Surfers Point Winter 2014

A boardwalk is the most recent addition to the Surfers' Point Managed Shoreline Retreat project.  Designed to provide access around the 'cobble garden,' the boardwalk is constructed with weatherproof plastic decking and adds a finished touch to the bike path.  We have received positive comments from the 'regulars' at the beach, and people seem to be enjoying the little detour off the paved path.

The project also appears to be functioning well during winter "king tides" and storm surf.  This aerial overview shows the wet sand from high tide early in the day as well as the exposed cobble berm on the west (left) side of the project.

 The managed retreat project was designed to mimic and enhance the natural function of the beach which changes throughout the year.  The erosion of the beach in winter months is expected with high tides and surf, and wave action naturally sorts the sand and cobble.

This cobble, which was buried beneath sand just a month ago, extends beneath the dunes all the way back to the bike path.  The 'cobble berm,' which is is up to eight feet thick, provides a significant mass of natural river rock to protect the bike path from extreme events and future sea level rise.



















The aerial photos below were taken at extreme low (minus) tide, and clearly show the cobble in the intertidal zone - it is this cobble that provides the foundation for the marine delta that creates the "point" at the mouth of the Ventura River.

More about this project:  http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/Surfers%20Point


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Beach erosion and federal funding

Our coastal neighbor, Port Hueneme, has been in the news a lot this year due to beach erosion which is threatening streets and infrastructure built along the shoreline.  Over the summer the city began reinforcing the seawall that protects the road, but didn't have money to complete the project.  The California Coastal Conservancy recently approved $2M for additional construction. The aerial photo below shows the extension of the rocks along the beach toward the pier.

The aerial photos below from CaliforniaCoastline.org show the loss of sand from 2010 to 2013:

This dramatic erosion is the direct result of federal budget cuts which eliminated funding for the required biannual harbor dredging.   Harbor jetties block the constant movement of sand down the coast, so  regular dredging is required to keep the harbor mouth open and bypass sand.  Hueneme beach is entirely dependent on sand that is dredged from Channel Islands harbor.

This aerial overview shows the sand that has collected in the trap created by the offshore breakwater at Channel Islands harbor. If this maintenance is not completed beaches "downstream" are starved of sand and rapidly disappear.

Ventura Harbor has been suffering the same problem.  This photo was taken while the dredge was operating in February 2013.

These photos show how much sand has built up in the Ventura Harbor sand trap.

aerial overview of Ventura Harbor shows sand buildup between north jetty and breakwater 

After nearly a year of meetings and conversations with the Army Corps of Engineers the Ventura Harbor received $2.5 million of the $5.9 million it needs to dredge. That money only paid for about 235,000 cubic yards in 2013, or less than half the 600,000 cubic yards sand required annually to keep sand moving down the coast.

The budget crisis prompted the Ventura Port District to consider an offer to sell sand to Broad Beach in Malibu, a beach that eroded in response to removal of natural sand dunes.  But BEACON director Brian Brennan said "The erosion agency isn’t about to just hand over the Ventura Harbor sand, because it is vital to protecting properties on coastlines in Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Those beaches need to be replenished with sand annually." (see Ventura Harbor's excess sand may be treasure for Malibu residents)

According to a recent Port Commission newsletter, Ventura Harbor anticipates about $3.7 million in federal funding, enough to dredge up to 400,000 cubic yards in February or March.  Because this is still partial funding it will result in accumulation of another 200,000 yards to the ongoing buildup in the sand trap and downcoast deficit.

This article in the VCStar sums it up:

The problem is Congress has not allocated enough money to replenish the badly eroded beach with more sand, something the U.S. government is obligated to do.

That obligation was made decades ago when the Port of Hueneme was built. The port project interrupted the normal flow of sand down the coast that had replenished not only Hueneme Beach but many other local beaches as sand washed away.

Hueneme Beach is supposed to be replenished with sand every two years through dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The sand is taken from a sand trap located at the mouth of Channel Islands Harbor.

In the most recent dredging, the corps was unable to pump the 2.5 million cubic yards of sand required by the beaches because of what federal officials called budget restraints.

Port Hueneme Mayor Ellis Green said...Port Hueneme’s lack of sand “is a man-made problem,” 

“The solution to this problem is simple,” he said. “The federal government needs to fulfill its obligation and pump the sand that is now in the sand trap to our beaches.”

