Crooked Palm

For more than a century, the Ventura community has been cut off from this stretch of land along the Ventura River. Once the site of an abandoned oil refinery, Crooked Palm is now permanently protected for the benefit and enjoyment of the public—a turnaround that reconnects people to place and each other, while restoring habitat and strengthening regional climate resilience.

In Ventura’s Westside neighborhood, a community vulnerable to some of the highest levels of air pollution in the state, Crooked Palm is an overdue opportunity for healthy access to the outdoors. Its protection creates potential for long-awaited access to the river and a new connection point to the 16-mile Ventura River/Ojai Valley Trail. This means less reliance on cars, more opportunities for recreation, and close-to-home access to nature’s health benefits.

Beyond mental and physical benefits for nearby residents, the land is vital to the region’s ecological health. Crooked Palm supports threatened species, improves water quality in Cañada Larga Creek, and stitches together important habitat throughout the Ventura River watershed. It’s a key piece of TPL’s work across California’s Transverse Ranges, fitting into the broader puzzle of achieving the state’s 30×30 climate goals. As part of the wildland urban interface (WUI) in Ventura, Crooked Palm hits a sweet spot in the conservation Venn diagram, expanding equitable access to nature while also reducing wildfire risks to nearby communities. Protecting this land as a natural firebreak and restoring the ecosystem helps keep fires away from homes, businesses, and essential infrastructure, while improving overall landscape resilience.

Through partnership with Ventura Land Trust and Holdfast Collective, Crooked Palm’s transformation from locked-off land to public refuge is a victory for Ventura and a collaborative stride towards a healthier, more resilient California.