Accomplishments

Our accomplishments towards preserving and promoting Conejo Open Space

Our mission is to promote and maintain the open space and trails of the Conejo Valley, and to educate people as to their roles as custodians and protectors of the open spaces and the environment. Towards that end, we collect funds from generous like-minded folks and help recruit volunteers. We are proud of our accomplishments, some of which are listed here.

To help us continue to improve the Conejo open space areas for everyone to enjoy, please consider making a charitable donation or volunteering some of your time to help. We give a hearty Thank-You to those who contribute towards making the Conejo Valley open spaces such wonderful places to visit!

Some of our accomplishments (View them all.)

Spring Trail Work Day 2024 Spring Trail Work Day Improves Hill Canyon, Draws Enthusiastic Volunteers (3/21/2024) - The first. of COSCA's two big trail work days drew over 65 volunteers to Hill Canyon to work on the trails there and battle invasive milk thistle and mustard. The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council and Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA) provided crew leaders, while Safe Passage Youth Foundation joined in with a group of. teen trail workers. The day… (read more...)
Clearing the Eagle Point Trail in Wildwood during the January Trail Work Day (1/27/2024) - There was a great turnout at today's COSCA monthly trailwork day on the Eagle Point Trail at Wildwood Regional Park! There were about 35 volunteers who worked to cut back brush and smooth this beautiful, hilly trail. If you would like to be notified about upcoming trailwork, please sign up at our website. And if you took part in today's… (read more...)
Landscape Expert Shares Guidelines for Gardening with Natives—and Why. See the Recording Here (12/12/2023) - Erik Oberg, owner of native-plant landscape design company Acorn Design Studios and chair of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society's Conservation Committee, gave a talk in December 2023 about native plant gardening to a group of COSF open space enthusiasts. He walked the audience through his "Top 10 Reasons to Go Native," as well as reviewing his 10 favorite landscape plants that will… (read more...)
The great volunteer turnout made for a successful 2023 Fall Trail Work Day on Saturday – Summary and photo gallery (10/23/2023) - Well over 100 people helped fix up three trails in Wildwood Park on October 21, with 89 volunteers plus COSCA rangers and several members of the Conejo Youth Conservation Corps (CYCC). Participants split into several group and spread out to fix ruts, cut back encroaching vegetation, including cactus, clean out old drains and even build some new drains! Three groups… (read more...)
An animal handler holds a large Eurasian eagle-owl. Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest Stages a Successful Return October 7; See the gallery of photos! (10/11/2023) - Last year, COSF launched a live event as part of its popular Speaker Series: Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest. This year Native Plantpalooza returned to Conejo Creek North Park on Saturday, October 7, an unusually warm day. Nonetheless, the free event, which featured beekeepers, butterfly experts, climate activists and other exhibitors with a commitment to the environment, drew a crowd… (read more...)
NPLD trail work at Rancho Potrero: What a success! (9/24/2023) - For National Public Lands Day on Sept. 23, about 40 people turned out to help clear weeds and invasive plants from the amphitheater and picnic area. This is where the old Olympia Farms was situated before COSCA created the Ranch Potrero Open Space Area. Some volunteers removed weeds from the amphitheater and picnic areas while other cut down fennel stalks… (read more...)
The 2023 Trails Education Days writing contest winners (6/17/2023) - The students who participate in Trails Education Days are invited to enter a letter-writing contest to describe some of the things they learned during their Trails Education Days experience. Two winners from each school and five Grand Prize winners district-wide are chosen to receive cash awards as well as recognition by the Thousand Oaks City Council and the CRPD Board… (read more...)
Conejo Open Space Challenge wrap-up and final photo gallery (6/12/2023) - The wrap-up celebration for those Challenge participants, with a prize give-away for those who completed it, was held Friday afternoon June 2. Included in the prizes were $200 of gift cards that were contributed by COSF. One lucky young woman won a mountain bike worth $1500, donated by Giant Bikes in Newbury Park. About 130 people completed all 10 trails… (read more...)
COSF Awards 2024 Scholarships to Two Students, Adds Honorable Mentions (4/11/2023) - Two Ventura County high school seniors, Avery Henson of Moorpark High School and Kaelin Carraway of Rancho Campana High School in Camarillo, are the recipients of the third annual Conejo Open Space Foundation scholarships. The $1,000 annual scholarships support students pursuing environmental-studies-related majors at two- or four-year colleges or universities. The scholarships, which provide up to $4,000 per student in… (read more...)
Athens Service waste bin How to do your garbage right: Tips from our Speaker Series “Trash Talk” experts, and the RECORDING of the presentation (3/31/2023) - If you took away nothing else from COSF’s March 29 Speaker Series panel “Talkin’ Trash: How to Do Your Garbage Right,” we hope you at least memorized these three numbers: 1-2-5. Those represent the types of single-use plastics that actually are recyclable. If you see a 1, 2 or 5 inside the chasing arrows on a container, it goes into… (read more...)