Andrew Pyler volunteered to clean the pieces as part of his Eagle Scout project.

by Richard Lieberman

After sorting through more than 14,000 artifacts to find 75 that best represented the history of the Seabees, the curator for exhibits at the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme needed to get them ship-shape for display.

So when Andrew Pyler, 14, of Port Hueneme, volunteered to clean the pieces as part of his Eagle Scout project and oversee the work of the rest of his Boy Scout troop, Kim Crowell, Museum Curator welcomed the help. Andrew is directing the efforts of the six other boys in Boy Scout Troop 234.

“They’ve been very careful,” Crowell said, noting the boys have been diligent in their cleanup and cataloging efforts. “We appreciate the help while we have it.”

They’re meticulously and painstakingly cleaning such items as a bombshell cigar holder that Rear Adm. Ben Moreell owned in the 1940s when he founded the U.S. Navy’s construction battalions — CBs, hence the nickname Seabees — that are devoted to engineering and construction projects around the world.

“Some of these things are so fragile,” said Andrew, who lives in Port Hueneme and is homeschooled. “We have some very delicate flags that just take a light brush. Others need vacuuming. And to remove residue, others need to be polished.”

Andrew said that the Scouts had to be taught what should or shouldn’t be removed or cleaned.

“With boots from Vietnam that still have dirt from Vietnam on them, we keep the dirt and just dust them,” he said.

All 75 of the Seabee artifacts are being photographed so they can be displayed on a website that will commemorate the Seabee’s 75th anniversary next year. Then they will be placed throughout the Seabee Museum as part of its upcoming 75th anniversary exhibit. The various artifacts tie in to some aspect of Seabee history. For example, there’s a large wooden four-sided, flat-top pyramid that represented the effort of all U.S. troops in the 1990s who were in Haiti to help the country establish a democracy.

A featured artifact is a gold-plated Al Kadesih sniper rifle, which was fashioned after the Russian Dragunov rifles and was captured from the collection of Uday Hussain in 2003 in Baghdad. Uday, the eldest son of Saddam Hussein, was killed in a gunfight in 2003. “He would give them as gifts,” Crowell said of the gold-plated rifle, “He had cases of them.”

Elaine Pyler, Andrew’s mother, said the Eagle Scout project is going beyond helping the community: It’s teaching the young people about the past. “When they touch the artifacts, they touch history,” she said. “It’s great to learn what the military does and especially about the Seabees.”

Scoutmaster Dan Estabrook said the Seabees play a major role in the small troop.

“This troop is sponsored by the Navy Seabee Veterans of America Island X-7” he said. “We emphasize core values, duty to country and service to God. Andrew has worked hard,” he added.

Several Seabees are helping out with the cleaning project alongside the Boy Scouts. As part of their documentation, the 75 artifacts had to be carefully lit with a dark backdrop. Professional equipment had to be used to photograph each artifact and identifying information.

Zachary Marble, who is in a school on base and learning the basic job skills of a Seabee, said he was enjoying the project.

“It’s fun,” he said, noting that one artifact is a flag that Seabees carried across the Rhine River during World War II and brought back to the United States. “We’re seeing all this history, and it is getting ourselves into the history.”

Community volunteers are also helping with the project. Lee Burke, of Camarillo, who was taking photos of the artifacts, believes chronicling history is essential.

“Being a historian and being a photographer, I think it’s very important to see those memories in the objects,” Burke said. “This is how we will share them together.”

Crowell said much of the display will be open to the public in January, in plenty of time for the official 75th anniversary of the Seabees on March 5

Barbara Brown appointed VBG President.

Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) announced recently the appointment of its 2017 slate of officers. Beginning on January 1, Barbara Brown will assume the post of President. Dr. Tracy Long will assume the post of Vice President. Terry Sommers will remain as Treasurer with Sandy Ross as Recording Secretary and Jonell McLain as Corresponding Secretary.

“I am honored to serve as President for the Ventura Botanical Gardens,” Barbara Brown said. “The Gardens are, in my opinion, one of the most unique projects in the city. Both the land, with its stunning views, and the widespread and enthusiastic community engagement, are inspiring. This public-private partnership with the City of Ventura offers a valuable resource for our community, providing ready access to an extensive natural setting, open space and spectacular views.”

Barbara Brown is the founder of BBM&D Strategic Branding, one of the largest and oldest branding firms in the area. She is a Commissioner for the City of Ventura Public Arts Commission, and is on the Board of the Ventura Arts Festival. She has served on numerous boards including Ventura County Professional Women’s Network, Goodwill Industries and the Ventura/Santa Barbara Chapters of the American Advertising Federation as President where she tripled membership in the organization. She also serves on the Sister Cities Cultural Exchange that is focused on cultivating international awareness and understanding. She is a Charter Member of the Ventura Botanical Gardens and has been on the board for seven years bringing CAST (California Spring Trials) to Ventura.

