Invasive species are second only to habitat loss in threatening biological diversity. At VLT we are serious about reducing invasive species and consider this our foundational restoration effort to facilitate passive recovery of degraded wildlands. When necessary, active planting of native species from locally derived plants can help to jumpstart recovery of particularly degraded systems, and we have a small in-house plant nursery to support these efforts. We use best nursery practices to restrict unintended introductions of pathogens and invasive species common in potted nursery plants like Phtophthora water molds and Argentine ants that when planted in wildlands, can have serious impacts to native systems.

Ventura Land Trust’s properties have complex histories including working lands and utility corridors. Legacy ranching infrastructure like corrals and fencelines can impact the way wildlife move through and utilize landscapes and natural resources. Birds, lizards and small mammals can get trapped in open-topped pipes, mistaking them for natural shelter sites like tree cavities. Ventura Land Trust endeavors to remove or cap all of the open pipes on our properties to eliminate this mortality source, and remove or modify the abandoned linear infrastructure like fence lines that can change the behavior and movements of larger mammals. Active and inactive infrastructure from utility companies, as well as the access corridors maintained by utility and inholder easements, also pose potential impacts to the natural resources on our preserves and are under evaluation.

While VLT is committed to mitigating impacts from historic infrastructure, we also actively develop infrastructure on our preserves to serve public access. We recognize that this investment has ecological impacts from construction, use, and maintenance, and we strive to employ responsible best practices to minimize ecological harm. We also recognize that facilitating connection between people and open space is key to meaningful, lasting conservation and to the well being of our communities. Please bear with us as we do our best to balance conservation priorities with sustainable public use through strategic trail and preserve closures and restrictions of activities like e-bikes and dog access.

Ventura Land Trust (VLT) currently holds three contracts with the County of Ventura to monitor and collect trash in watersheds throughout the County. In the Calleguas Creek Watershed and the Malibu Creek Watershed, VLT oversees trash monitoring and collection in partnership with the California Conservation Corps (CCC). In the Ventura River, Ventura Land Trust carries out trash monitoring and collection commitments via land trust staff. 

VLT sees water quality enhancement and the removal of trash from our watersheds as a vital component of our conservation mission. Impacts from people experiencing homelessness living in waterways also affect the water quality and ecological integrity of our river systems. For decades Ventura Land Trust has worked to address this important issue with compassion and respect.

Ventura Land Trust properties are ecological preserves that allow public access. Our goal is to share these extraordinary wild places with the community in ways that minimize impacts to natural resources and provide an enjoyable and safe experience for human visitors. We have invested in miles of trail systems on our preserves around Ventura to support access by our community, and welcome responsible pedestrians, non-electric bicycles, and leashed dogs in some places.

Unfortunately, our presence does have an impact on the conservation values of these open spaces. Humans and dogs disrupt wildlife habits, bicycles exacerbate erosion, and the trails we use are disturbance corridors that favor the dominance and transport of invasive species. Making compromises between these two important priorities is not easy. Since opening, we have hosted over 110,000 visitors annually in Harmon Canyon alone–equivalent to the entire population of the City of Ventura. In striving towards this difficult balance, we respectfully request that all visitors follow the rules we’ve posted at our preserves to safeguard natural resources, based on the best available scientific guidance, including:

• Staying on officially marked trails

• Keeping pets on a 6-foot or shorter leash and only in approved areas

• No e-bikes of any kind

• Absolutely no collection of anything from our properties without written consent from VLT, including animals, plants, rocks, soil, or seeds.

We are grateful for your support and understanding!

The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is defined as the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development. At Ventura Land Trust’s two large preserves, Harmon Canyon and Mariano Rancho, we are responsible for managing about 2 miles of WUI.

Our first management priority in these areas is preserving human life and property, followed by mitigating erosion risk, and maintaining ecological integrity. Most of these areas have a history of regular disturbance which has promoted dominance of invasive species like mustards and annual grasses that are easily ignitable and produce high flame lengths. This is the fuel load we are most concerned about. Many of the WUI areas we work in are extremely steep, complicating vegetation management goals. Selectively retaining and even planting deep-rooted native shrubs and trees and well spaced herbaceous plants like native bunchgrasses can achieve all three management priorities at once–reduced fire risk with our less flammable natives, slope security with species adapted to steep areas, and promoting the ecological integrity and conservation values of these unique transition zones. VLT works diligently to ensure that all of its properties are maintained to the standards set forth by the City and County of Ventura.

Ventura Land Trust endeavors to expand better fire ecology awareness with our WUI neighbors and community members, including the threat of invasive species to their properties–particularly those available in the horticultural industry that are intentionally planted but create considerable risk to adjacent structures.