California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW)-Santa Barbara and The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) WSP Site Summary

Placement Site Addresses:

CDFW office: 1933 Cliff Dr Suite #9, Santa Barbara, CA 93109

OVLC office: 370 Baldwin Road, Bldg. A4, Ojai, CA, 93023

Santa Barbara, CA - City Data Information Link

Site Supervisors: Kyle Evans - CDFW and Vivon Sedgwick - OVLC Mentors: Casey Horgan, Environmental Scientist, CDFW; Alejandro Caamano Barrientos, Environmental Scientist, CDFW; and Martin Schenker, Restoration Field Manager, OVLC

Number of Corpsmembers at Site: 4

Number of Years Site has Hosted WSP Corpsmembers: 14

Placement Site Organizations:

CDFW Santa Barbara (90%)

Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (10%)

Service Hours:

8-hour days: 5%

10-hour days: 85%

>10-hour days: 10%

Housing Offered: No

Work Vehicle Provided: Yes

CM Time Spent in Field/Office:

In the field: 80%

In the office: 20%

Corpsmember Activities:

Placement Site Objectives and Organizational Needs:

The primary objective of the CDFW Santa Barbara office is to fulfill annual monitoring requirements for the federal Endangered Species Act and California Endangered Species Act listed southern California steelhead rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a manner consistent with the California Monitoring Program (CMP). This CDFW office primarily monitors streams within Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties, but occasionally performs stream and watershed assessments in Orange and San Diego counties. The site conducts a variety of field surveys including, but not limited to, spawner (redd) surveys, snorkel surveys, electrofishing, Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tagging and PIT tag array deployment, sonar camera deployment, fish rescues, habitat and channel typing, barrier assessments, and water quality monitoring. In addition to a myriad of field experience, Corpsmembers will also receive opportunities to participate in data organization, quality assurance and quality checks, data analysis, and report preparation.

The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) is a non-profit land trust whose mission is to protect and restore the natural landscapes of the Ojai Valley forever. OVLC manages over 2,600 acres of open space, most of which is public access, including 10.2 miles of stream along the Ventura River. OVLC has a robust Restoration Program with projects that span oak woodland, grassland, sage scrub, chaparral and riparian habitats across OVLCs preserves. OVLC also has a Native Plant Nursery that produces thousands of plants each year, from seeds and cuttings collected from within the Ventura River Watershed to protect and bolster local plant genetics. Corpsmembers will work with OVLCs Restoration and Nursery Staff, gaining hands-on experiences in habitat restoration, planting and watering, weed abatement, seed collection, plant propagation, vegetation monitoring, and habitat mapping. Furthermore, Corpsmembers will have opportunities to engage with OVLC staff and volunteers, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of non-profit organizations and land conservation.

Mentorship Style:

Mentors Casey Horgan and Alejandro Caamano Barrientos will share Mentor responsibilities for Corpsmembers at the Santa Barbara Placement Site throughout the term. As Mentors, they strive to maintain regular communication with Corpsmembers to ensure their needs are met and that they remain engaged for the duration of their term. Corpsmembers will receive formal training on survey methods, monitoring equipment operations, and extensive hands-on experience for all fieldwork. Mentors strive to equip Corpsmembers with the necessary training and resources that allow Corpsmembers to have an agency in making decisions independently while completing tasks and use their best judgement to solve problems. Mentors strive to give increased responsibility to Corpsmembers over the term and want them to take ownership of work done at the Santa Barbara CDFW office. Mentors will share their knowledge and experience as well as direct Corpsmembers to the variety of learning resources available through the department.

OVLC Mentor, Martin Schenker, manages OVLCs Restoration Field Crew and all our restoration projects, including implementation and outreach for OVLCs Watershed-Wide Arundo Removal & Riparian Restoration Program. Martin is a passionate educator and aims to uncover the passion for conservation that drive Corpsmembers to devote their time to leading an outdoor, field-based, work life and allow that passion to be developed through vigorous training and analysis of the ecosystems and through hands-on restoration.

Throughout the term, Corpsmembers will serve roughly 1-2 days per month for approximately 8 hours (8:00 am to 4:00 pm) with OVLC. Martin Schenker will oversee field protocol training and relevant safety training for activities performed with OVLC. OVLC will provide Corpsmembers with survey and restoration equipment, and proper PPE when Corpsmembers are at their site. CDFW will provide a vehicle for Corpsmembers to commute to the OVLC office.

Unique Characteristics of Placement Site:

The primary study species, Southern California Steelhead Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), are a federally and state listed endangered species. Thus, Corpsmembers will acquire extensive experience surveying for an endangered species, which can be beneficial for them in the future if they go on to work with other threatened or sensitive species. CDFW Santa Barbara is the leading practitioner of salmonid monitoring in Southern California and employs several different survey methods. Corpsmembers will learn how to use a sonar camera (DIDSON & ARIS), operate a backpack electro fisher, conduct PIT tagging surveys, and operate a PIT tag array - all of which are highly sought-after skills in fisheries monitoring. Corpsmembers are also given the opportunity to see through and participate in the entire life cycle of data from planning to collection to QA/QC and finally reporting. The CDFW Santa Barbara Placement Site offers a variety of microbiomes and unique conservation circumstances. Corpsmembers will conduct surveys in short, high-gradient, spring-fed coastal streams as well as expansive, large floodplain watersheds that expand farther inland where elevation and temperatures are higher. Many of the watersheds are impacted by urbanization and development, and these watersheds present unique opportunities for balancing conservation and restoration efforts with public use. This dynamic offers many possibilities for Corpsmembers volunteer events.

Through CDFW Santa Barbara partners, there are opportunities to participate in other monitoring outside of fisheries (e.g., native plant propagation, water quality monitoring, invasive removal, fish passage barrier assessments) so the interests of Corpsmembers can best be met. CDFW also hosts an extensive network of trainings and software licenses to allow Corpsmembers to seek additional experience in other fields.

The partnership with OVLC offers first-hand opportunities to participate in watershed restoration, native planting, and nursery management. This partnership also allows Corpsmembers to contribute to both fisheries monitoring and habitat restoration work in the Ventura River Watershed and helps them better understand and appreciate contributing factors to a healthy watershed as well as see the diversity of careers in the environment. Since OVLC is a hub for a large community devoted to conservation, Corpsmembers will get hands-on experience with community-based conservation activities.

The City of Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas are highly desirable, albeit expensive, places to live. Hiking, camping, and surfing are all available within a 20-minute drive and the downtown area is bustling with restaurants, theaters, and art galleries. The weather is pleasant year-round and opportunities for community engagement are plentiful. Many of the streams in southern California are highly impacted by urbanization, so there are many opportunities for stream restoration and collaboration with local conservation organizations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Desired in CM:

Experience with hiking, particularly through streams/riparian areas with dense vegetation, handling fish/aquatic species, and fish species identification are helpful for conducting fieldwork

Experience with data collection and entry is useful

Enthusiasm, willingness to learn new skills, and curiosity about the bigger implications of ecological monitoring and restoration will help Corpsmembers be successful