Three weekends, ninety volunteers, 3,350 pounds of trash!
What a truly incredible effort on behalf of the Ventura County community! A giant Surfrider "thank you" to each and every one of our amazing volunteers and organizations who came out to Ormond Beach to make it all happen, some of whom included Friends of Ormond Beach, Pt. Hueneme Councilmember Steven Gama, Kirby Subaru, Paddle Out Plastic, Ventura County Watershed Protection District, The Nature Conservancy, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and The Sierra Club; we couldn't have done it without you!
There's still plenty of work do be done on the other half of the lagoon so stay tuned to our Instagram page for upcoming announcements. In the meantime, check out the awesome video of the event, courtesy of Jayrol San Jose and Ben Camacho! And, more pictures are on our Facebook page.
DID YOU KNOW... PERKINS ISLAND WAS ONCE CALLED ORMOND POINTE?
Repost from Friends of Ormond Beach Newsletter: In 2007, Nancy Pederson had a vision. Realizing that the city and state plan to restore the Ormond Beach wetlands would take many years, Pederson decided to do something small scale in the interim. She also wanted to do something that involved educating the youth about the wetlands.
She procured the area at the end of Perkins Road and called it Ormond Point. This area is where she established the Ormond Pointe Native Plant Nursery--a place where visitors could take a walk, read about the flora and fauana described in the placards around the nursery, and relax on benches. Pederson received botanical help from Tricia Munro, who still helps Oxnard with its native plant program. At Ormond Pointe, Walter Fuller gave educational talks about the wetlands to school children, some of whom helped with the planting. She procured funding through grants and private business owners, and she also worked with the city of Oxnard.
Then crime moved into the area. Rival gangs started fires to smoke the other out. The homeless started setting up their encampments, and Pederson no longer felt safe working in her nursery, and she certainly did not want children to be harmed. Her safest option was to abandoned her project.
It is disappointing that thirteen years after Pederson began her project, the restoration of the Ormond Beach wetlands still remains to be seen (in fact, it has been over 3 decades in the planning). The hopes that Pederson had thirteen years ago, Friends of Ormond Beach have today. Thank you, volunteers, for never giving up on this area.
To learn more about Nancy Pederson's vision, please click here: http://www.cnpsci.org/Newsletter/MatilijaCopy20-2.pdf
CHANGING THE CULTURE OF NEGLECT
In the past month, volunteers and environmental groups around Ventura County have proven that they care about Ormond. There is a culture of neglect and disrespect for the environment in South Oxnard, and this must change.
At Perkins Island, the parking lot is in shambles. Illegal encampments around the Halaco superfund site perisit. Illegal dumping continues. Even the trash cans around the parking lot looked like they haven't been emptied for some time.
Friends of Ormond Beach and Surfrider supports South Oxnard residents in demanding that their city council find solutions to these problems. A permanent trash bin at the end of Perkins Road and a sign that states illegal dumping is a violation PC374.3 are a start. Working with the Del Norte Recycling Center is a must.
WHO TO CONTACT TO INSIST THAT THE CULTURE OF NEGLECT STOP:
Mayor Tim Flynn and Mayor Pro Tem Carmen Ramirez: both are running for VC Supervisor ***District #5.
***Note: District 5 does NOT include Ormond; however, the watershed runs through the district and the county has control to inest money in drain capture devices that discharge into Ormond, Ormond Lagoon, Rice Channel and tšumaš Creek.
Oxnard City Council Members for Ormond Beach Area (DIstricts 5-6)
Gabby Basua and Vianey Lopez respectively
Ventura County Supervisor (District 3) Kelly Long oversees Ormond Beach.
