Graze Ojai is a Community-Supported Grazing Program in the Ojai Valley.
Our vision: Accessible fire mitigation with Prescribed Grazing of low-impact herd animals like goats & sheep.
Our mission is to work with the Ojai Valley Community to create resilient ecological systems against catastrophic wildfires.
The more we raise the more we graze
100% of funding goes towards operational costs for prescribed grazing in strategic locations of the Ojai Valley.
Our very first "GOAT FUND ME" crowdfunding campaign is a response to local demands for assistance in utilizing prescribed grazing as a fire prevention strategy. We call upon our community in partnership to support this initiative that benefits us all in making the Ojai Valley more defensible against catastrophic wildfires.
The idyllic Ojai Valley is nestled between hundreds of thousands of acres of wildland and is home to 7,500 residents and 2,500 businesses. If the 2017 Thomas Fire taught us anything, it’s that our community is resilient in the face of devastating circumstances, and that preparedness can make all the difference during a wildfire event.
This is where Prescribed Grazing comes in. Graze Ojai is a community-supported grazing program which aims to make prescribed grazing for fire mitigation financially accessible to the Ojai Valley community. The grazing program covers approximately 360 square miles of the Ojai Valley and surrounding areas which includes the Ventura River Watershed, Upper Ojai, and wildlands between Ojai and Ventura.
What is prescription grazing?
Prescribed grazing (RX grazing) is an ecological approach to fire prevention as a practical and impactful alternative to chemicals and fossil fuel-dependent mechanical methods of vegetation management and fuel reduction. Prescribed grazing targets the landscape to mitigate wildfire impacts and enhance soil health. Grazing animals are like biological masticators, dramatically decreasing fire fuel like grasses and brush, improving the land and lowering the risk of widespread wildfires.
A Supergoat Hwy
Since the Thomas Fire, the Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council (OVFSC) has gained traction when it comes to increasing the community’s capacity around wildfires. Graze Ojai is one of the priority projects on the road to establish a large-scale “Wildfire Intensity Reduction Zone” called the Ojai Valley Safety “Corridor”. The Corridor will be a fuel reduction zone that extends from Upper Ojai, around the Ojai Valley, and down the Ventura River Watershed. These mapped areas of the Corridor would approximately 3,000 acres of continuous year-round grazing to minimize fuel loads and improve ecosystem health in the Ojai Valley and Ventura County Watershed.
“Prescribed Grazing will dramatically increase the community’s ability to mitigate and respond to catastrophic fire.”
-Christopher Danch, Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council
Graze Ojai is a program of the Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council.
The Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council (OVFSC) was founded in 2000 and over the last twenty years has successfully managed over 26 federally funded grants totaling over $1.3 Million. The OVFSC has also received state, local and private grants and community donations to fund its work.
The 2017 Thomas Fire showed that we needed a level of community capacity to be better prepared for, respond to and recovery from the threat of wildfire. This has resulted in a new focus for the OVFSC to develop a comprehensive, community-based, community-driven wildfire risk mitigation strategy. Connect with us at info@firesafeojai.com
Our Grazing Partners
Michael Leicht
Ventura Brush Goats is a family owned weed abatement and soil improvement service based in Ventura County. We graze fire-breaks and eliminate invasive brush while restoring natural fertility with our goat herd.
Brittany Cole Bush
Shepherdess Land & Livestock Co. is a prescribed grazing business based in Upper Ojai, California. We provide vegetation management services, land stewardship consultation, education, and shepherd training.