Stream Team
Ventura Stream Team began early in 2001 as a partnership program of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and the Ventura Chapter.   Stream Team recruits and trains community members to take part in monthly water quality monitoring sessions. The obvious action is to go up-stream, and test the water at every major reach and junction to locate the ‘trouble’ spots. 

Learn more - stream-team.org

Ocean Friendly Gardens
Runoff from residential landscapes affects the quality of our oceans and the quality of our lives. The sediment in water reduces clarity; nutrients increase algae populations and red tides; bacteria close beaches; debris can choke and suffocate aquatic species; and pesticides picked up off a landscape can poison fish consumed by humans — all of which degrade the natural beauty, and our enjoyment, of the ocean. Learn more   surfrider.org/ofg or visit Ventura Surfrider's own OFG page.

Beachscape

Ventura County Beachscape Project
By Eric R. Reed Program Assistant, Surfrider Foundation, Ventura County Chapter

View the Ventura Chapter Beachscape Maps>>>
 
The goal of the Surfrider Foundation’s Beachscape program is to collect information for a national “state of the beach” database. As one of the first chapters to actively participate in this mapping program, Ventura County discovered that the project is a formidable undertaking – walking the coast, collecting data, and managing mountains of information involved a great amount of coordination and dedication.  However, the work paid great dividends, as the Beachscape project will become a vital part of our effort to watchdog and restore our overdeveloped coastline. 
 
Surfrider National’s Beachscape program provided the template for mapping the entire forty-mile coast of Ventura County.  Led by instructor Kevin Buddhu, students from Camarillo High School conducted the initial Beachscape coastal survey of outfalls, shoreline structures, beach access points, and erosion hotspots in 1999 and 2000.  In 2001, interns from Patagonia, Inc. complemented this initial groundwork with a Global Positioning System (GPS) survey of the beaches.  With this data we created a project map of the entire coast using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, which can produce maps, interactive Web applications, and be used in conjunction with other projects such as water quality monitoring.  Access to the computer database will simply involve clicking on a beach, outfall, or other feature, and watching a photo appear accompanied by the appropriate data.
 
Using the Beachscape program in Ventura County, we located twenty-eight beaches, one hundred thirty-six outfalls, forty-four shoreline structures, thirty-six beach access points, and seven major erosion hotspots.  Seawalls and other coastal structures line over two-thirds of our beaches.   Two rivers empty into the Pacific within the City of Ventura, and the fabled Pacific Coast Highway runs along the oceanfront. Thousands of acres of agricultural land producing most of America’s strawberries border the shoreline and mingle with industrial facilities such as power plants, recycling facilities, and harbors.  Though not surprised, we found that wherever commerce met the coast, the coast was threatened.
 
The Beachscape survey is an important step towards the preservation of Ventura County’s beaches.  The most valuable benefit is the thorough documentation achievable only by a study conducted on foot.  “We now have a complete picture of Ventura County beaches – every pipe, stairway, structure, and seawall is documented,” notes Paul Jenkin, Environmental Director of Surfrider Ventura.  “The project enhanced our sense of ownership, knowing that we carefully walked and mapped every inch of the coastline.  Any party impacting our beaches is now held accountable.”

Please contact Paul Jenkin at paul@matilija-coalition.org for more info.