More on this blog: http://www.venturariver.org/2008/12/harbor-dredging.html

In the News:

Port Hueneme faces erosion threat from sand shortage

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Port Hueneme plans to lobby Congress for more sand

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 | Updated Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Ventura Harbor's excess sand may be treasure for Malibu residents

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Obama budget includes money for Ventura Harbor dredging

Wednesday, April 10, 2013 | Updated Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Port Hueneme officials seek help restoring beach

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Port Hueneme to take emergency measures to protect shoreline

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Port Hueneme beach erosion could cost city taxpayers millions of dollars

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Port Hueneme council moves forward on beach erosion effort

Tuesday, July 2, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Crew to put boulders at Hueneme Beach to ward off erosion

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Rep. Julia Brownley: Budget dysfunction washes beach out to sea

Saturday, July 20, 2013

John K. Flynn: County should take the lead in abating beach erosion

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Senate panel supports $2 million to fix Port Hueneme's 'dire' beach emergency

Tuesday, August 20, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Julia Brownley: In our time of need, a bipartisan call to action

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Port Hueneme Pier appears safe from erosion — for now

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Brownley attaches amendments to water bill to help Port Hueneme

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Port Hueneme receives gift of sand from Swedish family

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

High tides during solar eclipse erode more sand in Port Hueneme

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Port Hueneme beach erosion slows

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, November 19, 2013

BMW signs multimillion-dollar deal with Port of Hueneme

Tuesday, November 26, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Port Hueneme waiting for $2 million to build sea wall to combat erosion

Tuesday, December 3, 2013 | Updated Tuesday, December 3, 2013

backcountry hazard - ticks and lyme disease

Mountain biking Middle Lion Trail, Sespe Creek watershed
 - Mountain Bike Action Magazine Nov 2013

Our area has some amazing backcountry.  So when the surf is flat, there's still lots of things to do.  I have hiked and biked the local trails for decades, and generally spent a lot of time outdoors.  Apart from the usual cuts and bruises (and a mild concussion), I've always stayed fairly safe. No rattlesnake, scorpion, or shark bites.  But last April, a ride on the trail pictured above changed my life.

Hard to imagine something so tiny has the potential
 to wreak so much havoc

Over the years I must have been bitten by hundreds of ticks.  But this time I got a bad one.  I'd always heard of Lyme Disease, and was aware of the potential hazard from ticks.  If caught soon, ticks can be removed fairly easily.  But left on the body for too long, a tick will embed itself under the skin to feed on your blood.  Along with anticoagulants and anesthetics, it can inject a potentially life threatening bacteria into your body - a spiral-shaped bacteria (spirochete) called Borrelia burfgdorferi.


Common on the East Coast of the United States, Lyme Disease is becoming more prevalent in our area.       Some attribute this spread to our intrusion on natural processes and climate change.  It seems everyone I talk to knows someone affected by it.  Unfortunately mistreatment and misdiagnosis is the norm, which can lead to long term disability and even death.

I will be ok, but it will take many months to recover.  Although my initial diagnosis and treatment was inadequate, I am now under the care of  a LLMD (Lyme Literate MD.)   But this was only because I knew exactly what happened and received good referrals.  Those less fortunate endure years of misdiagnosis and an endless misery that I would wish on nobody.

According to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS):

• Up to fifty percent of ticks in Lyme-endemic areas are infected with Lyme or other tick-borne diseases. With odds like that, if you have proof or a high suspicion that you've been bitten by a tick, taking a "wait and see" approach to deciding whether to treat the disease has risks. The onset of Lyme disease symptoms can be easily overlooked or mistaken for other illnesses. Once symptoms are more evident the disease may have already entered the central nervous system, and could be hard to cure. This is one case in which an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.

Research shows that Lyme is present throughout California, as illustrated in this map.

Download the data here: http://www.smcmad.org/data/brochures/tickborne/detection_lyme_disease_ca_ticks_03.pdf

As early as 1999, LA County vector control documented Lyme carrying ticks in the Santa Monica mountains recreation area.  More recently, a 2013 press release alerted the public that Lyme Disease-Carrying Ticks Found Lurking in New Areas in Santa Monica Mountains.

Who knows why Ventura County and local doctors are still in denial?

I post this information so people will be aware that Lyme Disease is a serious problem in Southern California, and that although your general practitioner may not be 'lyme literate,' there are doctors who can help.

 …

The film "Under Our Skin" exposes the horrors of Lyme and the controversy and conflicts surrounding the disease.  The full feature is here:  http://youtu.be/2JgR_Jfbhv8





More info:

Tips to Avoid Lyme Disease:  http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/lyme_tips.html

Under Our Skin Movie: http://underourskin.com


TOUCHED BY LYME: Ski champ shares her “LymeLight” in new film - See more at: http://lymedisease.org/news/touchedbylyme/lymelight-film.html


The Rise of the Tick, OUTSIDE MAGAZINE, JUNE 2013

Ticks Test Positive for Lyme Disease at Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills

Coastal Resilience - Ventura County

The Nature Conservancy is the lead in a study to assess potential changes to our coastline with future sea level rise and other climate change effects.

According to the website, The Nature Conservancy is leading Coastal Resilience Ventura - a partnership to provide science and decision-support tools to aid conservation and planning projects and policymaking to address conditions brought about by climate change.  The primary goals of Coastal Resilience Ventura are assessing the vulnerabilities of human and natural resources, and identifying solutions that help nature help people.

