Invasive Initiative

A volunteer removing smilo grass at our event.

In Fall of 2022, Green Valley Project Youth Council partnered with UC Davis and UC Santa Barbra Professors; as well as, Ventura Land Trust to develop and implement an invasive species removal plan to extract smilo grass (Stipa miliacea) from Big Rock Preserve. Smilo grass has high germination rates, high relative growth rates, and prolific seed output leading to dense, low richness communities of primarily grass across the landscape. Youth Council led a community volunteer event and removed over 55 lbs of smilo grass (Stipa miliacea) the Ventura Land Trust preserve.

Youth Council members at a smilo grass removal event that they hosted at Big Rock Preserve.

This project was featured in mini documentary created by our communications interns. This short documentary follows our Green Valley Project interns as they explore nature, interview experts and take part in environmental restoration projects happening all over Ventura County.