Growing the Beaches

On March 30, 2000, the Patagonia/Great Pacific Iron Works store in Ventura was packed with over 200 people for the debut of "Growing the Beaches". At the front of the room sat local political figures and government reps, behind them surfers, local residents, beachgoers, friends and family.

This is now vintage grass-roots...


"Growing the Beaches" was created after I met Robin Chilton, aspiring videographer and surfer, who shared a passion for telling the story. I wanted to convert my "road show," which at the time consisted of an 80-slide tray and projector with my photos and some pieced-together graphics, into a video that could do the work for me... The production was an epic week of sleepless nights and dawn patrols, catching footage of the years best swell but missing a surf, interviews scheduled and scripted, a learning experience... that tells the story.

Sponsored by Patagonia, augmented with lots of volunteer hours, the beginning...

Matilija Dam project authorized by congress

This week the Water Resources Development Act bill, (WRDA), was approved by congress. It's been three years since the Feasibility Study's completion in 2004, and it took an override of the president's veto, but the plan to remove Matilija Dam is now official. There's still a lot of work to do, and it's going to take over $140 million, but project authorization through WRDA is a major milestone toward the restoration of the Ventura River, beginning with the removal of this obsolete dam.

This video illustrates the vision for the future...




To lean more about the dam removal plan, download the Matilija Messenger 7 newsletter here

and see this http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/07/dam

Technical References: http://matilijadam.org/

Recent press:

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/07/override-of-water-bill-veto-aids-dam/

http://ojaivalleynews.blogspot.com/2007/11/veto-override-boosts-dam-destruction.html

Emma Wood Beach - Agricultural Runoff

Taylor Ranch runoff results in sediment plume and coastal impacts

Recent expansion of agricultural operations on Taylor Ranch, just north of the Ventura River, resulted in significant impacts to the coast. For several weeks in October, runoff from the large field above Highway 101 discharged through a storm drain onto Emma Wood State Beach. The beach was covered in mud several inches thick, and a plume was visible in the ocean extending downcoast through Surfers Point.

Local kiteboarders took these photos on 10/21/07 and sent them to authorities. If you see continuing problems, please take photos and document the impacts - we'll continue to pass the information on to regulators.

Aussie dam tour

Oct 8, 2007

Surfrider Australia representatives Stuart Ball and Chris Tola took an afternoon to visit Matilija Dam during their recent visit to the US. Since the surf was flat, our mates from Down Under enjoyed the 'full immersion' watershed experience.

City of Ventura Community Partner

The City's annual report includes an update on progress toward "Achieving the Vision"

Our Natural Community

We've expanded "green practices" citywide to make Ventura a model for a sustainable planet.

Community Partner

"For the past decade, the Ventura County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has been working with local and state government agencies to solve beach erosion and water quality problems at Ventura County's most popular coastal recreation area - Surfers' Point."

Paul Jenkin, Environmental Director
Surfrider Foundation Ventura County Chapter

Urban Runoff - Ocean Friendly Gardens

If you have visited the Surfrider "road show" at recent events you may have seen the poster below. We are beginning to map the Ventura urban watershed to illustrate the causes of urban runoff, as well as potential solutions.


Many cities around the country are now planning and implementing "green infrastructure", which integrates flood control with water supply, parks, bikeways and more. This is a necessary response to climate change, as we may experience longer droughts and greater flooding in the future. Greening our community has the added benefit of making cities more walkable and bikable, while the added green space absorbs carbon emissions.
What can you do?
The Surfrider Foundation is launching a new program called Ocean Friendly Gardens. This is intended to educate residents about the urban runoff problem and demonstrate how we can conserve water and retain and infiltrate storm water on our own property. Lot by lot, we can re-landscape our communities.

Arundo Eradication in Matilija Canyon

The first step in the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration project has begun with the Arundo eradication program. Work will begin in Matilija Canyon, starting in the reservoir area above the dam, and will utilize foliar spraying of herbicide. The intent is to move to the headwaters and "get" all the Arundo in Matilija Creek before moving downstream as far as the Highway 150 bridge. Over 200 acres of this weed have been identified in the watershed.

Although just about everyone recognizes there is some negative impact of herbicide application, the long term goals are to save water, reduce flooding and fire hazards, and restore the native habitat. The eradication program will use "BMP's" (Best Management Practices) intended to minimize overspray and water contact. The Matilija Coalition and Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper played an active role in ensuring these BMP's were included in the plan.

For the remainder of the year, Stream Team water monitoring in Matilija Creek and downstream will include sampling for "glyphosate," the active ingredient in Rodeo, a version of Roundup herbicide approved for use near water. We hope our samples come up negative, but if herbicide is detected in the river the operations will be modified and carefully monitored.

For more information on the eradication plan and water quality monitoring see http://matilijadam.org/reports.htm
For the Matilija Coalition 2001 Field Survey see http://pages.sbcglobal.net/pjenkin/matilija/arundo.htm

Cooincidentally, "High Country News" has an article about weed control that is relevant to the situation in the Ventura River - http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=17192