Tour Coordinator:
Paul Jenkin, Surfrider Foundation

Tour Overview

The Ventura River Parkway connects parkland and open space over 16 miles of the Ventura River connecting the community with the river upon which it depends for water supply, recreation, and a unique quality of life. This tour highlighted ongoing community-based acquisition and restoration. The tour began at the mouth of the Ventura River where the recently constructed Surfers’ Point Managed Shoreline Retreat project provides a precedent-setting example of coastal restoration adjacent to the estuary. Just upstream, a recent acquisition by the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy has served as the catalyst for a major cleanup and restoration effort in the lower river. Further upstream, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy has acquired over five miles of the main stem of the river along with two tributary watersheds. And 16 miles upstream, the obsolete Matilija Dam remains in place pending removal through a planning process that continues after almost two decades.