Friends of the Ventura River

06/20/2025

  If you haven't been out to enjoy the Ventura River Parkway Trail since it was renovated last year, please get out to see the wonderful improvements, from the new pavement to the many additional trees planted along the trail from Fix Way to city limits.  

09/25/2024

On Friday, September 13, 1.8 miles of the Ventura River Trail Segment of the Ventura River Parkway Trail reopened after months of repair and improvement work.  New pavement, lighting, trees, trash receptacles and signage were installed to enhance the trail and the trail experience for users.  The...

08/16/2024

The grant-funded $5 million Ventura River Parkway Trail improvement project along the Ventura River Trail segment is almost complete but for the final touches.  This segment of the trail is beautifully refreshed.   Paving is complete. The art component, a mural on the flood wall near OST, is ...

07/09/2024

Ventura River Parkway Trail improvements project!

07/03/2024

Summer News & Events!

The grant-funded $5 million Ventura River Parkway Trail improvement project is in progress.  Paving is complete between Fix/Dubbers & Stanley.  Paving above Stanley to city limits began on July 2.   Upgraded wayfinding signs will guide visitors to the trail & new trail signage will be installed...

05/01/2024

Surfers' Point Phase 2 Workshop on May 2 at 5:30pm in Santa Rosa Hall at the fairgrounds. See you there!

Notice from the City of Ventura: The City of Ventura is excited to announce an upcoming community workshop for the Surfers Point Managed Retreat Project. The workshop will occur on Thursday, May 2, at 5:30 p.m. at Santa Rosa Hall, located at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Spanish interpretation wi...

04/23/2024

Surfers' Point Community Meeting to be held at the fairgrounds on May 2. Mark your calendars!

03/31/2024

The grant-funded $5 million Ventura River Parkway Trail improvement project is finally beginning with new pavement.  The window in which to accomplish this project is pretty narrow.  Originally the Improvements needed to be complete by June 30, 2024, so given the delayed schedule, the city will be...

02/02/2024

✂️✂️A big step forward today as the Matilija Dam is identified as a priority for removal by 2030.✂️✂️

Governor Newsom announced today a commitment to the removal or circumvention of several long-disputed dams in a bid to revive the state’s salmon and steelhead. The commitment is part of California’s first strategy to protect these iconic fisheries for generations to come.

The state’s Salmon Strategy specifies the six priorities and 71 actions to build healthier, thriving salmon populations in California.

Goals for Matilija Dam include: By 2026, complete upgrades to bridges, levees, and infrastructure along Matilija Creek in Ventura County and complete final tasks necessary to ensure removal of Matilija Dam in 2030. This dam-removal project, on a tributary to the Ventura River, will restore steelhead habitat, eliminate a public safety dam risk, enhance riparian and floodplain habitat and property protection, and replenish the Ventura River estuary and Ventura County beaches as a climate adaptation benefit.

Click the link below to read the full press release and strategy plan. 🐟🐟
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/01/30/governor-newsom-launches-californias-salmon-strategy-for-a-hotter-drier-future/

01/22/2024

https://www.venturariver.org/2023/12/watershed-council-visits-dam.html

On December 14, 2023, the Ventura River Watershed Council featured the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project (MDERP) . This is the bi...

01/22/2024

https://www.venturariver.org/2023/12/watershed-education.html

OjaiValleyNews.com For more than a decade, Once Upon a Watershed has provided environmental education to local schools. The program intro...

12/06/2023

https://www.venturariver.org/2023/12/headwaters-to-ocean-h2o-conference.html

The California Shore and Beach Preservation Association (CSBPA) and Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON) organi...