Dam scissors stickers

Matilija Dam made headline news in 2011 when a giant pair of scissors appeared overnight.  The image is now becoming a symbol of dam removal.

The Matilija Coalition just designed and printed a sticker building on this theme.  More of these will be available soon, so stop by the Patagonia retail stores to get yours!

All good grass-roots campaigns begin with a bumper sticker.  Surfrider printed these in 1995 to spread the word on the sand trap 16 miles up the Ventura River:

On this blog:

Matilija Dam in the news

 

 

Salmon Run 2016

Salmon Run 5K
23 Years in the Making
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Patagonia HQ, Ventura, California

The 23rd Annual Salmon Run, a 5K run/race was held at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 6, 2016. The Salmon Run is a benefit event for environmental nonprofits. Over the years, it has raised more than $150,000 to support groups working on important issues right in our own backyard. We hope you can join us this year for a morning of fun and community!
This year's beneficiary is Once Upon a Watershed, an environmental nonprofit that provides watershed education, restoration and stewardship experiences to grade school students in the Ventura River Watershed.

 As always, Surfrider/Matilija Coalition, Friends of the Ventura River, and all of our partner organizations had a table to spread the word on all the good work happening in the community!

Surfrider/Matilija Coalition at 2016 Salmon Run

Matilija Coalition outreach materials

Our new "scissors stickers" were a big hit, and we handed out over 300 of them before we ran out!


Patagonia Salmon Run

Ojai Film Festival 2016

Ojai Valley Green Coalition - FOCUS EARTH

On Sunday Nov 6th, the Ojai Valley Green Coalition sponsored a water-themed afternoon of films and discussion.  The Surfrider Foundation "Cycle of Insanity" short film and a new film titled "Beyond the Mirage: The Future of Water in the West," set the stage for a panel discussion.  The sold-out audience was primarily Ojai residents, eager to learn more about water management during this ongoing drought.

"Beyond the Mirage" explains the tenuous nature of the Colorado River and California State Water projects under the uncertainty of climate change.  It explained how this huge plumbing system has been overallocated, and why decreased snowpack could lead to the failure of a system which has provided for the growth of megacities in the desert southwest, including those in California.

A timely discussion, given the push right now to hook the Ventura River up to state water...


Ojai Valley Green Coalition: The Future of Water Panel Discussion 11.6.16 720 from Ojai Valley Green Coalition on Vimeo.




More info:

Ojai Valley Green Coalition - FOCUS EARTH

Cycle of Insanity

http://beyondthemirage.org/

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#ResurrectTheRiver

Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper recently initiated a campaign to #ResurrectTheRiver

The campaign aims to shine some light on their effort to restore flows in the Ventura River, which is often a complex issue to understand.

This video takes a creative look at the issues:




Visit the website to understand why;

 "Channelkeeper has filed a lawsuit to compel the State Water Board to scientifically analyze the “reasonableness” of the City’s use of the river and to find a workable balance between the competing demands for water and the need and legal responsibility to keep the river alive and flowing."

Sign the petition to show your support for #ResurrectTheRiver

On this blog:

ChannelKeeper sues to save a drying river

 

 

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Matilija Dam in the News

"It is mostly silted up. It has out lived its usefulness. It no longer serves for flood control or water supply for the region and at the same time it blocks fish from coming up so this fits with the statewide priority of trying to deal with these old situations," said Secretary of California Natural Resources Agency John Laird.


Friday Oct 7, 2016 - VC Star


Local, state and federal officials toured the dam Thursday as Peter Sheydayi, interim director of the Ventura County Watershed Protection District, talked about recent steps forward and the work that still needs to happen.  For years, there has been widespread support to tear down the dam above Ojai. The problem is what to do with the about 8 million cubic yards of sediment that has built up behind it over the past six or so decades.

The project to tear down the dam started in 1999, Sheydayi told the small crowd that included John Laird, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, county Supervisor Steve Bennett, U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, and Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Carpinteria.

"From 2007 until very recently, we were still trying to get Congress to fund this project. We just sort of met with obstacle after obstacle," Schuchat said. The Coastal Conservancy has funded much of the state's share up to now in the process.  Instead, local officials want to look at whether they could fund the project without the Corps of Engineers. For now, that's just something to explore.

After the tour, officials returned to the Watershed Protection District's Saticoy office to talk about funding possibilities.

In the meantime, the next step is to take the concept that the groups agreed to and turn it into engineering drawings. Officials have applied for a grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to pay for that next phase of work.

October 6, 2016: Roundtable Discussion on Matilija Dam convened by Congresswoman Julia Brownley. Paul Jenkin presents the history of the project to federal, state, and local representatives.

KEYT: Matilija Dam one step closer to coming down

 

Watershed signs

Sign "Entering Ventura River Watershed" when leaving Sespe Creek on Highway 33 

Ventura County Watershed Protection District (WPD) recently installed signs at the watershed boundaries throughout the county.  Funding came from the WPD Stormwater Permittee Project.  Similar signs have been placed at visible sites on Watershed Protection District facilities throughout the county.

This was an idea that surfaced during initial community discussions with the Ojai Valley Green Coalition in 2008.   At that time very few local residents were aware of the significance of our watershed, or even what the term means!  Signs like this become part of a growing culture of watershed awareness.

Thanks to Ventura County WPD for implementing this public education opportunity!

Matilija Sand Trap

Sept 8, 2016: Ventura County Reporter article on Matilija Dam:

With a possible end in sight, all parties involved are optimistic for the future.

“It’s a good feeling knowing that there actually is a solution to this. We’re working every day to try and make that happen,” said Jenkin.

On Thursday, Oct. 6, the Ventura River Watershed Council will meet to discuss the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project at Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road in Oak View from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.venturawatershed.org. 


Read the article here: sand-trap-plan-for-matilija-dam-removal-will-rely-on-historic-rainfall