Future uncertain for longtime Oxnard beach caretaker Walter Fuller

Kayla Bouwens was excited to talk to Walter Fuller just before she and husband Kevin Bouwens left Ormond Beach at the end of a recent weekday.

“There’s a lot of baby bunnies running around,” she told Fuller, who has volunteered for almost 30 years at the 2-mile beach in Oxnard that stretches between Port Hueneme and Naval Air Station Point Mugu.

Fuller, who lives by the beach’s small parking lot off Arnold Road in a recreational vehicle owned by the city of Oxnard, smiled and chatted with the Ventura woman. Afterward, she called the 70-year-old caretaker “one of my favorite people in the entire world.”

The praise came as yellow-headed blackbirds, one of Fuller’s favorite bird species, rested on fences and bushes near him.

Fuller’s long-term future at the site is uncertain. Recent events put his role into question. In a Feb. 10 letter to the city, Fuller said he would watch his behavior after learning of three complaints alleging his loss of temper and inappropriate conduct.

For now, he continues as caretaker under a yearslong agreement that expires June 30, 2025. Fuller lives rent-free in the RV in exchange for his unpaid caretaker duties, said Kenneth Rozell, the chief assistant city attorney. The city doesn’t plan to continue its agreement, he said.

After that, Fuller must live elsewhere, Rozell reminded Fuller in a letter dated March 6.

The city of Oxnard is working to help him find permanent housing, said Michael Skinner, homeless programs administrator with the Oxnard Housing Department.

“No specific location has been identified just yet, but we will be working with Mr. Fuller until we find a place that meets his needs and keeps him connected with the community he loves,” Skinner said in an email Tuesday.

Fuller, who grew up in Ojai and graduated in 1972 from Nordhoff High School, said he would like to move from the single-room RV into permanent housing. But he added he wants to continue his duties at the beach.

The caretaker, whose jobs elsewhere varied from roofer to security guard and janitor, said he started volunteering at the beach in 1996 when he was living with his mother in a Ventura apartment. He said he couldn’t afford an apartment after she died in 1999 and ended up living in his Ford Explorer or with a friend.

Fuller said he moved in 2008 into a city-owned shipping container at Ormond Beach, but was glad to switch to the much warmer RV when the city offered him use of it in 2014. While he isn't charged rent, the agreement with the city requires him to pay renter's insurance.

A fan of the 1966 wildlife movie “Born Free,” Fuller said he loves watching birds and noted they need protection. The data he logged over years on avian activity at Ormond Beach has been used by researchers and government officials.

Fuller has done his part by keeping dogs off the beach and away from birds such as the western snowy plover and their nests, said Cynthia Hartley, shorebird recovery program lead for Ventura Audubon.

Hartley, who noted she has always felt comfortable around Fuller, said Ventura Audubon leaders felt the need to report three complaints it received in 2022 and 2023 about Fuller’s behavior to the city of Oxnard and its partners at the beach, the California State Coastal Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy. She said Ventura Audubon later put the complaints in a document at the request of the conservancies and the city.

The individuals, who have not been identified, complained Fuller yelled at them during discussions about beach events or birds. One person said Fuller gestured angrily and swore. Another individual complained about being kissed on the neck and hugged without giving Fuller consent, according to the Ventura Audubon document.

Hartley said organization leaders know the three individuals and find them to be credible.

During a recent interview outside his RV, Fuller denied wrongdoing in most of those instances and said he doesn't kiss visitors he meets at the beach. He said he almost hugged a woman whom he believed made the complaint but stopped short of touching her when she backed away.

Fuller said he raises his voice at people not out of anger, but because he’s hard of hearing. He conceded he swore once at someone who silently stared at him after Fuller wished him a nice day.

Fuller said he regretted losing his temper.

Hartley said Fuller’s behavior, as described in the three complaints, isn’t typical of him and attributed it to the stress of his job.

Fuller said the job is tougher than he expected. He said he works 12-hour days, seven days a week, opening the beach gate at 6 a.m. and closing it at dusk. In between, he watches the parking lot to prevent break-ins and walks the beach to spot problems.

Hartley said she would like to see the city hire private security to take the load off Fuller and allow him to focus on talking to visitors about birds.

Meanwhile, Ventura Audubon plans to place volunteers and interns soon on Arnold Road on Saturdays to teach people about shorebirds, Hartley said. Biologists are also at Ormond Beach on Saturdays.

Hartley said the entire effort will support Fuller.

“There’s a huge community that has rallied around Walter all the years he’s been out there," she said.

Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Future uncertain for longtime Oxnard beach caretaker