On Sunday, October 3, 2010, several Ojai residents enjoyed a special day hosted by the Ojai Valley Defense Fund, through donations by some of its key local business sponsors. The day began with a special brunch hosted by the ever-popular Ojai Cafe Emporium. Guests were then ushered to two awaiting jeeps with drivers from the Cloud Climbers Jeep Tours company, a new business in Ojai that is already established in Santa Barbara and will now be specializing in tours of the valley, including to the home of Ojai Olive Oil, the Taft Gardens, and soon to tour the ridge to Chief Peak .
The jeep chauffeurs regaled their guests with the history of Ojai, including some little known historical events and descriptions of local flora and fauna. The tour concluded with wine tasting at Old Creek Ranch Winery, where owner Carmel Whitman arranged for a special tasting and tour of the facility. During the tasting, Ojai Valley Defense Fund founder and president John Broesamle spoke about the goals of the Fund, including the need to protect the valley for future generations from such catastrophic threats as a regional dump at the mouth of the valley, a uranium mine at Lake Casitas, a housing development of 10,000 homes, a freeway trisecting the valley from Carpinteria to I-5, oil drilling in the Upper Ojai, a freeway overpass and mall at what is now the Meadows Preserve, to name a few.
“The beauty of this Fund is that it transcends politics, religion, and socioeconomic status. We all live here as a community, and we must unite as a community to protect our valley from the outside forces that would destroy us.” Broesamle, a recent recipient of the Ojai Peace Coalition’s 2010 Noble Peace Award for environmental activism in the valley, asked people to think about the qualities that drew them to the Ojai Valley, and that keep them living here. “It is those qualities we simply must protect for ourselves and for generations to come.” For more information, visit www.ovdf.com or call 646.1200.
