Category Archives: This ‘n’ That

Riverbed hazardous invasive vegetation

by the Grand Jury

Clothes and Arundo are not native to the riverbeds.
Clothes and Arundo are not native to the riverbeds.

Are our bridges, levies and personal property at risk? The 2015-2016 Ventura County Grand Jury noted an increasing level of vegetation growing in the Ventura and Santa Clara riverbeds. Investigation also revealed that smaller tributaries are similarly overgrown. The Grand Jury expressed concern that overgrowth could cause damage to bridges, as well as riverbank erosion, and flood plain inundation should it become uprooted and wash downstream to form a dam during heavy storms.

The Grand Jury learned that the presence of an invasive species of giant reed, Arundo donax (Arundo), is the major part of the problem. The Grand Jury conducted an investigation to determine the impact of this hazardous vegetation, the potential for infrastructure damage due to uprooted vegetation, and the actions being taken to control its growth in the Ventura County watershed areas.

The Grand Jury looked to County agencies to determine their awareness of hazardous invasive vegetation and how it affects the watershed, as well as their plans to address the issue. The Grand Jury took a two-pronged approach:

It investigated the County’s ability to remove hazardous plants and debris upstream of vital infrastructure in order to protect it from flood damage.

It investigated the County’s access to environmentally protected areas for the purpose of installing and servicing rain and water runoff measuring instruments.

There is a conflict of public interests between the need to clear hazardous vegetation to protect infrastructure and the need to preserve the natural habitat from human activities that endanger it.

Because a significant portion of the populated area of the County lies in the flood plain that borders the Santa Clara and Ventura Rivers, the Grand Jury found that it is  imperative that these critical waterways stay clear of hazardous vegetation and debris  that could form dams at bridge abutments and culverts. When high water does wash vegetation and debris downstream, it must be cleared quickly so that flooding does not result.

 

Water out of thin air

Drought resistant plants and collecting water from the air are ways the VBG is helping conserve water.

It’s not news to say that California is currently experiencing an unprecedented drought. What is news is the way that the Ventura Botanical Gardens (VBG) has decided to approach the problem. Using emerging technologies designed to provide greater new water options, the VBG, with an interest in reducing additional impact on current water resources, is initiating an experimental fog collection project.

Fog collection can harvest significant amounts of water per foggy day, factoring in daily and seasonal variables. The VBG project is designed to collect and measure water from Ventura’s atmosphere on foggy days; the foggier the season, the greater the water collection.

According to VBG Executive Director Joe Cahill, “With water resources at such low levels in Ventura, we are investigating a number of non-traditional sources for helping with long-term plans to irrigate plants for our botanical collection, including reclaimed water and rainwater collection. The atmospheric water harvesting (collecting water from fog in the air) is one of our most exciting options.”

The technology for fog collection made its greatest strides in the 1980s as Canada began to develop options for large-scale use. As the drought continues to cause concern for Southern California, innovative organizations are looking to technologies like this for current implementation.

The Ventura Botanical Gardens is teaming up with students from the Ventura College Water Science Department to share the collected data. The students will collect data and analyze it to calculate the potential for supplementation, and to compare it with other fog collection stations located throughout the world.

The experimental installation includes a one square meter collector with standard polypropylene mesh obtained from scientists in Chile, where much of the world’s recent fog collection research has taken place.

For further information please contact Joe Cahill at 232-3113, ext. 0 or [email protected].

Ventura Music Festival welcomes new Board member Richard Reisman

stuff VMFThe Ventura Music Festival is welcoming a new Board member: Richard Reisman, MD, Vice President of Ambulatory Medicine for Community Memorial Health System.

Dr. Reisman was hired by CMHS twenty-one years ago to develop a series of ambulatory care clinics throughout Western Ventura County and became the first Medical Director of the Centers for Family Health serving from 1994 to 2008 before becoming a Vice President of the health system. In addition to the Festival Board, Dr. Reisman is currently on the board of Ilan Ramon Day School. He is past Board Chair of the Jewish Federation of Ventura County as well as Chair for three years of the Rubicon Theatre Board.

