OPEN SPACES
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
OJAI VALLEY LAND CONSERVANCY NEWS
O
volume 14 number 3 | fall 2007
Ojai Meadows Preserve
The entire water pumping Over the past few months operation is powered by a cluster of curious structhe two solar panels on the tures have appeared on the pump house roof, wired Ojai Meadows Preserve directly to the pump with along Besant Road. These no auxiliary power source. structures include a brown The storage water tank has been elepump house with two solar panels on vated on to a platform to provide the roof, a 1,500-gallon elevated gravity flow. water tank and a shade canopy, all Volunteer Harold Glenn with surrounded by a chain link fence. Richard Handley, spear headed the In an effort to keep the Ojai pump and solar panel installation, as Meadows Preserve “off the grid” while well as helping install the water tank. providing water for nursing young Harold is also responsible for helping plants being readied for transplant, it build and install many of the strucoccurred to Rich Handley, Preserve tural improvements on the Ventura Manager, that the Ojai Meadows River Preserve. Preserve would be the ideal place to have a solar powered water well. After visiting Jim Rusch, a local land owner who has a solar well, and doing a little research into available products and funding, Rich discovered that the idea of converting the existing well on the property to solar power was indeed feasible and that grant funding already in place for the restoration of the preserve could be used to pay for the installation of a resource efficient well. And so the project began. The building was constructed at no cost through the generosity of Charlie The Water Well is currently Crofoot, OVLC volunteer being used to irrigate young native and father-in-law of Derek plants that will be transplanted durPoultney, Project Manager for the Ojai Meadows Coastal Restoration Consultants, OVLC staff and volunteers install ing the restoration of the fresh water planting basins for propagating native grasses. marsh on the Ojai Meadows Preserve. Preserve restoration project. The Land Conservancy is With assistance from Rich Handley, the pump house was built to protect and power proud that all the irrigation for the native plant nursery the well inside that is producing plentiful water with the aid of will be pumped with no carbon dioxide emitted into the a solar powered pump that delivers about 7 gallons per minute. atmosphere.
GOES SOLAR!