Dave and Patricia Zumbrun

The offical season for whale watching begins December 26th and ends April 25th. Pacific Gray Whales were spotted just off the Ventura County coastline yesterday, so I thought I would share with you a little about whale watching in our area. Ventura County has two harbors which offer whale watching excursions. The Ventura Harbor is located in the city of Ventura and the Channel Islands Harbor is located in Oxnard.

Each year, over 20,000 Pacific Gray Whales are estimated to migrate to the warm waters of Baja California. The migration is led by pregnant females (early January), with the the non-pregnant females and mature males following. Juvenile whales are the last in the migration. Juvenile whales begin their migration south through the Santa Barbara Channel in February. Mature Pacific Gray Whales range in length from 36-50 feet and are one of the few whales that do not have a dorsal fin. The gray whale is a dark charcoal color at birth, which changes over time to a mottled gray.

Channel Islands Harbor will be hosting the 13th annual Celebration of the Whales Festival on Sunday, March 15th. Be sure to mark you calendar for this event. There will be special marine education exhibits, arts and crafts, games and activities, live entertainment and great food. The festival offers something for the entire family to enjoy.

By the way, last week, I told you that tall ships were visiting the Channel Islands Harbor. I just wanted to let you know that the tall ship Lynx is currently docked at the Ventura Harbor and will be there until March 1st. On March 2nd, the Lynx will be docking at the Channel Islands Harbor until March 18th. Dockside tours are being offered at both harbors.

For more information on Whale Watching Season in Ventura County, visit any of the websites listed below:

Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau: http://www.visitoxnard.com
Channel Islands Harbor: http://channelislandsharbor.org
Ventura Harbor - Island Packers: http://www.islandpackers.com

The tall ships, Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain, sailed into the Channel Islands Harbor Marina this week. The Hawaiian Chieftain and the Lady Washington visit the Channel Islands Harbor Marina located in the City of Oxnard each year for one week. Have ever wanted to stroll the decks of a tall ship, look at the ocean from the highest yardarm or sail the waters in full sail? If the answer to any of these is yes, then be sure to come to Channel Islands Harbor Marina. Tall ship dockside tours are available through Saturday. Sailing tours are available on Saturday afternoon and Sunday only.

The tall ship dockside tours are available today and tomorrow between the hours of 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday tour hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (suggested donation: $3.00). A new feature has been added to the tour this year; Tours Aloft. Tours Aloft offers visitors the opportunity to climb to the highest yardarm on the main mast via a harness (donation: $20). Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain will also engage in Battle Sails on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Those who purchased tickets for the Battle Sail will experience a battle at sea with cannon fire and close-quarters maneuvers.

There will be no tours available on Sunday, but you can take part in the Adventure Sail starting at 10 a.m. The tour is family-oriented and features demonstrations of how the tall ships were sailed. There will be maritime stories and sea shanty songs for all to enjoy as well as other maritime traditions. Reservations for the Battle Sail and the Adventure Sail are recommended. You can purchase tickets online or by phone at 800-200-5239. Both adventures are a three-hour sailing experience. The home port of these tall ships is Grays Harbor Historical Seaport in Aberdeen, Washington.

Dave and Patricia Zumbrun

Watch the Lady Washington on YouTube

The City of Oxnard has approved the last of three new developments to begin construction within the next five years.

The three developments will bring almost 2,000 homes to the city. The largest of the developments will be the Wagon Wheel Redevelopment area, which covers 65 acres between Oxnard Boulevard and Ventura Road. The Vineyard-Ventura Homes and Ventura Townhomes project, as well as the Courtyard at Mandalay, were approved earlier in the month.

The Courtyard at Mandalay is a 116 condo development on eight acres. The project will replace the shopping center located at Hemlock Street and South Victoria Avenue. Construction is to begin within the next five years due to the tightened credit market. The project is being developed by William Tucker.

The Vineyard is made up of two projects. Vineyard-Ventura Homes is a single-family home development with a projected 201 homes on 25 acres. The Vineyard-Ventura Townhomes development will be built on 9.6 acres, consisting of 143 two and three-story townhomes. The Vineyard is being developed by the Casden Properties.

The Wagon Wheel area on Oxnard Boulevard will be getting a total makeover. The old Wagon Wheel Restaurant, Motel and the Mobile Home Park as well as an old ice rink and other buildings will be razed to make way for the approved plan to build 1,500 dwellings. The structures will be a mix of row houses and condos. The makeover will include 50,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial buildings as well. Also being considered is the construction of two high-rise apartment buildings, but that will be decided at a later date.

Of the 1,500 dwellings to be built, about 225 of these will be built as affordable housing, with an approximate 118 of these for very low-income families. The current residents in the Wagon Wheel Mobil Park will be given priority for the affordable housing.

Oxnard Village Investment LLC will be building the project and hopes to begin demolition within the next three to six months. The first homes to be built will be rental housing. Rental housing in the area is strong and vacancies are low. It is hoped that because the rental market is strong, rents are increasing and that the low vacancy factor will attract investors to the project.

Dave and Patricia

The new skateboard park in Fillmore is open and has been been receiving raving reviews from the skateboard crowd. Beginner or expert, they all agree that the skate park is outstanding in every way.

It has taken eight years from idea to reality with a cost of $1.2 million and everyone feels that the wait and the price tag were worth it. The skate park has already gained the attention of skateboarders outside of the Fillmore community and is drawing crowds to the little town with the big park. This has been a boon to local business.

Jeff Tatum, a skateboarding legend is credited with the conceptual design of the Fillmore Skate Park . The skate park, located at the corner of C and River Streets, is open daily from 8 a.m. until sunset.

The Skateboard Park is part of the new 22-acre Fillmore park which is still under construction and not expected to be completed until August. When the park is completed, it will feature basketball and tennis courts, football and baseball field, and bike paths in addition to the skateboarding facility. The grand opening of the park has been tentatively scheduled for late March. Skateboard legends, Tony Alva, Mike Early and Jeff Tatum are expected to attend the grand opening celebrations.

Got a board? Go to Fillmore!

Dave and Patricia

The Ventura College Promise program was recently recognized by the Campaign for College Opportunity for its innovation in encouraging high school graduates to attend college.

The VC Promise program does not have economic limits nor does it require academic achievements in order for students to participate. The Ventura College Promise program is open to any student who has recently graduated, completed high school course work (even if they were unable to pass the high school exit exam) and students who have completed their GED courses.

The Ventura College Promise program will pay class fees as well as enrollment fees for a students' first year while attending Ventura College . Students who apply must be residents of Ventura County . They must attend Ventura College within one year of high school course work or GED course work completion.

Ventura College Promise program is sponsored by the Ventura College Foundation and was founded in 2006. In its first year, the program enabled 100 students to attend Ventura College . At that time, the program was limited to lower-income families. In 2007, the program was expanded to accept students regardless of family income level. Since its' inception, VC Promise has assisted 2,000 Ventura College students.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the residents of Ventura County to expand their future horizons. To learn more about the Ventura College Promise program, please visit their webpage.

Dave and Patricia

More College Information:

Save Me A Spot In College - Scholarship Contest - March 15 Deadline, open to all California 6th - 12th grade students

Know How 2 Go - Resources and listing of current activities and events in your area.

Road To College (PDF download) - Helping families help students to suceed