Ojai Quarry approved

On April 17, just a few days after an April 12 hearing, the Ventura County Planning Department approved the Ojai Quarry's operations.  This followed months of wrangling over repeated violations of the County's Conditional Use Permit and the State Mining and Reclamation Act.

The renewed permit approves the reclamation plan, expansion of the mining operations to include the use of a rock crusher, and expanded hours of operation.  The 1995 Environmental Impact Report was amended to accommodate these changes, stating that there is no impact to the endangered steelhead due to silt basins that have been installed as mitigation.  The southern steelhead was added to the endangered species list in 1997.

The County received comment letters from Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, Casitas Municipal Water District (CMWD), the Environmental Coalition, and Ojai Stop the Trucks! Coalition.

Despite the relatively dry winter, Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper continues to document impacts to North Fork Matilija Creek.  These impacts are clearly illustrated in this video:







In the news:

November 18, 2010
Quarry owner fails to get violations overturned

April 11, 2011
Ojai Quarry owner drops appeal

October 27, 2011:      
County proposes to shut Ojai mine after owner refuses to pay up 

December 13, 2011:  
Mosler quarry heads for showdown before county Planning Commission

December 15, 2011:  
Ventura County Planning Commission delays decision on quarry near Ojai

January 10, 2012:      
State deals business blow to Ojai Quarry

February 20, 2012:  
 Regulators, quarry operator moving toward deal 

February 23, 2012:  
In Ojai, quarry owner expects to be back in business

April 12, 2012:
Ojai Quarry owner presents cleanup plans

More info:  http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/Ojai%20Quarry
Stop the Trucks Coalition:  http://www.ojaipost.com/tag/stop_the_trucks/

Ventura River Watershed Council

The Ventura River Watershed Council was originally formed in 2006 when the Wetlands Recovery Task Force of Ventura County, a program of the California Coastal Conservancy, recognized the need for a watershed-based organization to promote the preservation and restoration of the Ventura River.  It quickly became the local focus of an effort to develop a regional, integrated watershed management plan for Ventura County by the Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County (WCVC). These regional plans are a prerequisite for receiving water bond funding under Proposition 50 (2002) and Proposition 84 (2006).

The Watershed Council has served as a forum for government and non-government organizations working within the Ventura River watershed.  In Apr, 2010 the Council sponsored “Watershed U – Ventura River” as part of the effort to engage and educate the community.  This was a comprehensive educational series about the watershed, which was coordinated by the University of California’s Cooperative Extension’s office and supported by watershed council participants. This popular program provided 18 hours of educational presentations by experts in history, geology, water supply and quality, ecology, conservation, land use, agriculture, and floodplain and watershed management.


Then in September, 2011, a Watershed coordinator was hired. The new watershed coordinator position is largely funded by a grant from the California Department of Conservation, with additional support provided by several watershed council partners. The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy generously offered to host the staff position. Development of a watershed management plan specific to the Ventura River watershed is a key objective of the watershed coordinator position.


On Tuesday, April 3, the Ventura River Watershed Council will hold the group’s first evening meeting. Evening meetings will be held twice a year to encourage participation by stakeholders unable to attend daytime meetings.  Members of the public are welcome to attend this, and any of the Council’s meetings.

More info:  Lorraine Walter
Ventura River Watershed Coordinator

lorraine@ovlc.org
805/649-6852 x4
www.venturawatershed.org

Ventura's Watershed - Interview with Paul Jenkin

Ventura's Watershed with Surfrider Foundation's Paul Jenkin from Pulse TV & Maverick Media on Vimeo.

Ojai Quarry expects to be back in business

At the Febuary 23 Planning Commission Hearing county regulators vowed to get the Ojai Quarry back up and running.  The commission continued the revocation hearing until May 24 while the state conducts its review and county staff tie up loose ends. According to the newspaper, Planning Director Kim Prillhart said "I couldn't be happier with that," and hugged Mosler after the hearing.

The California Office of Mine Reclamation (OMR) stepped in after the Ventura County Planning Commission had decided to wait until Febuary 23, 2012 to make a decision.  Although the County is giving Mosler two months to try to reach a compromise with County planners, the Ojai Quarry was removed from the state list of approved mines.  This put County projects on hold, as Matilija rock destined for Callegus Creek was deemed ineligible for public contract.

Meanwhile, steelhead and water quality continue to be impacted by runoff from the quarry.  Erosion of the steep slope during rain events delivers fine sediment to the creek, which settles out downstream.  During a recent survey, several inches of silt could be seen covering the gravel bottom.  Steelhead spawning 'redds' have been documented in this reach of North Fork Matilija Creek, and the influx of silt can smother eggs and alvein that rely upon the oxygen rich water flowing through the spawning gravel.

Steelhead spawning redd in North Fork Matilija Creek, March 21, 2012

Steelhead eggs,  North Fork Matilija Creek, March 21, 2012 

In the news: 

October 27, 2011:        County proposes to shut Ojai mine after owner refuses to pay up 

December 13, 2011:    Mosler quarry heads for showdown before county Planning Commission 

December 15, 2011:    Ventura County Planning Commission delays decision on quarry near Ojai

January 10, 2012:        State deals business blow to Ojai Quarry

February 20, 2012:     Regulators, quarry operator moving toward deal 

February 23, 2012:    In Ojai, quarry owner expects to be back in business  

More info:  http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/Ojai%20Quarry
Stop the Trucks Coalition:  http://www.ojaipost.com/tag/stop_the_trucks/

'Release Me' at VHC Film Festival

This past weekend the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy once again hosted the Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour!

