Join Santa Monica Mountains Fund now every third Saturday of the month for a short guided bilingual (English/Spanish) hike to learn about local plants and habitats of pollinator insects like monarch butterflies, then pick out a selection of free(!) native pollinator plants and narrowleaf milkweed seeds for your home garden. Learn from our partners at Santa Monica Mountains Fund about why pollinator insects and monarch butterflies are so important for our local ecosystems.

RSVP for the guided hike today! Space is limited.

About the Santa Monica Moutains Fund

The Santa Monica Mountains Fund works to protect and encourage appreciation and understanding of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

The Fund supports National Park Service efforts in education, science, research, improved facilities, citizen engagement, stewardship and philanthropy.

The Santa Monica Mountains Fund native plant nursery at Rancho Sierra Vista (Newbury Park) supports native plant conservation in the Santa Monica Mountains by to collecting and cleaning seed, curating a native plant herbarium, and growing over 50,000 plants a year for public distribution and land restoration.

This May, Ventura Land Trust will be partnering with Safeport Cannabis Dispensary and Topa Topa Brewing Company to bring you a special volunteer event at Harmon Canyon Preserve.  We need your help removing invasive species and improving wildlife habitat at Harmon Canyon. Our fantastic docents, Terri and Kris, will lead volunteers in removing non-native, invasive species. No previous weed pulling experience is required, as our docents will provide training to anyone who needs it. This volunteer opportunity requires hand pulling weeds so please bring your own gloves and any tools that you think might work well. Meet the group at 9 AM at the information kiosk at Harmon Canyon Preserve.  Parking is limited, so please consider carpooling.  Make sure you RSVP for this event-you don't want to miss this one!

• Purchase a limited-edition collaboration tee here.

Join Ventura Land Trust Conservation Photographer Chris Ryan on a guided photography tour through Harmon Canyon Preserve as the sun sets. Bring your smartphone camera or a DSLR for professional instruction on light, composition, and nature photography while you explore the preserve and learn about the land.

The pace for the tour is easy, with no no steep climbs. Signs will guide participants along a planned trail and road route over just under 2.5 miles. Participants are encouraged to travel light - no tripod necessary. No drones, please.

Ventura Land Trust is pleased to partner with renown native plant guide and educator Lanny Kaufer for an easy edible and medicinal plant walk at Harmon Canyon Preserve on Saturday, May 28th from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. 

Kaufer is well-known in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties for his Herb Walks, interpretive native plant walks, and nature hikes, which he began leading more than 40 years ago in 1976. 

The walk will include plant identification and information for the beginning to experienced botanist, herbalist, or anyone curious about uses of wild plants. The herb walk will cover approximately 2 miles round trip in Harmon Canyon Preserve. Many useful plants, including Blue Elderberry, Coast Live Oak, Black Sage, Purple Sage, Sagebrush, and Wild Fennel, make their home on Harmon Canyon Preserve’s 2,123 acres of land, amid roughly 1,000 acres of endangered coastal sage scrub. All the plants are making a visible, and much welcomed, comeback after the Thomas Fire devastated the area.

Lanny Kaufer is the author of Medicinal Herbs of California: A Field Guide to Common Healing Plants. The book will be available for sale after the hike.

All hike participants should bring a water bottle and wear sturdy shoes, long pants, a hat, and sunscreen. 

Únase al personal de Ventura Land Trust en una caminata guiada en la reserva de Big Rock Preserve. Esta caminata de 90 minutos, cubrirá un circuito de 2 millas en Big Rock Preserve con paradas para aprender sobre los elementos naturales y culturales de la reserva. Se recomienda traer agua, protección solar y zapatos cerrados. Esta caminata es gratuita y abierta al público. RSVP abajo.

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Join Ventura Land Trust staff on a guided hike of Big Rock Preserve. This easy to moderate 90-minute hike will cover a 2-mile loop in Big Rock Preserve with stops to learn about natural and cultural elements of the preserve. Water, sun protection, and closed-toe footwear are recommended. This hike is free and open to the public. RSVP below.

Come help out at Ventura County's largest competitive running event this June 5th. Partnering with Ventura Land Trust for the last 6 years, Mountains 2 Beach Marathon has donated close to $50,000 and looks forward to another successful year. We are looking for 20 committed volunteers to help serve tasty beer to thirsty marathoners near the finish line of M2B.

