Working as a civilian security guard at Naval Base Ventura County decades ago, Walter Fuller developed an affinity for the birds living in nearby wetlands at Oxnard’s Ormond Beach. Earlier, while he was growing up in Ojai, Fuller had a pet duck, and one of his favorite memories of attending Nordhoff High School in the 1970s was researching a project on eagles.
“I took the binoculars that my grandparents gave me. I got the field guide, and there I went,” Fuller told the Ventura County Reporter, adding that he never spotted the eagle he was looking for. “I’ve always been outside, always been a nature lover.”
Fuller’s wife died of cancer back in the 1980s and he ended up living in a tiny apartment in West Ventura with his elderly mother. But after she passed away and he was laid off from his job, Fuller became homeless and was living out of his car, sometimes near Ormond Beach. Since 2008, Fuller, 70, has lived permanently at Ormond Beach, first in a metal shipping container city leaders provided for him to sleep in, and now in a small RV where Fuller currently resides with a six-toed cat companion named Sheba.
Fuller is well known to the surfers, fishermen, beachcombers and birdwatchers who venture to the remote end of Arnold Road where there’s a parking lot adjacent to the naval base boundary. The frequently deserted stretch of coastline nearby includes sand dunes stretching north and agriculture to the east — the gorgeous views marred by an electrical generating facility and giant slag heap of toxic waste from the Halaco Engineering Company Superfund Site awaiting its eventual cleanup.
Fuller said the remoteness of the area is part of what makes it so beautiful. The isolation, however, also created problems before he lived there permanently.
“Me being an ex-security guard, I didn’t like what I was seeing. I was seeing car break-ins. So, I said, ‘Okay, that’s going to stop.’ And I took it upon myself to take care of it and I’ve been doing that ever since,” he said.
In 2012 Fuller received a Certificate of Commendation from the city of Oxnard, including a formal proclamation with a gold seal describing him as “a tireless volunteer for over 16 years at Ormond Beach working to preserve and protect over 240 bird species, as well as imparting his knowledge to the many students who come to Ormond Beach to learn more about this unique ecosystem.”
Concerns raised by Audubon
Fuller’s relationship with the city of Oxnard has apparently soured in recent months, however, according to several letters obtained by the VCReporter through a Freedom of Information Act request.
A Jan. 12, 2024 letter to Fuller from Oxnard Assistant City Attorney Jennie M. Kelly addresses a June 30, 2021 “Caretaker Agreement,” set to expire on June 30, 2025, allowing him to live there with no pay. The letter stated that the city has received “several credible reports that you have engaged in inappropriate behavior in your interactions with the public,” such as yelling and using profanities, and also “complaints that you have hugged and kissed individuals without their consent.”
The letter from the city apparently referenced an undated and unsigned letter sent to city leaders by the Ventura Audubon Society detailing several interactions with Fuller since 2022 that raised concerns. The letter’s title is “Request for Evaluation and Assistance for Walter Fuller.” The Audubon letter ends with several recommendations such as “establishment of oversight and support mechanisms,” and “facilitating sensitivity and communication training to enhance his public interactions.”
“We have known Walter for decades and his efforts have been crucial for the protection of wildlife and the public at Ormond Beach. However, the current situation is not sustainable. We are concerned that his age, health and the demands of his duties, coupled with public and landowner expectations in his role as caretaker, is contributing to heightened stress levels that are impacting his well-being,” the letter concludes.
Local Audubon leaders did not respond to an interview request by the VCReporter.
City says it’s time to go soon
Another letter to Fuller from Chief Assistant City Attorney Kenneth Rozell dated March 6 references a Feb. 10 letter to the city from Fuller where he “promises” to be kind and polite to “everyone who comes here.” Rozell’s letter said the city is willing to continue the caretaker agreement through June 30, 2025, but it will not be extended and Fuller will have to leave prior to that date.
“The city is willing for the agreement to continue and not be terminated at this time because you have acknowledged key issues raised in the January 12, 2024 letter relating to your interactions with members of the public and have promised to take affirmative steps to ensure that these actions do not happen again during the term of the agreement,” Rozell wrote. “That being said, if any of the actions outlined in the January 12, 2024 letter happen again or similar actions occur during the remaining term of the agreement, then the city will immediately terminate the agreement and you will have thirty (30) days in which to vacate the premises.”
Help from friends and community
Several of Fuller’s friends and supporters are trying to help him with the transition to new housing. Claudia Comisari of Thousand Oaks told the VCReporter she befriended Fuller because she goes to Ormond Beach to look at birds and de-stress.
“I fell in love because it’s just peace. There’s nobody there,” she said. “I mean, there’s the fishermen and there’s the surfers, but there’s no really public there. So, it’s somewhere where you can go and regenerate, you know. And I just got to know Walter because he’s been there forever, and I would go, ‘Hey, Walter,’ and he’d come out and say, ‘Have a great day,’ And he says that to everybody.”
After hearing about Fuller’s situation with the city of Oxnard, Comisari reached out to the VCReporter for help raising awareness of his plight.
“I’m like, why don’t you just let him live out his life there? He’s doing good. He’s not hurting anybody. In fact, it’s the opposite. He picks up the trash,” she said. “I’m really appalled that the city would all of a sudden go, ‘Oh, by the way, we don’t need you anymore.’”
City leaders also pledging help
The March letter to Fuller states that it’s the city’s understanding that Fuller does not have alternative housing lined up, and asked Fuller to contact Oxnard’s Homelessness Programs Administrator Michael Skinner who can “assist you with gaining access to supportive services.”
Oxnard City Manager Alex Nguyen told the VCReporter that Fuller’s residency in the shipping container and RV at Ormond Beach predated Nguyen’s 2018 arrival in Oxnard.
“From the urban mythology that I’ve heard, there was a groundswell of environmental support to have someone there to keep an eye on the newly protected lands. And somehow the idea came up that he would be willing to volunteer to do it,” Nguyen said. “It’s awfully strange to me…I don’t fully understand how this came to be in this way.”
Nguyen said city leaders are working on helping Fuller find a new place to live, now that Fuller has pledged to improve his interactions with others.
“We did put him on notice, and he did give us a response. So, we’re willing to not make any immediate actions right now,” Nguyen said. “He’s got until the end of the term. We are actively trying to work to help him transition…That’s what our caseworkers do. They’re very experienced and skilled at working with people who are having a difficult time.”
During an April 10 visit with Fuller at his Ormond Beach home, the reality of his impending move was setting in, and he expressed gratitude for all his years living close to the dunes and his beloved birds. As much as he will miss the natural setting, Fuller said it’s the connection with people he will remember the most about his time living at Ormond Beach.
“The birds and wildlife, I can go anywhere for them,” he said before mentioning the school groups he’s interacted with and the positive benefits they had from experiencing the plants and animals of Ormond Beach. “I hope the kids can grow up to enjoy nature, instead of learning about other stuff and maybe ending up in prison or worse.”