Ventura County Fair Poster Contest winners announced

2016 winning poster by 16-year-old Madison Lomis of Ventura

All of the Poster Contest entries will be displayed in the Youth Expo

The 2016 Ventura County Fair has announced the winners of the 2016 Poster Contest. The contest was open to County youth in grades 5 – 12.

16-year-old Madison Lomis of Ventura rendered the winning 2016 poster illustration digitally, a first for the Ventura County Fair. Madison is a student at Buena High. She devotes her free time to drawing, both traditional and digital and perfecting her various artistic techniques.

The poster illustration depicts a bird’s eye view of the Ventura County Fair with a full moon setting over the ocean and Channel Islands in the distance. In the foreground are the silhouettes of palm trees framing a colorful Carnival Midway with Rides and Games

The winning artwork will be used as the featured art for the 2016 Ventura County Fair poster and in marketing materials and souvenirs.

2nd place winner 12-year-old Anna Sorensen of Simi Valley
2nd place winner 12-year-old Anna Sorensen of Simi Valley

Second place was awarded to 12-year-old Anna Sorensen of Simi Valley for her acrylic painting of the Ferris wheel soaring over a beautiful ocean sunset, framed by prize winning livestock.

3rd place winner 13-year-old Carys Garvey of Ventura
3rd place winner 13-year-old Carys Garvey of Ventura

Third place was awarded to 13-year-old Carys Garvey of Ventura for her colored pencil rendition of prize winning sheep looking out over the carnival with the ocean and the Channel Islands off in the distance.

The Contest was held in the spring and the winners were chosen from an entry pool of 38 works of art.  The contest judges were Fairgrounds CEO Barbara Quaid, Fair Director Cecilia Cuevas, Fair Floriculture Superintendent Barbara Schneider, Fair Exhibits Supervisor Kim Leach and ride owner Bruce Perelman.

All of the Poster Contest entries will be displayed in the Youth Expo at the 2016 Ventura County Fair. All of the children who entered the contest will receive 2 tickets to the fair and will be invited to ride on a float in the Ventura County Fair Parade on Saturday, August 6.

For information about the Ventura County Fair please call  648-3376 or visit www.venturacountyfair.org.

 

“Tip-A- Cop” Fundraiser benefiting Special Olympics of Ventura County

The Ventura Police Department (VPD) will again be sponsoring the Special Olympics “Tip-A- Cop” event on Tuesday, June 21, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at Romano’s Macaroni Grill located at 4880 Telephone Rd. in Ventura (805) 477-9925.

Tip-A- Cop is a law enforcement fundraising event in which law enforcement officers assist with waiting tables at a local restaurant and collect “tip” donations for Special Olympics. More than a dozen restaurants and eight law enforcement agencies team up throughout the year in support of Tip-A- Cop with the goal being to collect as many donations as possible for Special Olympics of Ventura County.

For over twenty years VPD has been involved in the Tip-A- Cop program. This will be the third year Romano’s Macaroni Grill will be collaborating with VPD to host this event. We encourage the public, and members of the media, to come and support the event by dining out and meeting local Special Olympics Athletes and Ventura Police Officers as they act as “celebrity servers,” while assisting Romano’s Macaroni Grill servers throughout the evening. While tips to restaurant servers are encouraged, envelopes will be provided to dining patrons so officers can accept tax-deductible donations. Officers will also be accompanied by Ventura County Special Olympics Athletes who help to serve food and sell t-shirts. Athletes are anxious to show off their medals and share their Special Olympics experiences.

“Last year we had a great event and a good time. We raised over $3,000 in tip donations for the Ventura County Special Olympics,” stated Officer Bernadette Compean who helps organize the Special Olympics Torch Run and Tip-A- Cop events for the VPD. “We look forward to another successful year and to our continued partnership with Special Olympics. We are also excited about our continued partnership with Romano’s Macaroni Grill.”

