Scenes in Pt Mugu State Park After Re-Opening Last Friday, May 24th

The Springs Fire started the morning of May 2nd along the 101 freeway on the Conejo Grade and burned over 28,000 acres through portions of Camarillo, Newbury Park and the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Aea until it was fully contained the following week.

Portions of Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa re-opened on Tuesday, May 14th. Remaining trails in Pt Mugu State Park were opened by the National Park Service last Friday, May 24th, giving the public access to Sycamore Canyon, Boney Mountain Wilderness and other marked trails.

Local residents Dianne Avery of Dianne Avery Photography and her photo model Renee Simon captured some of the moment yesterday in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa.

Photo by Dianne Avery; Picture is Renee Simon. Both are local Newbury Park residents who frequently explore the trails in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa.

And below are a few other shots taken while exploring the area.

Source: Uploaded by user via ConejoJoe on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via ConejoJoe on Pinterest

Additional photos available at www.facebook.com/ConejoValleyGuide

Fire on the Conejo Grade morning of May 2nd

Burned areas in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa and Dos Vientos on May 5th

Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa on May 14th

Pt Mugu State Park up to Danielson Monument on May 24th

Sycamore Canyon to Danielson Multi-Use Area in Pt Mugu State Park on May 25th

Russell Fischer Business Collection Premieres at the Camarillo Public Library

The Russell Fischer Business Collection premiered at the Camarillo Public Library on Wednesday, May 22. 

Russell Fischer was a local citrus farmer who passed away in 2005 at the age of 93, leaving an $11 million estate to the Ventura County Community Foundation to be split among five non-profit entities, including the Camarillo Public Library.

The Library was bequeathed a total of $2,764,149.07, according to Camarillo Mayor Charlotte Craven, at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Fischer asked that the library funds be used on business related resources.  The grand opening marked the initial phase of growing the collection, which will eventually include business related print books and electronic books, online training videos and databases.  The library also has created a workspace area that is well suited for business research and collaboration. The library also plans to incorporate events, seminars and training workshops with a focus on business related topics.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, Lynda Weinman of Lynda.com gave a keynote speech, sharing the story of how she and her husband founded and grew the company into a leading provider of online education, helping millions of individuals around the world.  Lynda.com subscriptions will be available to the public at no charge on a number of computers in the Russell Fischer Business Collection.

The collection is located on the 2nd floor of the library. For more information, visit www.camarillolibrary.org or call 805.388.5222.

Make a Splash: Stay Healthy Under the Sun and In the Water This Summer

Make a Splash!

Stay healthy under the sun and in the water this summer - a reminder from the CDC

As schools let out and summer approaches, remember to stay healthy and safe under the sun and in the water. Skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer in the United States, and melanoma is the most deadly kind of skin cancer. Just a few serious sunburns at any age can increase a person’s risk of skin cancer. We all share the water we swim in, and each of us needs to do our part to help keep ourselves, our families, and our friends healthy while swimming.

To help protect yourself and others from disease and germs, here are a few easy and effective steps to take this season:

• SEEK shade- especially during midday hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight are the greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America.
• PROTECT your body- wear clothing that protects the skin such as a wide-brimmed hat to shade the face, head, ears, and neck; and wraparound sunglasses that block as close to 100 percent of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays as possible (sunglasses safeguard the eyes from UVA and UVB rays, protect the tender skin around the eyes from sun exposure, and reduce the risk of cataracts).
• APPLY sunscreen- sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection. Remember to reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours and after swimming, sweating, and toweling off.
• CHECK pools– before getting into the water, check the pool to see if it is at the proper chlorine level (1–3 mg/L or parts per million [ppm]) and pH (7.2–7.8) to maximize germ-killing power.
• KEEP the poop and pee out of the water while swimming- don’t swim when ill with diarrhea; chlorine and other disinfectants don’t kill germs instantly; mixing of chlorine with pee and sweat uses up the germ-killing chlorine in the pool and creates those chemicals that sting your eyes and make you cough.
• DON’T swallow the water you swim in.

Enjoy your time outdoors and in the water, and take steps to be healthy.

Here are some great outdoor activities in and around Ventura County this summer:

Beaches spanning from Carpinteria to Ventura

Beaches spanning from Oxnard to Malibu

4th of July festivities and fireworks

Water parks, splash pads and community swimming

Summer concerts in the park

Remaining Trails in Pt Mugu State Park, Sycamore Canyon to Re-Open Tomorrow

Today the National Park Service announced that all major trails in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area burned areas in Pt Mugu State Park will re-open tomorrow, Friday, May 24th, including Sycamore Canyon Fire Road, the trail to the Danielson Monument, Sycamore Canyon and La Jolla campgrounds, etc., as long as the trails are authorized, marked and mapped. Expect some trail closures for repair intermittently. Here are some before and after shots of a few scenes in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Pt Mugu State Park.

