Repeat Offender Landowner Under Investigation for Damaging Sespe Creek
December 10, 2013A Ventura County landowner with a long history of permitting violations is now under investigation for allegedly bulldozing roads across and along a nearly two-mile stretch of Sespe Creek. The unpermitted work is occurring north of Fillmore, immediately downstream from the boundary of the Los Padres National Forest and a popular rock formation known as Devil’s Gate.
Environmental Groups Announce Opposition to Lawsuit Threateneing Sea Otter Recovery
August 02, 2013Three groups, including the Environmental Defense Center (EDC), The Otter Project, and Los Angeles Waterkeeper have mobilized to intervene in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) December, 2012 decision officially ending the ‘no-otter zone.’ This important FWS decision allowed sea otters to begin to regain a foothold in their natural range in Southern California – an outcome vital to the recovery of the species. This new lawsuit, filed by four fishing organizations, dangerously seeks resumption of the no-otter zone.
Yet Another Prospective Naples Developer Walks Away From The Property – Santa Barbara Ranch Still Owned by The Bank; Activists Still Actively Pursuing Preservation
July 23, 2013The most recent contenders for the crown of Gaviota have given up. Spectra America and Cerberus Capital Management, who were working a deal with FirstBank of Missouri to purchase Santa Barbara Ranch (aka Naples), have terminated their plans to transfer ownership of the star-crossed property.
EDC Reaches Major Clean Water Settlement Targeting Pollution from Oil and Gas Field in Coastal Ventura County
May 14, 2013EDC announced that it has reached an agreement with Vintage Production California LLC (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation) to significantly improve management of polluted runoff from the Rincon Grubb oil field, where it conducts oil exploration and production activities, including hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’).
Removal of Diversion Pipes Protects Arroyo Quemada Creek
February 07, 2013EDC proactive work has resulted in the removal of several water pipes that had diverted water from Arroyo Quemada Creek, a “Critical Habitat” for endangered steelhead trout and the home of important wildlife on the Gaviota Coast. EDC had identified the plastic water pipes connected to small cement dams in the Creek as a threat to Creek flows, which are necessary to provide habitat for several rare animals.
