On Thursday, February 13 at 7:00 pm. Nakia Zavalla with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians will share the Santa Ynez Band’s experience on the discovery and return of Tuqan Man, a Native American man who died 10,000 years ago on San Miguel Island.

Tuqan Man’s remains were discovered during an archaeological survey in 2005 eroding into a coastal gully. The National Park Service consulted with the Santa Ynez Chumash Band and together they decided to excavate the unprotected burial of Tuqan Man to prevent it from being lost to the sea.

In 2018, the Chumash tribe returned Tuqan Man to a burial site on the island following federal law and procedures outlined in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). In her presentation Zavalla will present a short film that tells the Santa Inez Band’s experience, including perspectives of elders and other cultural specialists.

Nakia Zavalla is a tribal descendant and the Cultural and Language Director of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Zavalla has a teaching credential in American Indian Languages, and a master’s degree in Cultural Sustainability from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. Zavalla has served for the past eight years on the planning committee for the California Conference on American Indian Education and serves on the California Living Language Circle Conference planning committee.

The lecture will be held at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura Harbor. The program is free and open to the public. This talk, part of the From Shore to Sea lecture series is sponsored by Channel Islands National Park to further the understanding of the Channel Islands and surrounding waters.
This lecture can also be viewed live online at: Shore to Sea lecture series.

The Board of the Ventura Music Festival is pleased to announce its 2020 Honorees for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts and Community.

Speaking for the Board, its president Richard Reisman said: “These two prominent individuals – Barbara Meister and Jordan Laby, together with their late spouses – have made culture- and community-changing contributions that literally created the arts landscape in Ventura and beyond, to say nothing of their important contributions to health (CMH) and education (VUSD).”

The Laby and Meister cultural legacies include founding and ongoing support for the New West Symphony, Ventura Music Festival, Rubicon Theatre, Focus on the Masters, Laby Harmony Project, Ventura County Ballet and more. Each of these institutions is now celebrating a 20th or 25th anniversary which means the number of people impacted, including the youngest members of the community, is in the hundreds of thousands.

“I’m always struck by their humility,” said “Festival Executive Director Susan Scott. “Each has accomplished so much, both professionally and philanthropically, yet neither seeks the limelight and talks instead about ‘giving back’ and the importance of arts and music education for children and recognition of local artists as cultural assets.”

The 2020 VMF Honorees will be honored with a video, dinner and live music performance at the annual VMF Honoree Awards and Cabaret Fundraiser on Thursday, April 30th, at the Ventura Beach Marriott hotel.

Past honorees include Betsy Blanchard Chess, Doug Halter, Nancy and Spencer Garrett, Justice Steven Z. Perren, Micheline Sakharoff, Freddie Contarino, the Limoneira Company and E. J. Harrison.

The Ventura Music Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019, with a record of 300,000 festival-goers attending over 200 performances, and 40,000 children in its Music in the Schools program. The VMF mission: to bring world-class music to the community, foster audience-artist relationships and enhance the joy of music through offerings for all ages.

VMF seeks to create an inclusive, welcoming environment in which people both see and hear themselves reflected in the music. Its 26th season is set for July 23-26 and July 30-Aug.2. The public is warmly invited to a free preview of the season on Sunday, February 16th, 3pm at the Museum of Ventura County on

Ventura County Children and Family Services’ is changing their name to Homes with Heart VC. The change is due to the outpouring of support from the community, who graciously open their homes to youth and children in care and speaks more genuinely to the mission behind recruitment, to find loving homes with heart to mentor and support our children, youth and their families.

Historically, Foster VC Kids recruitment program has garnered a significant increase in resource family inquiries since it first started in 2014.  Now the brand seeks to innovate by re-educating everyone on why they are changing their name to Homes with Heart VC.

The initiative was developed six years ago to increase the amount of loving families to take in and support youth in care in Ventura.   Learn how Ventura County Children and Family Services’ Homes with Heart VC is making a difference throughout Ventura County, www.homeswithheartvc.org.

Ventura Land Trust welcomed 100 volunteers to Harmon Canyon on January 20, 2020 for a work day to help build a new hiking trail and remove invasive plant species.

The event marked the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service that celebrates King’s legacy and encourages volunteerism to improve communities.

Ventura Land Trust is in the process of purchasing Harmon Canyon, a 2,100-acre Ventura property, to establish a nature preserve.

“This day of service is an opportunity for people to help us clear brush, restore native habitat, and build trails for the public to enjoy once the preserve is open,” says Ventura Land Trust Stewardship Manager Dan Hulst. ” It’s a sneak peak, because Harmon Canyon is not yet open to the public.”

“The amount of work that volunteers accomplished in three hours would have taken staff a couple of weeks to complete,” says Hulst.

