Gold 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.

Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD) is excited to announce that a specially decorated holiday bus will be traveling the streets of Oxnard, Ventura, Port Hueneme and Ojai this holiday season! The 40-foot “ELF on the GO” bus will be decorated inside and out with hundreds of lights — will feature music — and will include District staff as “Elves” riding along passing out candy canes to bus riders and posing for “sELFies!” The festively decorated bus will appear on regularly scheduled select routes from Tuesday, December 6th through Thursday, December 22nd.

ELF on the GO bus schedule and more info can be found here “Elf on the GO” bus can be tracked by searching #ELFontheGO on Facebook or Twitter or visit

www.GoldCoastTransit.org for schedule and fare information.

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.

During the December From Shore to Sea Lecture, Susan Morris, a local researcher and writer, will discuss new research into the 1835 removal of native peoples from San Nicolas Island (the Nicoleños) and give details about their lives in the growing city of Los Angeles.

The story of the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island has fascinated people for generations and formed the basis for the popular children’s book, Island of the Blue Dolphins. In 1835, the Nicoleños were removed from their island home, except for one woman, who remained on the island for 18 years. In 1853, she sailed to Santa Barbara with George Nidever. Efforts were made to find people who could communicate with her, but the she died seven weeks later, unable to fully share her story.

Morris will discuss new research using provincial Mexican papers, Los Angeles documents, American records, and church registers, which identified the Lone Woman’s people in Los Angeles. At least five men, women, and children are confirmed or are likely to have come to Los Angeles from San Nicolas Island in 1835.

Susan Morris is a researcher and writer who has been involved in Channel Islands research since 1987. She has participated in field studies on seven of the eight Channel Islands, working on archaeology, paleontology, geology, and biology projects. Morris was the principle investigator of a cave-associated archaeological site survey in Wreck Canyon, Santa Rosa Island. Her recent focus has been historical research on events related to the life of the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island.

The talk will be held on Thursday, December 8. 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 marine waters. The 2016 lecture series will take place at 7:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month, January through December, at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center in Ventura Harbor. This extended schedule is in honor of the National Park Service’s milestone centennial anniversary, which celebrates 100 years of national parks. The programs are free and open to the public.

This lecture can also be viewed live online at: http://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/live-programs.htm.

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

Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Russell Galipeau announced that the damaged pier at Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island has been replaced and is open for visitor landings.

The pier was closed last December due to damages caused by high surf. It was a flatbed railcar that was installed as a temporary pier in 2000 and had deteriorated due to wave action and saltwater corrosion.

The flatbed railcar was removed and replaced with an elevated aluminum gangway. This is a short-term solution as the park expects to construct a new pier in approximately two years. The elevated gangway will be reused as part of the new pier.

Scorpion Anchorage is the most visited destination in the park, with over 65,000 people coming ashore each year to enjoy recreational activities such as hiking, picnicking, camping, kayaking, and swimming.

As soon as this homeless man can gather two more bags of cans he will have enough to rent an apartment.