Mission & Vision

Our mission is to permanently protect the land, water, wildlife and scenic beauty of the Ventura region for current and future generations.

Ventura Land Trust (VLT), a community-based nonprofit organization, believes that preserving open space and providing responsible public access enhances the economy, quality of life, and public well-being of Ventura and surrounding communities. With local partners, VLT works to protect the natural beauty and ecological integrity of our area.

To learn more about what VLT does please visit our program overview page.

TRANSFORMATIVE VISION

VLT restores and enhances native plant communities and wildlife habitat, reduces pollution in our rivers, and works to connect the public with the vital ecological communities we steward. We envision strategically increasing the amount of protected open space across the county along with sustainable and well-managed public access.

Ventura Land Trust envisions a Ventura with more trails, more hiking, more biking, and more opportunities to enjoy natural areas. VLT envisions more preserved open space that balances the protection of wildlife and the environment. Working with willing landowners, the land is either protected via acquisition or through a land conservation agreement.

VLT is an accredited non-profit

OVER 20 YEARS OF CONSERVATION

Ventura Land Trust was founded in 2003 as Ventura Hillsides Conservancy by community members who sought to protect the iconic hillsides to the north of Ventura from development.

The Conservancy hosted top musical talent at annual concerts in Arroyo Verde Park, raising funds to permanently protect local open spaces. The first conserved parcels of land were in the Ventura River corridor. Community volunteers worked alongside VHC’s staff to restore and care for conserved lands, setting a tradition of community involvement and volunteer support that continues today.

Ventura Hillsides Conservancy became Ventura Land Trust in 2017 to reflect a broadened vision to protect open spaces countywide. The organization was accredited by the Land Trust Alliance in 2019, joining a network of more than 400 accredited land trusts across the nation that have demonstrated a commitment to professional excellence and to maintaining the public’s trust in their work.

VLT now holds 3,876 acres of land in seven preserves across Ventura County—including the hillsides that inspired the organization’s founding, now known as Mariano Rancho Preserve and Ventura’s first landscape-scale publicly accessible nature preserve, Harmon Canyon, opened to the public in 2020.