service to our local communities,” says Doug of their current limitations.

“Running a small business with two young kids in school is no easy task,” says Mandy, who also handles a lot of the back-end part of the business like graphic design and customer service.

Meantime, it’s business as usual for the young, go-getter couple who whip up the finest meals for seniors this side of town.

For more information , visit www.thesilverpantry.com or call 805.419.0202 or 888.636.7547.

“Dainty Trio”, mixed media by Nancy Horwick

art-dainty-trioBuenaventura Art Association’s annual Small Image Show is going on now through January 7 at the Buenaventura Gallery, 700 E. Santa Clara St. in downtown Ventura. No painting or sculpture is over 16 inches in any direction. Concurrent with the show is the Holiday Boutique filled with unique artisan crafts and gifts. All of the artwork is priced competitively so that the gift of original fine art or artisan crafts is not significantly more expensive than buying a framed print at a big box store… and it’s much more personal! Shopping local supports local artists and businesses rather than large conglomerates!

Let Medicare help you stop smoking

“Maybe it’s time for me to stop smoking.
“Maybe it’s time for me to stop smoking.

by Cate Kortzeborn- Medicare’s acting regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories

It’s never too late to quit smoking and there are so many ways to. Some people quit by doing more exercise, some use nicotine patches while others use sites like www.gourmeteliquid.co.uk to help them slowly decrease their nicotine intake. There are places online that sell things like vape pens, vape carts, and other products that can help anyone who wants to try to stop smoking without going cold turkey. While it’s best to stop as early as possible, kicking the smoking habit at any age will enhance the length and quality of your life.

As soon as you stop, your body begins to repair the damage caused by smoking. You’ll also save money and you won’t have to run outside your home or office every time the urge to light up hits you!

Medicare now covers counseling sessions to help you stop smoking, even if you haven’t been diagnosed with an illness caused by tobacco use. You pay nothing for smoking cessation counseling, as long as you get it from a doctor or other qualified provider who accepts Medicare reimbursement.

Many state Medicaid programs cover smoking cessation services as well.

Smoking tobacco can cause many diseases, including heart disease, respiratory diseases, and lung cancer , the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. More than 56 million Americans still smoke tobacco, but quitting can reduce your risk of getting these diseases.

So if you have Medicare or Medicaid, make a note to talk with your doctor about quitting. Medicare covers eight face-to-face smoking cessation counseling sessions during a 12-month period.

What happens in these sessions? Your doctor may follow the “5 A’s” approach: ask patients about their smoking habits; advise them to quit; assess their willingness to quit; assist their attempts to quit; and arrange follow-up.

To help you get off and stay off tobacco, your physician may prescribe one of seven antismoking drugs currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Medicare often covers such medications under its Part D prescription drug program. You may opt not to go down the medical route, with the aforementioned vape providing a viable alternative. It is important to find something else but also to find something in your area. E liquid NZ could be able to help you.

I also want to mention that Medicare covers screening for lung cancer with Low Dose Computed Tomography. To qualify, you must:

  • Be age 55-77;
  • Be either a current smoker or have quit smoking within the last 15 years;
  • Have a tobacco smoking history of at least 30 “pack years” (an average of one pack a day for 30 years);
  • Not have any signs or symptoms of lung cancer;
  • Get a written order from your physician or qualified non-physician practitioner.

You pay nothing for this screening if your doctor or other qualified provider accepts Medicare reimbursement.

For more information on kicking the habit, visit http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/help-quitting-fact-sheet.

You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-633-4227.

“True Colors,” featuring Phillip Zubiate III and Eileen Maloney at Fox Fine Jewelry through Jan. 16

art-foxEileen Maloney won the 2016 Strawberry Festival’s Poster Contest for her painting of strawberries dripping with chocolate and wet paint. An artist since she was young, Maloney continued her art as a teacher and mother.

Now retired, she enjoys painting fruits, vegetables and flowers in her home studio. Says Maloney of her watercolors, “I always use bright colors and lots of detail. That’s how people recognize my work.”

Fox Fine Jewelry
560 E. Main St.

Gold Coast Transit District announces partnership with the Department of Homeland Security

stuff-gold-coastGold Coast Transit District, Ventura County’s largest public transit provider announced their partnership with the public awareness campaign of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “If You See Something, Say Something™.”

“If You See Something, Say Something™” posters and signs will now be visible on buses, transit centers and public spaces in the Gold Coast Transit District service area which include the cities of Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura and unincorporated areas of Ventura County between the cities.

The posters advise citizens in the GCTD’s service area to contact the Department of Homeland Security at 888-705-JRIC (5742) or call 9-1-1 if they see any suspicious activity in or around buses or bus stops.  Citizens and Community Organizations may download a poster, by visiting www.GoldCoastTransit.org.

The “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign—originally implemented by New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and now licensed to DHS for a nationwide campaign—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism and terrorism-related crime to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.

The Department launched the “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign in conjunction with the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative—an administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to terrorism and terrorism-related crime; standardize how those observations are documented and analyzed; and ensure the sharing of those reports with the Federal Bureau of Investigation-led Joint Terrorism Task Forces for further investigation and fusion centers for analysis.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.dhs.gov/See-Something-Say-Something.

 

Mermaids galore at Mermaid Gallery & Studio in Ventura Harbor

art-obrien‘Mermaid and Her Seahorse” 24″ x 48″ oil by Tina Obrien at the Mermaid Gallery & Studio in the Ventura Harbor. If you are a mermaid or know a mermaid, come and sea Tina Obrien’s beach art at the Gallery. Tina has mermaid cards and prints, mugs and her Mermaid Sand Dollar Ornaments. The gallery is full of original oil paintings featuring our beautiful Ventura beaches as well as her 2017 Calendar ‘Ventura Seaside’.  Be shore to stop by.