The creeks threading through Oak Park and Agoura Hills in eastern Ventura County are choked with giant reed, a towering invasive grass that burns explosively and drinks the watershed dry. The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District is now moving to clear it out.
The district is hiring a contractor to remove invasive vegetation and hazardous fuel from Medea Creek and Lindero Creek, two tributaries that drain the Conejo Valley into the broader Malibu Creek watershed. Both waterways have been colonized by Arundo donax, a non-native reed that grows in dense stands up to 20 feet tall, crowds out native willows and cottonwoods, and consumes three to five times more water than the plants it displaces. During wildfires, Arundo ignites fast and burns hot.
For residents of Oak Park, that's not an abstract concern. The Woolsey Fire in November 2018 burned nearly 97,000 acres across Ventura and Los Angeles counties, tore through the Santa Monica Mountains just south of here, and forced mass evacuations in the neighborhoods surrounding these very creeks. The Mountain Fire last year renewed those fears, burning near Camarillo and reminding the region that Ventura County's fire seasons show no sign of easing. Rancho Simi RPD manages more than 40 parks and open space areas, much of it in the wildland-urban interface zones Cal Fire rates at the highest fire hazard severity.
Arundo removal along Malibu Creek tributaries has been a regional priority for more than two decades, with the Resource Conservation Districts of the Santa Monica Mountains and Ventura County running watershed-scale eradication programs. But the post-Woolsey era has sharpened the urgency. California's 2018 wildfire legislation and a wave of state and federal fuel reduction grants have channeled hundreds of millions into exactly this kind of work, framing creek restoration and fire safety as the same project.
The specific acreage and total project cost haven't been disclosed in materials released so far. The district posted the project on its bids and proposals page, where contractors can access the full project manual. The timeline for work to begin will become clearer once a contractor is selected.
