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Meet Our New Regional Rangeland Planner, Grant Johnson!
We're very excited to announce that Grant Johnson has accepted the position of Regional Rangeland Planner and is available to support producers across the tri-county RCD Hub! Grant is a former RCD employee who has spent the last few years working in regenerative, holistic ranching. He has collaborated with the Hub on several Rancher-to-Rancher events and workshops and brings a wealth of both practical and theoretical knowledge to help rangeland managers improve their sustainability and profitability. Grant will be available to offer rangeland-related technical assistance in Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara County. You can reach out to him directly at gjohnson@coastalrcd.org.
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Wildlife & Restoration Team Shout Out
Our Wildlife & Restoration Team works closely with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on our Monarch Restoration Projects. Recently, our team received a shout out from Michael Glenn, the team's USFWS partner:
"Thanks for all of the awesome work you [the Wildlife & Restoration Team] have done on the [Monarch] projects!!!"
To learn more about our Monarch Restoration Projects, click here.
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Upcoming Virtual Latino Farmers Conference
The Latino Farmers Conference, hosted by the National Center for Appropriate Technology's ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture Program, starts next week! This conference is virtual on every Tuesday and Thursday from February 3, 2026, to February 19, 2026, at 6pm. Attend the webinars to explore the latest in agricultural conservation, sustainable management, and practical tools to improve your business.
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GSOB Blitz with UCANR
UCANR is hosting a Goldspotted Oak Borer Blitz on Friday, February 13th, from 10:30 AM to 2 PM at Santa Susana Park & Railroad. A GSOB Blitz is "a community-powered effort to detect and map Goldspotted Oak Borer infestations." If you would like to volunteer, please click the button below.
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VCRCD x OPHS Restoration Project Field Day
On January 10th our Restoration Team, in collaboration with our Education & Outreach Coordinator, hosted their first Field Day with 16 OPHS students from the National Honor Society Club. We planted over 60 native plants at two different sites on the OPHS campus to enhance habitats we had initiated in years past! In addition to planting, VCRCD staff led the students through a series of learning activities involving native plants, invasive species, and the importance of pollinators. To learn more about the program, click the button below.
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Arundo Removal in the Santa Clara River Watershed
The multi-talented VCRCD staff is providing biological monitoring during badly needed giant Arundo removal in the Santa Clara River riparian corridor using funds from the State Coastal Conservancy. It is difficult to show the extent that this critically valuable habitat has been utterly destroyed by the dense nonnative grass, to the detriment off almost all other plant life and wildlife.
Not many people get to see the Freeman Diversion, which looks like a small dam, that diverts precious freshwater to holding ponds during storms to allow it to slowly sink back into the groundwater for future use. After the recent storms, it was loud and flowing like a mini–Niagara Falls!
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Mama Tree Pile Burn
This past week, the VCPBA conducted two separate pile burns on January 21st and January 23rd at Mama Tree in Ojai. Both burn days were a success, with 11 piles burnt over the course of both days. ~33 tons of hazardous fuels were burnt, mostly deadwood leftover from the 2017 Thomas Fire. VCPBA volunteers also enjoyed some chicken and veggie sausages roasted over the pile burn fire at lunch:)
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Atmore Oaks Update
In January, the Restoration Team did a survey of the oaks they planted on Atmore & Sons and Rancho Ventura Conservation Trust property. The trees, donated by Brokaw Nursery, have been exploding with new growth! The tree here was planted in September. For reference, the blue tree tube is 4 feet tall. A big thank you to Brokaw Nursery for helping us make this restoration possible!
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Native Plant Fest
This past Saturday, our Conservation Ecologist Jia Wiebe and our Education & Outreach Coordinator Mary Reyes attended Oxnard Performing Arts Center's 5th Annual Native Plant Fest! We had a blast discussing native plants, pollination, and our Monarch restoration efforts. Painting our handprints on our DIY Monarch wings was fun too!
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Goldspotted Oak Borer Training
Last week, our Restoration Team attended a training event to identify the invasive Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB). Originally from Arizona, GSOBs generally attack Coast Live Oaks, Canyon Live Oaks, and California Black Oaks. To learn more about the GSOB and its detrimental effects click the button below.
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Ventura River Watershed Forum #3
You are invited to Forum #3: kišunuškuy, Planning for Resilience— Advancing Priority Actions in the Ventura River Watershed on February 4, 2026, from 11 am to 4 pm.
This forum builds upon earlier community forums and a focused virtual session on adaptation strategies and will center on advancing priority actions and implementation pathways for the watershed.
The Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians (BVBMI) will host, leading the opening session to ground the conversation in place and cultural context. The second half of the forum will feature interactive workshops to help refine implementation strategies and next steps for the Watershed Resilience Plan. Please register at the button below by Friday 1/30.
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VCRCD offers several planting and weeding events throughout the year. To receive emails when these events arise please sign up at the link below.
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If you can't volunteer your time, consider making a donation to the VCRCD. Donations can help pay for resources that may not be covered by grant funds.
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