Less than a mile from Ventura High School (VHS) is a property formerly known as Mariano Rancho, and recently opened to the public as the Ventura Hills Nature Preserve. Ventura Land Trust (VLT), a non-profit organization, bought the property in 2020 and has been establishing new trails and preparing the property for hikers and bikers ever since. However, concerns have been raised by the neighboring residents regarding the new influx of traffic in their backyard and the modifications being made by VLT on the property.
The property has been visited by locals for decades – many have traveled along old cattle trails to visit the hilltops of the land that offer stunning views of the ocean, as well as the native plants and wildlife. This activity was legally labeled as trespassing on private land until now, as VLT offers a legal and proclaimed more sustainable way of traversing the hillsides.
“In some ways, I commend what people were doing in terms of coming out here and building their own trail, and building a resource that wasn’t there. But now that we own it, we’ve got the opportunity to really fine-tune trails; make them sustainable and make them safe,” Quill Yates, a VLT field manager who engages with the preserve regularly, said.
However, the sustainability of the hillside is not the only thing that is on the minds of VLT’s neighbors. Several concerns have been voiced, including the safety and privacy of residents, as well as the increased risk of wildfire as the number of visitors on the property increases. Residents have also found an issue with the abolishment of the old cattle trails and other publicly built features, such as bike jumps…