View looking down Sycamore Canyon on May 5, 2013.View from top of Sycamore Canyon on February 10, 2013.

Another post-Springs fire view down Sycamore Canyon.Another view looking down Sycamore Canyon on 2/2/13.Boney Mountain Trail sign in Rancho Sierra Vista post-Springs fire 5/5/13.Boney Mountain Trail sign in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa on 2/10/13.Bench at Sycamore Canyon Overlook on 5/14/13.Bench at Sycamore Canyon Overlook on 2/10/13.

Nonprofit Cats and Dogs International, CANDi, Saves the Lives of Stray Animals

Cats and Dogs International, CANDi, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the lives of stray cats and dogs through spay, neuter and adoption programs. Recently, CANDi funded chemotherapy for a cancer-stricken dog called Luna.

The Story of Luna from Nuvue Cinema on Vimeo.

Cancún is a world-renowned tourist destination which is lesser known for its vast stray dog population. In Mexico, many workers earn the equivalent of $4 per day and spay surgery is not feasible, costing up to several weeks worth of pay for the average worker. CANDi programs provide the resources necessary to address the stray animal issue in situations where local governments and animal groups are not in a position to help. Thousands of cats and dogs have been spayed and neutered annually as a result.

It was during a vacation in Cancún that photographer Tracey Buyce came face-to-face with the staggering stray dog issue. She knew she had to help and discovered CANDi’s founder, Galati, through an internet search. She was back in Cancún four months later, volunteering at one of CANDi’s twice-annual free spay/neuter clinics, and soon came on board as CANDi's official photographer.

Returning to Bonfil, Mexico with CANDi again in January 2013, Buyce spotted Luna, a neglected and skeletal dog. After gaining permission from her owner to give Luna up, she had her examined and diagnosed with starvation and cancer. Luna is currently undergoing treatment and chemotherapy under the care of Dr. Leon, and CANDi volunteers in Mexico.

Buyce made it her mission to find a loving home for the gentle dog and posted Luna’s story on Facebook. She received a response almost immediately from Jenny Witte, founder of Mamatoga, a parenting website and magazine in New York, wanting to adopt her. Buyce flew back to Mexico to bring Luna back for a homecoming with her new family in Saratoga Springs on March 18th. The touching result is shown in the following video.

Luna Part Deux from Nuvue Cinema on Vimeo.

Visit Luna's Facebook page here. See more of Tracey Buyce's work at www.traceybuyce.com.

About CANDi: CANDi’s mission is to save the lives of stray animals at international tourist destinations through advocacy, education and humane, sustainable population management programs supported and funded by the tourism industry, travelers and pet lovers. Founded in 2006, CANDi is the innovation of CEO and President Darci Galati, an animal lover with 20 years of experience working in the tourism industry. "CANDi’s programs are viable, long-term solutions to animal overpopulation in resort areas that can be copied and applied worldwide,” says Galati, whose organization is supported by the tourism industry, travelers and pet lovers. For more information about CANDi visit www.candiinternational.org.

Elderly Oklahoma Tornado Survivor Discovers Pet Dog Alive During Television Interview

The tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma has been terrifying to see. This interview with an elderly woman who survived the tornado is touching in several respects. She is asked what it was like during the tornado; she says she was sitting on a stool with her dog in her arms in a small bathroom. Before she knew it she was lying in rubble. She called for her little dog and indicates the dog is missing and somewhere in the rubble.

The interviewer then asks "Are you able to comprehend yet what happened here?" and I love the woman's response, given with a grin "I know exactly what happened here. Exactly." Then "What do you think of all this, this is your neighborhood...I can't imagine.." and her reply "This is life in the big city." Literally a second later they discover the woman's dog, a little black terrier, alive in the rubble, to the joy of this woman and to all of us.

Portions of Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Newbury Park Opened This Morning

As announced yesterday, the National Park Service has opened certain sections of Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Newbury Park this morning. Due to the extensive fire damage to roughly 70% of the 1,170 acres, most areas will not be initially be accessible. The public will not have access into Sycamore Canyon, the "Waterfall," Danielson Monument and other areas until the National Park Service deems these areas suitable and safe. I explored the area early this morning and indeed, under the cloud cover, there was much devastation to be seen...though no structural damage that I could see other than this bench overlooking Upper Sycamore Canyon.

This bench overlooking Upper Sycamore Canyon put up a good fight.Danielson Road trail to the Waterfall, Monument and Boney Mountain Wilderness is currently closed, though Hidden Valley Overlook to the left is accessible.A bit of cloud cover in Newbury Park this morning after two blistering hot days.Scenes from the Hidden Valley Overlook trail amid charred hills.

More photos on the CVG Facebook page at THIS LINK.