Acreage for the Ages: OVLC’s Historic Step Forward with Rancho Cañada Larga with Tom Maloney

This week on Ojai Talk of the Town, we sit down with Tom Maloney, Executive Director of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, to unpack one of the most significant conservation moments in local history: OVLC’s pending acquisition of 6,500-acre Rancho Cañada Larga.When completed, this project will triple the size of OVLC’s conserved lands. The scale is staggering. The implications — ecologically, culturally, economically — reach far beyond Ojai.Tom walks us through the land’s remarkable story:Its wildlife corridors and arid-ecology habitats, its deep roots in California history, and its role as a natural gateway between coastal watersheds and interior ranges. We talk about the delicate negotiations, the nail-biting phases of the deal, and what it means for fire ecology, water, climate resilience, and public access for generations to come.But we also go deeper into the invisible work of stewardship:The staffing, science, restoration, long-term management, and community engagement it will take to care for a landscape of this magnitude. OVLC is stepping into an entirely new chapter — one that will require not only vision, but sustained commitment from the community.We talked about steelhead restoration, the distinct creatures that evolved to live on the oil seeps and the bird flyways that make this land vital for the health of the region. We did not talk about Drake Maye, Epstein's island or the ancient art of scrimshaw.This episode is also a call to action.Projects of this scale do not sustain themselves. OVLC is working to build the endowment and stewardship capacity necessary to manage Rancho Cañada Larga responsibly and permanently. If you care about open space, wildlife, clean water, and the character of the Ojai Valley, now is the moment to get involved.Visit OVLC.org to:• Learn more about the acquisition• Make a contribution to the capital and endowment campaign• Become a sustaining member or volunteer in the year aheadAs Tom reminds us, protecting a place is only the beginning. What comes next — how we care for it, restore it, and welcome the community into it — is the work that truly shapes the future.This is a conversation about land, legacy, and what it means to safeguard Ojai for the next 50 years and beyond.Tune in — and join us in helping write the next chapter of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy.