VENTURA : City OKs Plan to Restore River Habitat
A plan to restore the ecologically sensitive habitat at the mouth of the Ventura River has been approved by the Ventura City Council, clearing the way for work to begin as early as August.
Paid workers and volunteers will soon start uprooting invasive plants, which carpet the ground and choke out native vegetation that once thrived in the soil. The area’s original plants provide food and shelter to wildlife that live in the estuary, the area where the freshwater of the river meets the saltwater sea.
The council agreed Monday night to earmark $193,000 for the first phase of the project. In future phases, workers will remove feral cats and other non-native animals from the area, create wooden trails to protect the sand dunes, and construct a visitors center and amphitheater.
The Coastal Conservancy is expected to contribute $400,000 as well to the Ventura River Estuary Management Project, and the state parks department is expected to add $150,000. The Ventura County Audubon Society has pledged $8,500 in volunteer in-kind services.
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