July 9 Council Meeting Agenda. 

The next meeting of the Watershed Council will be this Thursday, July 9, 2015, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, in the Topping Room of the Foster Library, 651 E. Main Street.

We’ll have an opportunity at this meeting for an extended discussion about current happenings; and the discussion will be organized around the Council’s seven goals for the watershed. Please come prepared to share what you/your organization are focused on lately; new data or information that you’ve developed; grants you are pursuing; concerns, questions, or ideas you have; or accomplishments worth noting.

Also, it is time to look at the funding and work plan for the watershed coordinator next fiscal year (starting Sept. 1). Additionally, the Council will need to discuss who might serve in that position, as soon it will be time for me to move on. (More about that to come.)

Finally, we will discuss the current focus of the Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County (WCVC) – Proposition 1 grant funding is starting up and implementation and monitoring for the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan are underway. We will brainstorm strategies and actions the WCVC can take in this phase of the organization to sustain and expand integrated regional water management in Ventura County.

Here is the meeting agenda.

July 11 Film Screening of “Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West”

watershed graphicOn Saturday July 11, 2015 at 10 am the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy will screen the film WATERSHED.

Executive produced and narrated by Robert Redford and directed by award-winning filmmaker Mark Decena, WATERSHED tells the story of the threats to the once mighty Colorado River and offers solutions for the future of the American West.

A discussion after the film will be led by Lorraine Walter, Ventura River watershed coordinator. Ms. Walter will be joined by other experts in the field of local and regional water issues.

Flier for more info. RSVP requested.

July 7 County of Ventura General Plan Update Public Workshop

The County of Ventura will be updating its General Plan soon, and has recently been going through a process to determine the scope of that update. The next step in this process is a public workshop, to be held on July 7, 2015. This event also serves as a joint study session between the County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission.

The public workshop/study session will be at the County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura, at 1:30 pm in the Board of Supervisors’ Hearing Room.

In the past few months, the public, Ventura County staff and officials, and numerous community groups have participated in the initial tasks to create a Ventura County General Plan Update scope of work, budget, and timeline through a series of meetings, stakeholder interviews, and public workshops. Those who are interested in reviewing the results of the County’s public outreach efforts are encouraged to visit the Ventura County Planning Division’s General Plan Update webpage or access the outreach results in the Community Input Summary and Stakeholder Interview Summary.

The County of Ventura would like a good turn out at this workshop and encourages your help in spreading the word.

Ventura Water Now Accepting Applications for their Water Wise Incentive Program for Turf Removal

Residents of the City of Ventura may now apply to the city to be reimbursed for part of the cost of removing turf and converting to drought-tolerant landscaping. Here is a link to the website with the application and more information. The program is operating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Guide to the Lower Ventura River Parkway, Now in the Map Atlas

VenRiv-Parkway-Spanishweb The latest version of the Guide to the Lower Ventura River Parkway, in both English and Spanish, is now available for download in the Watershed Council’s Map Atlas.