ALL VOLUNTEER SERVERS MUST BE RBS (Responsible Beverage Server) CERTIFIED. 

Click here for more information.   Click here for a step-by-step instructional video.

If you were certified within the past two years, check your I.D. card to ensure that your certification is still valid. If it has expired, you must retake the class.

This is a very fun volunteer event. Please RSVP and we will work with you on your shift assignment. Hope you can join us!

Did you know that much of the strata exposed in Harmon Canyon is part of the thickest Plio-Pleistocene marine sedimentary sequence in the world? Harmon Canyon’s creek beds and trails reveal the folded, uplifted and eroded nature of this strata.

Did you know that the Ventura foothills lie within the Transverse Range geologic province, a province that has one of the only east-west trending mountain ranges in western North and South America, and has “uplift rates” that rival the fastest growing mountains in the world?

Join Ventura Land Trust and geologist Tim Garvey for Geology of Harmon Canyon, a presentation of VLT's Environmental Speaker Series at the Museum of Ventura County. You'll learn geologic concepts about the local “dirt” on which we hike.

VLT's free, quarterly Environmental Speaker Series is one of the many ways VLT works to educate the public about important environmental topics. Although free to the public, a $10/person donation is suggested at the door. RSVPs are encouraged.

***Please disregard the event date below - this is a repeating volunteer opportunity.  Refer to Signup.com listings for specific dates***

We will carry out a variety of restoration activities such as mulching, invasive species removal, and trail maintenance. 

We're using SignUp.com to organize this ongoing opportunity - here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com: https://signup.com/go/zSYMGSd
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.

Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

HELPFUL LINKS:

To help expedite up the sign-in process, please print and sign this liability release and bring it with you on the day of the event.

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MAP AND DIRECTIONS

Big Rock Preserve is located just south of Foster Park along the Ojai-Ventura Bike Trail. There are two entrances to Big Rock.

North Entrance: Take Hwy 33, exit at Casitas Vistas Road, turn right and park underneath the HWY 33 overpass. Walk towards the bike trail and turn left. Continue south for approx. 1/4 mile along the dirt path adjacent to the Ojai-Ventura Bike Trail until you see the Big Rock preserve entrance on the right (look for the kiosk, bench and bike rack under the pepper tree).

South Entrance: Take Hwy 33, exit at Casitas Vistas Vista Road. Turn right and continue straight (under the highway) on North Ventura Ave. Parking is available along North Ventura Ave. Walk north to the break in the fence and take a right along the dirt path adjacent to the Ojai-Ventura Bike Trail. Continue north for approx. 1/4 mile until you see the Big Rock preserve entrance on the left (look for the kiosk, bench and bike rack under the pepper tree).

Questions/concerns? Please email [email protected]

 

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Want to contribute more than sweat-equity? The Ventura Land Trust now offers affordable River Restoration Sponsorship opportunities. Environmentally-minded individuals and businesses are invited to support our habitat restoration work by financially contributing to the costs of cleaning, clearing and restoring the land. There's no better way to put your money to work!

***Please disregard the event date below - this is a repeating volunteer opportunity.  Refer to Signup.com listings for specific dates***

***Please disregard the event date below - this volunteer opportunity occurs most Sundays and Mondays.  Refer to Signup.com listings for specific dates***

Come one, come all! We need your help removing invasive species and improving wildlife habitat at Harmon Canyon. Our fantastic docents Terri and Kris will lead volunteers in removing non-native, invasive species from Harmon Canyon Preserve. No previous weed pulling experience is required, our docents will provide training to anyone who needs it. This volunteer opportunity requires hand pulling weeds so please bring your own gloves and any tools that you think might work well. Meet the group at 8 AM at the information kiosk at Harmon Canyon Preserve.  Please RSVP with the SignUp link: https://signup.com/go/KSkTPtn

We're using SignUp.com to organize this ongoing event.

Here's how it works in 4 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com: https://signup.com/go/KSkTPtn

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.

4) Every spot has a link to our volunteer agreement liability release form.  Please sign and return electronically to [email protected], or bring your printed and signed copy to the event.

Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Any questions? Contact [email protected] for more information.

***Please disregard the event date below - this volunteer opportunity occurs most Sundays and Mondays.  Refer to Signup.com listings for specific dates***