By Ventura Breeze Staff –
After six months of community input and another two months of deliberation, the Board of Trustees of Ventura Land Trust (VLT) announced the name of the hillside preserve it will be opening to the public later this year. The VLT Board has voted to name this marquee land trust property the “Ventura Hills Nature Preserve.” The clear and simple delineation is referential to the preserve location and follows a similar brand-focused approach undertaken by other regional land trusts.
The Ventura Hills Nature Preserve has held many names throughout history. It was once simply called “the hills” by the Chumash people living in the village known as Shisholop. Spanish and subsequent colonization of the region, the hillsides were part of the Rancho Ex Mission San Buenaventura land grant. More recently, the hillsides were referred to as Mariano Rancho.
The Trust’s outreach led to engagement with the Chumash people, neighbors, supporters, and fellow environmental stewards. In the first round of community input, VLT received hundreds of suggestions from community members, narrowing it down to a short list of options before returning for further community input later that winter.
In addition to this new name, VLT is coordinating with Chumash representatives to identify and name key geographic landmarks within the preserve to honor their historical place in these significant lands. VLT will also retain the Mariano moniker on a feature within the preserve. Naming the preserve or features within the preserve to honor the Chumash people and their history, as well as retaining the name “Mariano” were suggestions that came out of the community engagement process.
The Chumash people inhabited this region for at least 13,200 years, as evidenced by archaeological findings on the Channel Islands and elsewhere. Many community members suggested terms from the Chumash language that described the hills, the plants, and the wildlife of the region.
Similarly, suggestions indicated that some community members desired VLT to keep Mariano as the preserve name, in a nod to the ranching history of the hillsides. Mariano Erburu was a Basque immigrant who built a mercantile business that he later sold to finance the purchase of hillside acreage, upon which he ranched sheep, and later cattle.
Learn about the acquisition and ongoing conservation work at Ventura Hills Nature Preserve. www.venturaland.org
