by Kevin O’Connor

Meteorologists say much of this strange weather moving south was the result of a polar vortex.  Despite the many negative impacts typically associated with this recent polar vortex, the record-breaking cold may have killed some harmful, invasive species, according to a press release by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).

“While most insects will be equipped to survive a short period of very cold weather, like the recent polar vortex, it’s likely some will die from this extreme weather event,” said Dr. Brittany Campbell, entomologist with the NPMA.

According to a Virginia Tech research experiment, the polar vortex may have killed as many as 95 percent of the stink bugs that hadn’t found warm shelter this winter.  Pests in regions of the country that typically do not experience extremely low temperatures will most likely be impacted the most, Dr. Campbell said.

Pests in these areas are least equipped with physiological and behavioral adaptations to survive the cold. Diapause, a period of inactivity for insects, may have come early in regions of the country that commonly experience winter temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

During diapause, insects that are adapted to regions with typical cold winters undergo physiological changes that allow them to withstand low temperatures. The insects may also have sought shelter, insulating them from cold air.  Perhaps these bugs decided to find shelter in your house!  Not good.

According to Campbell, some insects are able to withstand temperatures even below zero F, with the limit for many insects that can “super freeze” being typically around minus 30 F.  “That said, we won’t be entirely certain of the impacts until spring occurs,” Campbell admitted.

Despite some bugs’ ability to survive short periods of cold weather, sustained frigid conditions, like those brought about from the most recent polar vortex, could be effective at killing off even some well-prepared pests.

The entomologist with the NPMA explained further that, “in addition to the effect of extremely cold weather on pests themselves, damage to plants and other animals can also disrupt food supplies for insects in the spring and summer, driving them indoors.”  As I said above, “indoors” could mean into your abode.

“Ah,” said Mr. Stinkbug, “this is a nice cozy warm house.  I think my family will enjoy wintering it out here during the polar vortex.  I wonder if these humans have a jacuzzi?”

Our expert technicians at O’Connor Pest Control are reliable and well experienced to ensure your home’s safety from pest of all kinds. Call us and we will keep the bugs away from your family!

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In one of the first studies of settlement of the vast interior region of Santa Rosa Island, Christopher Jazwa, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), has found a pattern of the Chumash moving seasonally to use resources beyond the island coastline.

Jazwa has been surveying for archaeological sites in the western region of Santa Rosa Island since 2012. His team has recorded over 111 sites, many of which contain dense shell middens, sites with accumulations of debris from the processing of shellfish, and other items. These middens suggest people lived and used these sites for a sustained period of time.

Prior to teaching at UNR, Jazwa earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from Pennsylvania State University. His research primarily focuses on how people have interacted with their environments through time. In addition to working on the Channel Islands, Jazwa actively leads similar fieldwork projects in northwestern Morocco and southern Baja California, Mexico.

Jaswa’s talk will be held on Thursday, March 14, at 7:00 pm 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. The talk, part of the From Shore to Sea lecture series, is sponsored by Channel Islands National Park to further the understanding of current research on the Channel Islands and surrounding waters. The 2019 lecture series will take place at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday of the month, March through May and September through November,

Archaeological resources at Channel Islands National Park represent an important aspect of the scientific and cultural significance of the park. National Park Service policy guides the park to protect scientifically significant resources by on-site protection and stabilization, or collection. Park visitors are encouraged to see and experience these amazing resources but must leave them in place undisturbed. Collecting, possessing, trafficking in, removing, destroying, injuring, defacing, or disturbing archeological resources is prohibited by federal law and agency regulations.

This lecture can also be viewed live online, at: Shore to Sea lecture series.

Lectures are recorded and posted at: http://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/photosmultimedia/from-shore-to-sea-lecture-videos.htm

At the general meeting of the Olivas Adobe Historical Interpreters, held at the Adobe on March 6, Rosey and Ernie Calvillo said goodbye to their many years of volunteering and goodbye to Ventura. They are moving to San Diego to be with family. At the meeting they spoke of their love for the Adobe and the rewards of volunteering and giving tours of the Adobe. This photo was taken at the Museum of Ventura County. Interpreters and invited guests enjoyed a fine lunch and a delicious cake as they said goodbye to the Calvillos.

Thursday, March 21, at 6:00 pm, at the Buenaventura Banquet Center-5882 Olivas Park Dr.

The 7th Annual Water: Take 1 Film Festival presents water-themed short films that showcase critical water issues as well as community efforts in water conservation, resource management, and sustainability. Space is limited at this free event. Please RSVP at www.watertake1.com to ensure admission.

Water: Take 1 is proudly sponsored by: Nossaman LLP, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Carollo Engineers, and Hopkins Groundwater Consultants, Inc.

by Amy Brown

Ventura choreographer Devin Fulton has been dancing since age three, and is now bringing her decades of experience to the fore in a new contemporary dance show she directs, featuring talented choreographers and dancers from both Ventura County and Los Angeles. “An Indefinite Duration” has nine pieces, each exploring the human obsession with time, from efforts to speed it up, slow it down, or turn it back, while touching on determining how to live in the present. The diverse suite of ten performers, ranging in age from 23 to 43, goes through precarious journeys like ending love, reinventing friendships and aging hiccups. Clocks are suspended above the stage, and dancers interact with them, powerfully weaving the theme of the variance of time throughout the show.

