Accomplishments

Our accomplishments towards preserving and promoting Conejo Open Space

Our mission is to promote and maintain the open space and trails of the Conejo Valley, and to educate people as to their roles as custodians and protectors of the open spaces and the environment. Towards that end, we collect funds from generous like-minded folks and help recruit volunteers. We are proud of our accomplishments, some of which are listed here.

To help us continue to improve the Conejo open space areas for everyone to enjoy, please consider making a charitable donation or volunteering some of your time to help. We give a hearty Thank-You to those who contribute towards making the Conejo Valley open spaces such wonderful places to visit!

Some of our accomplishments (View them all.) View the recording of Betina Loudermilk’s talk about the plight of the Western monarch butterflies and what you can do to help them survive (6/10/2022) - For COSF’s summer 2022 Speaker Series virtual presentation on June 8, butterfly educator Betina Loudermilk of Betina’s Little Farm & Butterfly Garden gave a fact-filled presentation about the East and West Coast monarch migrations and lifecycles. She discussed the mysterious resurgence of the Western monarchs and the grave threats they still face. Loudermilk detailed her own experiences creating a butterfly… (read more...) Trails Education Days Makes a Comeback for 2022 (5/8/2022) - Trails Education Days returned to Wildwood Park April 25 to 28 after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the program is to instill youngsters with an appreciation and sense of stewardship of natural open space. It provides lessons on open space for Conejo Valley Unified School District 4th grade students every spring. The Trails Education… (read more...) COSF produces a new video for Trails Education Days (5/7/2022) - COSF has produced an new high-definition video that Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) fourth grade students watch to get valuable preparation and background information for Trails Education Days. The video that has been in use since 2008 has been retired. The new video takes advantage of state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to engage and entertain the students.  Professor David… (read more...) Ojai and Newbury Park High School Seniors Win 2022 COSF Scholarships (4/5/2022) - Two Ventura County high school seniors, Alessandra Lucchesi of Nordhoff High School in Ojai, and Molly McNulty of Newbury Park High School, are the second set of recipients of Conejo Open Space Foundation scholarships. The $1,000 annual scholarships support students pursuing environmental-studies-related majors at two- or four-year colleges or universities for an award of as much as $4,000 in total,… (read more...) Conejo Spring Trail Work Day – What a Success! (3/21/2022) - On Saturday March 19 about 130 volunteers came to help restore the Santa Rosa Trail above Wildwood Mesa to like-new condition! There were enough volunteers that crews also worked on the Teepee, Moonridge and Stagecoach Bluff Trails. The photos in the gallery below are from workers on the Santa Rosa Trail switchbacks, and of noontime lunch at the staging area.… (read more...) View Dr. Sean Anderson’s talk about the impact of ‘global weirding’ in the Conejo Valley and what you can do to slow it (3/5/2022) - For COSF’s first 2022 Speaker Series virtual presentation on March 2, conservation ecologist Dr. Sean Anderson examined the multiple threats posed to the Conejo Valley by global warming—or “global weirding,” as he calls it because of the bizarre weather events it causes. Dr. Anderson, who chairs the Environmental Science and Resource Management Program at California State University Channel Islands, observes,… (read more...) Randy Wagner wins 2021 ‘Where in the Conejo’ Contest Grand Prize! (12/27/2021) - In 2021, we revised the rules of COSF’s popular, long-running “Where in the Conejo” contest to encourage a wider range of entrants by offering more diverse subjects to identify. We also created a Grand Prize, so that even people who had already won would have an incentive to keep playing. Our very first Grand Prize winner is Randy Wagner, who… (read more...) Wildlife-friendly tips from the California Wildlife Center and the video “Wildlife in Our Neighborhood” presented by Jenn Guess (12/19/2021) - Jenn Guess gave her COSF audience a very enthusiastic and spirited talk to address common ways wild animals get injured and end up at the California Wildlife Center for rehabilitation, where she works. The CWC receives 30,000 phone calls a year about injured wildlife, and takes in 4,300 animals annually, from hummingbird babies to elephant seals. Jenn has worked at… (read more...) COSF Completes $10,000 Wildlife Crossing Pledge; Adds Bonus Gift (11/5/2021) - Thanks to generous donations from members and supporters, COSF was able to add $6,800 to the $10,000 donation already pledged to fund the construction of the $87 million Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing over the 101 freeway. The additional money came from the Julia Osborn Gourley Memorial Fund, which COSF created in honor of longtime Conejo Valley resident and former COSF… (read more...) Listing of New and Updated Hiking and Riding Guides (11/2/2021) - To make it easier to find routes for hiking or riding that will appeal to open space enthusiasts, we are updating and adding to our hiking route pages. The new guides are in PDF format with just two pages so they are easy to download, print and take along with you. These new guides include A list of highlights A… (read more...)