Dr. Tracy Long, a board member since 2010, will continue to serve on the board as Vice-President, a role that will allow her to continue the work she began in 2016. She is an applied anthropologist with a doctorate in human and organizational systems. She is a research fellow with the Institute for Social Innovation in Santa Barbara, where she studies social justice activism and alternative economics. Deeply interested in the cultural heritage of Ventura County, she served for 11 years on the City of Ventura Historic Preservation.

Board members include Barbara Brown, Joseph Cahill, Isabel Callaway, Kevin Clerici, Nicole Horn, Tracy Long, Kathy McGee, Stuart Nielson, Melody O’Leary-Namikas, Terry N. Sommer, Phil White, Jo Ann M. Wedding, and Derrick Wilson.

This public benefit nonprofit organization is dedicated to creating a world-class botanical garden for the preservation, education, cultural contribution and enhancement of the community. The gardens will celebrate the five Mediterranean climate regions with a locale that boasts spectacular 180-degree views of the California coast and the Channel Islands.

The first trail is complete and already a popular hiking destination. The seedlings of the Chilean Gardens are beginning to thrive. VBG will continue to create outdoor opportunities including community gathering spaces, training, research, and educational programs ranging from horticulture and botany to sustainability. To find out more, visit www.VenturaBotanicalGardens.com and join us on Facebook.

Bella Donnelly making friends with police dog “Yankee” and officer Metz.

On Nov. 15 Land Rover Jaguar Ventura hosted a law enforcement appreciation reception honoring K9 Jag, the Ventura Police K9 Unit and law enforcement county-wide.

In March of 2016 Officer Hrynyk was selected as the Ventura Police Department’s next K9 handler. He was paired with K9 Jag. The Ventura Police Department has four K9 Teams assigned to Patrol. The K9 Teams are available for deployment seven days a week, providing protection to our community twenty-four hours a day.

Photos by Bernie Goldstein

Chris Massa brings nobility to farming at Balboa Middle School.

by Sheli Ellsworth

Most of us take food for granted. We shop in grocery stores bursting with choices. Food delivered to our doorstep is a click away. Roadside and farmer’s markets offer fresh and organic options. Food can be purchased anytime on any day. Scholar Thomas Malthus erred in his 1779 prediction; the human population has not out-paced agricultural production.

So, why worry about food or farming?

Because our abundance is dependent on a world food market which is dependent on political and economic forces we as individuals have very little control over. For example, in times of war, victory gardens in private residences and public parks decrease pressure on the food supply and allow people to contribute in tangible ways. The ability to grow and harvest is an integral part of our humanity. It connects us with the earth and with each other.

But we have produced a generation who has little or no idea where food comes from or what it takes to get food from field to fork. Community efforts like Farm Day encourage would-be growers to visit local farms, ranches and processing plants, but how do we inspire a whole generation to appreciate the smell of dirt? We find people like Chris Massa who bring nobility to farming.

We found Massa, a farm to school operations specialist, at Balboa Middle School pushing a shovel for the Ventura County Farm to School Collaborative, teaching world geography, environmental sciences, and history. Massa who has a degree in natural resource conservation from the University of British Columbia moved to Ventura to work for Foodcorps. He says he has gotten down and dirty since he was a kid in his mother’s garden. “But the real hook came in college when I took a permaculture design course. Farming encompasses all of my passions, environmental stewardship, creating healthy communities, and running a business.”

Oxnard Elementary School District, Rio School District, and Hueneme Elementary School District also use Massa’s services. He says his job requires him to spend 15 hours a week at Balboa, but his passion for the soil prompts him to spend much more. “In order to keep the farm in a productive state I spend another 10-15 hours weekly of my own time.”

Massa runs his organic gardens like real farms. He started the Balboa plot in June 2016 and hand tilled the soil adding worm castings and biochar. The 7th grade environmental horticulture class and the after-school Environmental Club tend the quarter acre spot. The students are growing lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and beans. They have learned the value of compost, insects and fresh vegetables. The student’s harvest goes to the school cafeteria for consumption. “The kids will try new foods just because they had a hand in the growing.”

What does Massa see in the future? “My biggest hope for the future is that our food system becomes less centralized. I would like to see more home/school/community gardens and farmer owned cooperatives. I would also love to see less food waste and a world in which no one suffers from malnutrition.” What is Massa’s plan for next year? “One of my favorite quotes is from Confucius, ‘If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children. ‘”

Massa says he loves Ventura County because of the year round growing climate. “But my favorite thing about living here is the ocean and how friendly the people are.”