OPEN SPACES
The latest news from the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy Vol. 12 No. 3
Working to Protect The Ojai Valley’s Future - Today
Fall 2005
Engel Says Goodbye to Ojai and OVLC Jim Engel, the Conservancy’s Executive Director for the last seven years, will be leaving the organization in mid-August and moving to the East Coast. “We are sad to see Jim go. He has been a great asset to the organization,” says Larry Ragan, President. “However, we have an incredibly dedicated team of staff and board members who will make the transition a smooth one.” The Conservancy board is already moving forward with the recruitment of a new executive director. “Thankfully, we will be able to attract highly qualified candidates with our successful track record,” says Ragan. During the past seven years, Engel has been one of the most familiar faces associated with the Conservancy. As executive director, he was part of a successful era that saw the Conservancy grow significantly in both land protection and organizational resources. The Conservancy now protects more than
Jim Engel
three square miles of the valley and has raised millions of dollars to protect and care for these open space lands. Open space acquisitions included the Palmer Property and Besant Meadow (Ojai Meadows Preserve), San Antonio Creek Preserve, Cluff Vista Park, Confluence Preserve and what is considered the Conservancy’s greatest accomplishment, the 1,591-acre Ventura RiverRancho El Nido Preserve. Engel also
played a key role in developing a working partnership with the Ojai Unified School District for the restoration of the Ojai Meadows Preserve and the visitation by thousands of school children to the Preserves. Engel has accepted the Director of Development position with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Established in 1960, the Foundation has successfully protected over 100,000 acres and is the sixth largest land conservancy in the United States. Dawn, his wife, will be taking a new job with Verizon, whose headquarters has recently moved to New Jersey. “Leaving Ojai is very difficult for me and my family. We have made so many friends here,” explains Engel. “This community has been unbelievably generous with their gifts of time and financial support. The professional and personal lessons learned here will enrich me for the rest of my life.”
Please join us on Friday, August 12th for an Open House and an opportunity to say goodbye to Jim, Dawn, and Abbey. It will be held at the Land Conservancy Office, located at the back of the arcade next to Tottenham Court, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Confluence In June, the T hePreserve is a Conservancy Receives Grant to Southern California
vital part of the C o n s e r v a n c y ’s efforts to protect and restore the Ventura River watershed. Acquired from the Wallevik family in 2003, the thirty-acre preserve encompasses more than a half mile of the Ventura River north of Casitas Springs. The Preserve includes a healthy remnant stand of old-growth cottonwood and sycamore woodland that once thrived along the entire Ventura River corridor. Unfortunately, the Confluence Preserve has fallen prey to the same “green invaders” that now plague every watershed in Southern California. These non-native invasive plants include Arundo donax, or giant reed, vinca, cape ivy, fennel, and tamarisk, to name a few. They have become a major environmental problem by crowding out native species, consuming massive amounts of water and severely diminishing wildlife habitat.
Wetlands Recovery Project awarded the Conservancy a generous grant of $29,915 to initiate removal of these non-natives in order to restore the natural ecology of the preserve. The Conservancy will be working with crew members from the California Conservation Corps under the guidance of Fish Habitat Assistant Stevie Adams. The Conservancy will also be providing educational programs to elementary and high school students stressing the important role riparian habitats play in the ecological balance of the Ventura River.
Restore Confluence Preserve
Invasive plant species smother natives and provide poor wildlife habitat