Ventura Land Trust permanently protects land, water, wildlife, and scenic beauty in the Ventura region, including nearly 100 acres along the Ventura River and coastal estuary. Ventura Land Trust preserves are open to the public daily from dawn to dusk, with no cost for admission.

Earlier that morning, Ventura Land Trust partnered with Runners for Public Lands to host a run/walk through Harmon Canyon. Runners for Public Lands builds relationships between runners and land conservation organizations to deepen runners’ connections to, and encourage stewardship of, the open spaces through which they run.

Harmon Canyon is currently closed to the public except for volunteer restoration events. Visit www.venturalandtrust.org to learn more and register for upcoming events.

by John Hankins

The local Sierra Club’s Wilderness Basics Course begins Feb. 19, the popular and premiere hands-on course that will make you savvy and safe in the backcountry on an overnight or day hike, sponsored by experts of the Los Padres Chapter and friends.

Those friends include people from the Ojai Search and Rescue crews, first aid trainers, navigation mavens, fitness coaches, weather watchers and experts on clothing and gear from local stores which also give discounts to the students.

Gabe Valdez is a graduate of WBC who never backpacked overnight yet completed two solo trips to the Sespe and Mineral King, writing, “I want to thank you all because everything I learned in the WBC made my trip safe and exciting. I never felt unprepared for any obstacle … I couldn’t have had this life experience without it.”

Patty Peinado is another grad who said, “I definitely felt fully prepared to go out into the wilderness with friends and backpack after the 8-week course. The staff offers opportunities for day hikes as well as two backpacking trips. Every topic one could possibly imagine is covered…”

The WBC, which covers Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, does sell out each year, so don’t delay; to sign up or learn more at https://tinyurl.com/2020WBCsignup

Eight classes will be held on Wednesday evenings from 7-9:30pm Feb.19 through April 8, at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Rd, Ventura.

The class lectures are comprehensive with demonstrations and small break-out groups, so everyone gets individual attention on all levels of experience. While there is plenty of practical information, there are also topics on wilderness ethics, wildlife and Leave No Trace practices.

Students will gain experience by participating in several outings including day hikes, a car camp, and backpacking trips in our local mountains, all of which offer students a choice of difficulties ranging from low-moderate to strenuous, with multiple trip options.

The course welcomes families and all ages from 18 to seniors. Teenagers 13-17 may take the course if they enroll with their parent or guardian and go on the outings together.

For questions, call (805) 766-9920 or email, and check out Facebook:

[email protected]

www.Facebook.com/lospadreswbc

The Ventura County Fair has announced  the induction of Fair CEO Barbara Quaid into the Western Fairs Association (WFA) Hall of Fame during the awards celebration at the WFA Convention and Trade Show held January 20-24 in Reno, Nevada. The prestigious award is presented annually to individuals whose dedicated efforts have enriched the tradition of fairs and encouraged the professionalism of the industry. WFA is a non-profit trade association serving the Fair industry in the Western United States and Canada.

“I am honored and humbled to be placed in the Hall of Fame because I know that we are resilient and strong together,” says Quaid, “I am a small piece of what is a business that brings families together and creates smiles and memories, joys and rewards.”

Quaid began her career as a volunteer in the Youth Department at the Ventura County Fair and has worked in administration, concessions and as deputy manager of the VC Fair until she was promoted to CEO in 2005.  She is responsible for implementing an independent Carnival midway to ensure that only the best selection of rides is brought to the Ventura County Fair.

Playing an active role in the WFA, Quaid has served as treasurer, vice chair and President of the WFA. Locally she is active in the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Ventura Land Trust welcomed 100 volunteers to Harmon Canyon on January 20, 2020 for a work day to help build a new hiking trail and remove invasive plant species.

The event marked the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service that celebrates King’s legacy and encourages volunteerism to improve communities.

Ventura Land Trust is in the process of purchasing Harmon Canyon, a 2,100-acre Ventura property, to establish a nature preserve.

“This day of service is an opportunity for people to help us clear brush, restore native habitat, and build trails for the public to enjoy once the preserve is open,” says Ventura Land Trust Stewardship Manager Dan Hulst. ” It’s a sneak peak, because Harmon Canyon is not yet open to the public.”

“The amount of work that volunteers accomplished in three hours would have taken staff a couple of weeks to complete,” says Hulst.

Ventura Land Trust permanently protects land, water, wildlife, and scenic beauty in the Ventura region, including nearly 100 acres along the Ventura River and coastal estuary. Ventura Land Trust preserves are open to the public daily from dawn to dusk, with no cost for admission.

Earlier that morning, Ventura Land Trust partnered with Runners for Public Lands to host a run/walk through Harmon Canyon. Runners for Public Lands builds relationships between runners and land conservation organizations to deepen runners’ connections to, and encourage stewardship of, the open spaces through which they run.

Harmon Canyon is currently closed to the public except for volunteer restoration events. Visit www.venturalandtrust.org to learn more and register for upcoming events.