Field Trips

Field Trips

Field trips are typically held on Saturday and/or Sunday. Watch this page, our Instagram feed, and our Facebook page for announcements. Meanwhile we invite you to explore the many trails open in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Hit the trails early during the summer months and keep cool and hydrated!

Ventura Settling Ponds
Saturday, September 19th 9am-11:30
Leader: David Torfeh
RSVP by 9/18 to (805) 794-5334 with name and phone number to reserve a space

Ventura Settling Ponds are adjacent to the City of Ventura’s wastewater treatment plant facilities, located between Ventura Harbor, Surfers’ Knoll Beach, and the Santa Clara River Estuary. Available for public use (during the day) since 1990 or before, this site offers habitat conducive to hydrophitic vegetation (obligate wetland plants) and some upland vegetation. We will see many of these on our visit. Associated birds that can be seen or heard include various herons, egrets, pelicans, rails, gulls, terns, ducks, grebes, coots, swallows, and warblers. If we are lucky, we may see a common gallinule [not common here!] or a rare migrating warbler. The nearest restrooms are at Ventura Harbor Village and Surfers’ Knoll Beach parking lot. There is free 4-hour street parking on Angler Court next to the entrance gate in the chain link fence that surrounds the Settling Ponds. Overflow parking is available in the parking lot across Spinnaker Drive from the Ponds. Dogs are not allowed on this site, even on leash, because wildlife could be disturbed by their presence.

Directions: Take the 101 Freeway to Seaward Ave. Exit to the left if you’re coming from eastern Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Santa Paula, and other points to the east, then turn left on . Exit and turn left onto Harbor Blvd. if you’re coming from the direction of Santa Barbara. In either case, stay on Harbor Blvd.

Until you reach Spinnaker Drive and turn right. Angler Court, where curb parking is available, will be the first cross street on the left, and the overflow parking lot will be on the right, just past Angler Court.

Hedrick Ranch
Saturday, October 3rd,  9am-11:30
Leader: David Torfeh
RSVP by 10/2 to (805) 794-5334 with name and phone number to reserve a space

Hedrick Ranch Nature Area (HRNA) is a restored riparian forest and scrub area in the floodplain of the Santa Clara River and along its south side, southeast of Santa Paula. With the goal of reestablishing the historical willow (Salix spp.) and cottonwood (Populus spp.) woodland, habitat restoration has been carried out here for almost 30 years. Friends of the Santa Clara River (FSCR) members, Ventura Audubon Society members, and members of several other conservation organizations contributed many volunteer hours of their time to create the current tall, dense groves of these dominant native trees and its shrub, sub-shrub, vine, and herbaceous understory. The non-profit organization FSCR manages and owns the property. We can thank Sandy Hedrick for donating it to them and coordinating a lot of the volunteer work-days.

Directions: From the 126 Freeway, exit at 10th Street. At 10th Street and Harvard Blvd, turn right and go 2 blocks to 12th Street. Turn right on 12th Street, pass under the 126 freeway overcrossing, and continue over the Santa Clara River bridge. The road name transitions to being called “South Mountain Road.” Don’t let the cross street just south of the bridge with the same name fool you. Continue straight on the main road; do not turn. South Mountain Road soon makes a 90-degree turn to the left, becomes wavy along the base of the mountain slope, and goes through a tree-shaded residential area. Just past this neighborhood, huge open row crop fields appear on the left. Turn left from South Mountain Road onto a long dirt driveway through the fields (known as Glanville Rd on Google Maps) after you see the mailbox for address #20395 on the left, and drive to the HRNA kiosk and storage container location next to the forested areas. Park next to the chain link fence on the left.