City Halts Tree Cutting at Ventura Monarch Butterfly Habitat

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) - Tree cutting at a known monarch butterfly habitat in Ventura was halted after city officials arrived at the scene and ordered crews to stop work.

Monarch conservationist Chris Amendt of Native Monarchs raised concerns as crews began removing trees at the Vista Del Mar site, a location long recognized as a monarch overwintering habitat.

City code enforcement initially issued a verbal stop-work order to the contractor.

After city staff left the site, work continued, with the contractor telling community members who remained that they would not stop without a written order.

Code enforcement later returned and issued a physical stop-work notice, which ultimately halted the tree cutting.

Casey Rodriguez, a member of the Ventura City Arts and Culture Commission, said the tree removal is deeply concerning.

“We need trees to live, and we need to protect all our relatives — all relatives matter. This is disturbing. We need to come together, as I always say, and right now our priority is saving the trees," said Rodriguez.

Ventura City Councilmember Alex Mangone said the project cannot move forward without additional approvals.

Mangone was present when the stop-work order was enforced.

“They will be required to obtain two separate permits to continue the full scope of work, including the removal of all 35 or so trees they were hired to remove. At this time, there is a stop-work order in place," said Mangone.

The area had remained untouched for more than a decade before drawing renewed attention following recent Ventura City Council discussions and increased activity on social media.