The recent report outlines a Catalogue of Local Sea Level Rise Planning Tools.  Key recommendations are:

• Sea Level Rise should be included in General Plan
• Sea Level Rise in should be included Local Coastal Program (LCP) Update
• Sea Level Rise in should be included Zoning Code Updates
• Sand Dune and Wetlands as Barriers and Buffers
• Flexible Options: Managed retreats, Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), and project siting and design considering sea level rise

Another product of this project is a web mapping tool to help illustrate potential inundation areas from sea  level, tides, waves, and river flooding.

More info:

project info: http://coastalresilience.org/geographies/ventura-county

map: http://coastalresilience.org/geographies/ventura-county/future-scenarios-map

Surfers' Point - Fall 2013

Surfers' Point Managed Shoreline Retreat project - 2-28-2013           aerial composite by Rick Wilborne

Surfers' Point Managed Shoreline Retreat project - 9-23-2013           aerial composite by Rick Wilborne

These aerial photos provide a wide angle view of the entire project site.  Despite a dry year, the progression from February to September shows that native plants are doing well in the constructed dunes.  Repeated weeding has kept invasive weeds under control.  The seasonal difference in the high tide line is also evident.  The toe of the cobble berm is visible on the west end (left of photos) in February, but buried during the summer.

A boardwalk will be constructed in December, an additional part of the master plan that is being funded by the California Coastal Conservancy.  We will seed the area around the boardwalk with purchased and collected seeds after construction is complete.

Photos below are from the volunteer workday on Saturday morning, November 2.  We continue to weed non-native plants (mainly sea rocket, ice plant, bermuda grass) from the dune restoration area.  Volunteers also collected seed from some of the established plants and broadcast throughout the dune areas.

Native vegetation at Surfers' Point workday Nov 2, 2013

Surfers' Point workday Nov 2, 2013

Surfers' Point workday Nov 2, 2013

Surfers' Point workday Nov 2, 2013

Running Dry

Cover article in the Oct 10, 2013 issue of the Ventura County Reporter is titled "Running Dry - Ventura County has a water problem."   Writer Art Van Kraft takes a high level overview of some of the issues affecting local water management, and says, "Conservation advocates warn of imminent depletion of water resources."  He profiles the efforts of the Surfrider Foundation to alert residents to the 'cycle of insanity'  and quotes Mike Solomon, general manager of United Water Conservation District; "We are taking 30,000 acre feet more water out of the ground than we're putting in and that's not sustainable."  United supplies water in the Oxnard Plain where this overdraft threatens aquifers with sea water intrusion.

The article examines water conservation and Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Gardens partnership with the City of Ventura. 'Lawn killer' Lisa Burton describes how her garden designs eliminate water waste, saying "Lawns start to look really boring and sort of silly; so does the water bill." And Diane Underhill says straight out, "We need to stop approving future development projects."

Read more here:  Running Dry - VC Reporter

Ojai Quarry lawsuit filed

According to Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper: 

On September 4, 2013 Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and the Environmental Defense Center filed a lawsuit in federal court against Gralar LLC, dba Mosler Rock Product, for violations of the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act at its Mosler Rock Ojai Quarry.


Over the past several years, Channelkeeper and various regulatory agencies have documented significant pollution problems at the Ojai Quarry.  The Quarry is a 30-acre rock mine located on the banks of the Lower North Fork Matilija Creek, a major tributary of the Ventura River renowned for its pristine, free-flowing waters and excellent habitat for wildlife, including the endangered southern California steelhead trout.  Quarry operations are conducted on steep slopes directly above the creek, causing harmful sediment discharges and periodic landslides and rock fall into the creek.

Ojai Quarry - photo by SBCK

Channelkeeper has attempted to address the water quality and habitat degradation issues at the Ojai Quarry for years through cooperative approaches, including direct dialogue with the facility’s owner and repeated appeals to regulatory agencies for enforcement action.  Despite these efforts, however, the Quarry has failed to implement adequate erosion control and storm water management measures and regulatory agencies have neglected to enforce the law.  Therefore, Channelkeeper decided to team up with the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) to pursue legal citizen enforcement action as a last resort.

On October 31, 2012, Channelkeeper and EDC sent a Notice of Violations and Intent to File Suit against Gralar LLC, dba Mosler Rock Product, and owner/operator Larry Mosler. Our subsequent settlement negotiations with the owner failed to produce an acceptable solution, so Channelkeeper and EDC filed suit against the Ojai Quarry today. Our suit alleges numerous and ongoing violations of the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act which pollute the water and degrade habitat for steelhead. Click here for a detailed fact sheet outlining the basis of our suit.

We hope our filing of the lawsuit will finally catalyze effective and enduring action to stop the pollution and habitat degradation caused by the Quarry. We will be re-initiating settlement negotiations with the owner shortly to that end.

More information from ChannelKeeper: http://www.sbck.org/news/channelkeeper-and-edc-file-suit-against-the-ojai-quarry/

In the news:
Pollution Lawsuit Filed Against Ojai Quarry The Santa Barbara ...
Environmental groups sue Ojai Quarry, alleging it pollutes » Ventura ...
Ojai Quarry cleared to operate until 2015 » Ventura County Star

On this blog: http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/Ojai%20Quarry