Surfer’s Point

On the afternoon of October 16th I visited Surfer’s Point, adjacent to the Ventura County Fairgrounds. This spot along Ventura County’s coastline is really a special place. It is here that the Ventura River runs into the Pacific Ocean and surfer’s of all expertise flock to catch a nice right point break, that on a good day can be ridden all the way into the C-Street cove. The wetlands found here at the Ventura River mouth, although degraded, still provide substantial habitat for a slough of flora and fauna. It is not uncommon to see Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, and Black Crowned Night Heron stalking fish in the slow moving fresh water near shore. Occasionally one may even spot an Osprey diving for fish.

The river mouth is surrounded by dense vegetation including the invasive species arrundo and tamarisk. This dense veg has been frequented by Ventura’s homeless population as a place of refuge. With the use of this area by the homeless has come a great degradation in habitat quality due to trash and make-shift structures left behind.  During the past few years there has been a big push to clean up this section of the Ventura River. This has involved relocating the homeless population and cleaning up the garbage left behind.

This stretch of beach along Surfer’s Point has experienced a significant loss of sediment over the years resulting in a loss of coastal dune habitat and an undercutting of walkways and infrastructure. The main culprit for this sediment loss is the Matilija Dam. The dam is located on the Matilija Creek, a tributary of the Ventura River. Constructed in 1948, the dam has served no real purpose other than acting as a giant plug, greatly reducing natural sediment deposition along Ventura’s coastline. Currently behind the dam are 8 million cubic yards of sediment with water depth ranging from 1-30 feet. The dam has been approved for removal and is now in the phase of acquiring funding for the project. Its removal will hopefully restore natural sediment deposition to our coastline.

To help rebuild dune habitat and manage coastal erosion, a small section of the beach has been fenced off from the public and an educational boardwalk has been created. It is encouraging to see visitors respecting the signage and not trespassing through this dune area. Some native vegetation appears to be recovering on the dunes as well.

On this particular evening there were many people out walking, running, surfing, playing with dogs, and simply sitting and watching the sunset and much anticipated waves rolling in. With the amount of use that this beach has on any given day, it would seem like one of the most valued beaches along Ventura’s coast. Yet, the beach is clearly in a state of degradation. What are people willing to give to protect their most cherished beaches? Would they sacrifice closing the beach for a few days out of the week to allow regeneration? Would they step up for the fight to bring down out-dated and un-necessary dams if it meant restoring and maintaining our beautiful sandy beaches? With rising seas and degraded coastline the time is now to act while there is still beach to save!