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.

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

Rick Namhais, Executive Director, Carol Goldstein, Board Member, Ally Gialketsis, Ventura Branch Coordinator, Jill Sarick Santos Ventura Branch Manager and Emily Parker Fundraising Manager at ‘friend-raising’ event.

Food Forward has been connecting those most vulnerable to food insecurity in our community with abundant fresh produce gleaned from farms, orchards, backyards and farmers markets since 2012 in Ventura County.  They hosted their first community ‘friend-raising’ event on Sunday, November 13th at Ventura Spirits.

Nearly 100 friends and supporters of Food Forward were in attendance: local farmers, foodies and others interested in promoting more sustainable agricultural. Everyone enjoyed delicious food from Sespe Pizza, hand-crafted distilled beverages from Ventura Spirits, refreshing local wines from Paradise Pantry and locally brewed beer from Topa Topa Brewery.

Executive Director, Rick Nahmias shared the story of how Food Forward started with a few volunteers from Craigslist and a friend’s orange tree.  25 million pounds later, the organization is serving over 350 hunger relief agencies and has over 7,000 volunteers throughout Southern California.

Food Forward hosts regular “Backyard Harvests” and also gleans at the Thousand Oaks and Ventura farmers markets every week. Volunteers commit to about an hour and a half and can easily provide over 120 servings of fresh fruit or produce to someone in need in our community.

To learn more about Food Forward and to sign-up to volunteer, visit www.foodforward.org.

Students expressed concern for the well-being of individuals targeted by large political campaigns.

by Andres Tovar-Ventura College

Students gathered the evening after the November 8th election to discuss the future of this great nation. Under the hot sun and heavy air that filled the end of a grueling campaign season, many expressed concern for the well-being of individuals targeted by large political campaigns and stressed the importance of safety in these coming times. Students in all, came together not for protest of any individual entity particularly, but to promote a much needed unity amongst the young and old of our community. Many felt the nation was more divided than ever and in these times where too many emotions run deep, a unity of our citizens regardless of political belief is our greatest duty.

Instructors of Ventura College gave insight on what the next most logical step should be, and in conjunction with the students, offered a message of peace and love and hope. The older individuals that attended this rally then offered further insight into the coming future, expressing sympathies for those who feel threatened and provided wisdom with their experience with similar times in their lives. Many individuals spoke to the crowd of having dealt with rougher times; being persecuted and often abandoned by the system meant to protect and assist them. In their all knowledge and wisdom gained within the borders of time and space here in our home, it was told again the greatest thing a people can do in the hardest of times is unite not against another, but for the sake of itself that it may flourish to be the voice of a generation.

These words do not ring hollow, as they to pass through the voices of the students of Ventura College, giving hope that times may come with difficulty, but be meet with a solidarity bounded by conviction.

A message from staff dictated that the students that participated in their first election not become disheartened with the political process, in regard to the overwhelming division driven by the political environment of the past year. As in most areas of politics, there has always been a divergence in belief between the young and old, rich and poor, and rural and urban; but a common ground for many was the right to have their voice be heard in ballot. This ability to be heard has been fought for and has held to be a foundation of the American way. The rally ended with a plea from voices of all types to hold onto their rights and use them to their fullest extent.

This election is both something seen before and something all too new to know what is to come. In absence of any certainty, the students of Ventura College can only express the need for unity in these most truly turbulent times, as a house divided against itself cannot stand.

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