For over twenty years, Ventura County law enforcement agencies have been raising tens of thousands of dollars annually allowing Special Olympics Ventura County to offer year round sports training and competition to over 700 individuals with intellectual disabilities, ages eight years and up, free of charge, in seventeen sports at over forty training sites throughout Ventura County.

For more information on this event, and Special Olympics of Ventura County, contact Ashley Bautista at 805-339- 4317/[email protected] or Special Olympics Regional Director Peggi Preston at 805-

650-7717/[email protected].

Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees Strategic Planning Meeting open to the public, June 21

The Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees invites the public to attend its Strategic Planning Meeting on Tuesday, June 21, at 3:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the District Administrative Center located at 255 West Stanley Avenue, Suite 150, Ventura, CA. The invitation is extended to members of the Citizens Advisory Council, students, college constituents, and the general public. All are welcome. Items to be discussed include 3.01 Board Professional Development; 5.02 2016-2019 Strategic Plan Recommendations; 5.03 Enrollment Management; and 6.01 Goals and Objectives. The complete agenda is available on the VCCCD website at www.vcccd.edu, Board of Trustees and meetings.

The Ventura County Community College District is a member of the 113-campus California Community College system, and serves more than 50,000 students annually. The District’s three colleges-Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura- offer programs in general education for degrees and certificates, transfer to four-year colleges and universities, career technical education, and provide opportunities to engage in co-curricular campus activities. For more information, please visit www.vcccd.edu.

Scientists, Conservation Professionals Honored on Endangered Species Day for Role in Recovery of Island Fox on Northern Channel Islands

Ventura – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today recognized eight individuals from the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the Institute for Wildlife Studies as 2015 Recovery Champions for their exceptional efforts to conserve and protect three subspecies of fox on the northern Channel Islands, which are currently proposed for delisting under the Endangered Species Act. The Recovery Champion award honors partners for outstanding successes in recovering threatened and endangered wildlife across the nation.

“Each of these individuals, and the organizations they represent, set a vision to bring these island fox subspecies back from the brink of extinction,” said Steve Henry, field supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura. “And because of that steadfast vision, island foxes on San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands are now proposed for delisting, marking the fastest recovery of any mammal under ESA protections.”

Among the award winners honored for their work include David Garcelon of the Institute for Wildlife Studies, Lotus Vermeer, Christina Boser, Eamon O’Byrne, and Scott Morrison of The Nature Conservancy, and Tim Coonan, Kate Faulkner, and Russell Galipeau of Channel Islands National Park.

In the late 1990s, island fox subspecies on the northern Channel Islands experienced precipitous declines as a result of predation by non-native golden eagles. Thanks to intensive multi-partner recovery efforts including captive breeding, habitat restoration, predator/prey management, vaccinating against disease, and ongoing monitoring, these island fox subspecies have recovered to self-sustaining levels.

These partners have worked together to maintain a consistent vision of what is needed to achieve recovery of these subspecies and the results of their contributions filled critical gaps in the community of scientific knowledge, helping to secure the subspecies’ long-term viability and protection.

Lunch at no charge

Each summer, Ventura Unified School District provides a nutrition program. This program provides lunch at no charge to children 1-18 years of age. Summer Nutrition is not based on income qualification. It is available for all community children regardless of their school year qualification for free and reduced price meals. Lunch will be served June 13th through August 5th.

Ventura Unified School District is committed to providing nutritious foods during the summer months so that students may return to school healthy, energized and ready to learn!

Ventura schools
Pacific High School
Ventura High School
D.A.T.A. Middle School
Anacapa Middle School
Elmhurst Elementary School
E.P. Foster

Ventura community sites
YMCA-11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
3760 Telegraph Rd.
Boys & Girls Club-11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Robert Addison
1440 N. Olive St.
E.J. Harrison
11321 Violeta
Boys & Girls Club
Bill Le Fevre
1929 Johnson Dr.
Westpark-12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
450 Harrison
Westview Village-12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
234 W. Vince St.