The event held at the Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura drew hundreds of residents for two evenings of inspired, informative and innovative cinema.  The common theme was inspiring activism, and the films highlighted many examples of citizen activists from around the country.  Subjects included dam removal and river restoration, as well as the Brower Youth Awards and a film about the successful re-introduction of the bald eagle to our local Channel Islands National Park.  This film festival and past Conservancy events are archived here.

The final film on Saturday night was 'Release Me,' an independent film produced last summer by a student group through the Blue Horizons Summer Film Program at UCSB.  The film has been shown at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and many other events, promoted heavily by Darryl Mimick, one of the three producers.

The film provides a glimpse into the removal of Matilija Dam, a campaign that is now almost two-decades long.  The screening was followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions of Darryl and Paul Jenkin.

The film is now streaming online in case you missed it on Saturday night, or want to share it with others:

Release Me from Darryl Mimick on Vimeo.

Release Me, Darryl Mimick, Amanda Wasserman, and Skye Featherstone (USA) A story of one man's journey to fight for the removal of the Matilija Dam. Paul Jenkin, a passionate environmentalist and founder of the Matilija Coalition has dedicated the last 20 years of his professional life to witness the removal of the dam and bring awareness to its negative ecological impacts, such as the annihilation of the steelhead salmon and the displacement of sediment. Additionally, this is a story about individuals having a sense of purpose in their communities and taking initiative to solve local issues. People have the power to incite positive change; all they have to do is take that first step. Paul Jenkin is a perfect example of this.

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San Antonio Creek Bridge completed

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held this week officially opening the new bike path bridge at the San Antonio Creek confluence.  Construction began in September closing this section of the Ojai Valley Trail which runs along the river between Foster Park and the city of Ojai.  The project was completed ahead of schedule, re-opening the section of the popular trail.

The bridge was designed to span the floodplain, which is very wide in this location.  It appears our comments were heard, as the final product is a much longer bridge than originally planned.  The work was conducted so as not to disturb the adjacent pool, another concern that we had voiced during environmental review.

The bridge replaces a concrete culvert that passed low flows but was inundated during storms, preventing bicycle and pedestrian traffic, and also hindering steelhead passage into San Antonio Creek. The $1.8 million project was paid for through state and federal grants for fisheries enhancement, as well as $500k from Ventura County Parks.  The Channel Islands Bike Club also contributed $17k to the project.

The path was damaged during the 2005 floods, necessitating temporary reconstruction and the placement of rip-rap to prevent future streambank erosion.  The new bridge will solve this problem, and allow for the natural vegetation to re-establish along this part of the river.  Vegetation is important for fish and wildlife as it provides food and cover as well as shade to help keep the water cool in the hot summer months.

Rock rip-rap placed to protect bike path damaged in 2005
This was replaced with a new bridge in 2012

These types of projects, along with larger goals like removing Matilija Dam and restoring instream flows, are identified in the NOAA Steelhead Recovery Plan.  And although this expensive project will help the fish, the users of the this river trail will also benefit from an all-weather crossing and the aesthetic appeal of this unique bridge.

In the news:  http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/12/trail-bridge-opens-promising-benefits-to-people/


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Steelhead spawning surveys

Last week I volunteered to help NOAA Fisheries biologists conduct a steelhead spawning survey on the Ventura River.  NOAA has been conducting these surveys every two weeks during the spring spawning season for the past two years.  These field surveys help build the knowledge of which parts of the river system are important to steelhead reproduction, and compliment the Population and Habitat surveys that are conducted during the summer months.  (The Matilija Coalition has also sponsored occasional spring surveys.)

On this day, two teams of 2 walked both forks of Matilija Creek - the main stem from above the Matilija Dam reservoir to the Forest Service trailhead, and North Fork Matilija Creek from the confluence to Wheeler Gorge Campground.  Other reaches of the river, from the rivermouth up, are surveyed on different days of the week, and the whole process is repeated two weeks later.  Depending on conditions it takes about 5 hours to wade upstream in the creek looking for 'redds,' so this is no small undertaking.

This is an example of a fresh 'redd,' or steelhead nest, in Matilija Creek.  The redds are noticeable as a clear patch of gravel in a riverbed which is otherwise often covered in algae and/or silt.  The female fish spends hours fanning the streambed with her tail to create a clean pile of  gravel in which to lay her eggs.  The eggs are fertilized by a male as she lays them, and assuming clear water flows through the redd for the next few weeks, a single redd may produce thousands of alevin which in turn may mature into hundreds of steelhead smolt.

Steelhead redd in Matilija Creek

On close inspection the redd may be divided into a 'pit' and a 'tailspill' which are measured and recorded.  The size of the redd is an indication of the general size class of the spawning fish.

NOAA Steelhead spawning survey protocol

Measuring a steelhead redd in Matilija Creek 

Unlike its more famous family member, the king or chinook salmon, steelhead do not die upon spawning and are capable of returning more than once to spawn or reproduce.  Steelhead may also remain resident, as proven by these redds above Matilija Dam, which blocks passage to and from the ocean.  Removal of Matilija Dam would re-establish an ocean run of steelhead, as is a critical part of the long term Steelhead Recovery Plan released last year by NOAA.

These types of field surveys are critical to advancing the knowledge of this endangered species, both specific to our watershed, and more generally in the drought-and-flood environment of Southern California.

Steelhead redd in Matilija Creek - looking across the flow
note depth of 'pit' to the left, and size of gravel

Steelhead redd in Matilija Creek - looking downstream
note clean gravel and cobble in pit and tailspill