“This is the first time I’ve combined using local community dancers with professional performers in the same show,” said Fulton. “It’s been a huge growth opportunity for all of us—the beauty of it is finding ways to create an experience that works for everyone. I get to think outside of my own box, and I think the finished product is really amazing.” Fulton shared that contemporary dance is, by definition, subjective, and audience members will have the opportunity to individually interpret what they see and hear. Her hope is that people get a little glimpse of many different human experiences. “They may cry a little bit, laugh a little bit, or be inspired to shimmy a little as the show unfolds,” said Fulton. “Either way, we welcome the audience to come play with the hands of time by diving with us into the sometimes heavy, sometimes funny, and always multidimensional ways we exist as humans.”

“An Indefinite Duration” will have 8 pm performances on March 23, 2019 at Hamsa Dance & Yoga Studio in Ojai and on March 29th and 30th at NAMBA Performing Arts Space in downtown Ventura. Its choreographers include Fulton, Gianna Burright, Brittney Nevison, Estéfano Suazo, and Anthony Arellano. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.devinfulton.brownpapertickets.com.

by Alison Oatman

Everyone knows Tony the Vet. For fifteen years, this disabled 72-year-old veteran has been hawking his wares—a combination of baseball caps, decals, flags and other assorted patriotic tchotchkes—on a side road next to the Target on Main Street.

Tony is a warm, spirited man who presides over his collection of carefully lettered signs with pride. “If you like your freedom, go hug a veteran,” reads one of his posters.

“You’ve got the mean people and the nice people,” Tony says. “There’s a lot of people that help me.” Tony is out every day, except when it’s raining. He lives in a black van nearby. “I’m a little entrepreneur,” he continues. “I try to make a little living. I try to be honest.”

Tony tells me he served in Vietnam from 1963-67. “He was a sergeant, a platoon leader,” his best friend Russ chimes in. Russ—a philosophical UCSB grad with pale eyes who looks like an aging surfer—is also homeless. They offer each other a great deal of emotional support.

“Tony, tell her what the stop sign stands for,” Russ says, gesturing to the crimson hexagon that dominates the cluttered display of merchandise. “It stands for ‘Sergeant Tony Offers Prayers,’” Tony says with a glint in his eye.

Russ tells me Tony is “a visible, friendly, social person” who is well-liked. “People come up, he lends an ear, he listens,” Russ says. In a part of town conducive to alcoholics and drug addicts, Tony has prevented more than one suicide. “He’s like a surrogate dad or uncle.”

According to Tony, there is a government code that says vets are permitted to sell to stay alive in designated areas. Despite his disabled veteran’s license, Target doesn’t want him there, and neither does the city. But the police ultimately sided with Tony.

The feisty veteran has serious heart problems. During the hour that we spoke, he had to pop a nitrate pill twice. Suddenly his cell phone rang. An overwhelmed Tony blurts something out, and then abruptly ends the call. He immediately regrets hanging up, realizing it could have been someone who might help him get housing.

I ask him about his Dodgers hat. “I hope we can win the world series before I’m in the big one in the sky,” he says with a lopsided grin.
Squinting into the sun, Russ next lays out a meandering story about an eccentric woman on the freeway that everyone knew in the 1970’s. “When Tony dies people will remember him the way we knew the freeway lady in Santa Barbara,” Russ concludes. “He’s an icon.”

Russ also mentions that Tony is a former drag racer and that he has adult children. “Isn’t that right, Tony?” Russ asks. An aggravated Tony runs his fingers through his thick white beard. The interview has gone on too long, and it’s bad for business.

Just before I walk away, I see the faces of the two friends framed by the late afternoon glow as if bathed in nostalgia.

Kristin Ockert worked with community colleges for 21 years, mostly in state level policy and program development. She currently is on the foundation’s Strategic Planning Committee, which is developing a new multi-year plan that is incorporating input from community stakeholders and reflecting on new data and projected needs. She also serves on the Scholarship Review Committee, working with foundation staff to refine the scholarship application process so students will be more successful in applying for scholarship funds.

“Kristin’s decades of experience in the community college arena have been extremely valuable to Ventura College and the foundation,” says Rob van Nieuwburg, Ventura College Foundation board chair. “We look forward to having Kristin on the board where she can further offer her insights and expertise.”

Ockert’s long-time interest has been ensuring that everyone has access to education. “The foundation helps level the playing field for people who have few financial resources yet want the opportunity to achieve their potential through education and training,” says Ockert. “The VC Foundation staff and board are very mission driven and are always looking for ways to improve services to students. As a board member, I plan to contribute perspective and experience about processes that can hopefully be helpful to the foundation as it carries out its mission.”

Established in 1983, the Ventura College Foundation provides financial support to the students and the programs of Ventura College to facilitate student success and grow the impact and legacy of Ventura College as a vital community asset. The Foundation also hosts the Ventura College Foundation Marketplace; an outdoor shopping experience held every weekend on the Ventura College campus east parking lot. For more information, contact Anne Paul King at (805) 289-6461 or [email protected] or visit www.VCgiving.org