OPEN SPACES
The latest news from the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy Vol. 7 No.1
Working to Protect The Ojai Valley’s Future - Today
Spring 2000
Thank You Ojai!
Campaign To Preserve Ojai Meadows Is A Success
I
n less than three months, local residents exceeded the $525,000 necessary to acquire, preserve and protect, the 32-acre parcel located between Nordhoff High School and the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. “The overwhelming community support for this project was beyond our greatest expectations,” exclaimed John Broesamle, OVLC Board President. Local donors responded enthusiastically by helping the Conservancy beat both the campaign goal and the December 31st deadline. These additional funds will be used to help “The overwhelming community with the long support for this project was beyond term care for our greatest expectations!” Ojai Valley open spaces like the Ojai Meadows Preserve. The 32-acre Preserve is now open to the public and can be accessed from the Maricopa Highway. During the coming years, the Conservancy hopes to restore the wetlands and oak woodlands habitats to provide a site for outdoor education and better habitat for wildlife. See pages 5 and 6 for more information about the Ojai Meadows Preserve.
photo courtesy of the Ojai Valley News
It’s Official! Supporters celebrate the acquisition of The Ojai Meadows.
Cluff’s Gift Helps Acquire Key Downtown Parcel
T
he holiday season brought another ‘open space present’ for the Ojai Valley. A generous $200,000 gift from Sheila and Don Cluff enabled the Conservancy to lead the acquisition effort of a halfacre site on the corner of Ojai Avenue, El Paseo and Rincon Road. The Cluff donation is the largest individual gift ever received by the Land Conservancy. The acquisition was finalized on December 28th, thanks to other outstanding contributions by the Ojai Civic Association and the City of Ojai Redevelopment Agency.
The former gas station property, which has commanding views of Topa Topa Mountain and the surrounding Los Padres National Forest, will be developed into a community park which reflects the character of Ojai. The design phase for the project will occur during the first six months of the year with input from the community. Once the plan is completed, OVLC will help raise the funds necessary to develop and maintain the park site. “Years from now, when people have forgotten the past history of this site, we want the park to stand
on its own as a positive reflection of the Ojai Community spirit,” says Jim Engel, OVLC Executive Director. The Redevelopment Agency has taken temporary ownership of the property to enable final cleanup of the site from past contamination and the elimination of potential liability. The past contamination which occurred in the ground water table below the site is not expected to have any impact on the development of the site as a community park.