Beginning in 2011, a historic drought struck California. It was officially declared over this April, largely because of rainfall in the northern half of the state. Parts of the south, though, are still suffering. Lake Casitas, the main reservoir for the Ojai Valley, reached only 44 percent capacity this year. Every summer as the water recedes, park officials drop the boat ramps, and this year, water levels were so low that several small new islands emerged in the lake.
