After a brief break from our first year of observation at Starr King Test Plot, we are back on site to begin Phase 2 as the wet season comes upon us. We have developed a restoration plan that will move us from observation to operation with limited resources. Our high level plan is to start a regular weeding + maintenance schedule internally as a company before engaging the community in volunteering.

Our maintenance approach is based on the Bradley Method, where we will chose two work zones (the plots) based on where native plants are currently observed. We will concentrate our efforts in these two zones and organize our work in concentric bands of intensity. In the center of each zone, we will continue with hand weeding around natives. In an outer band we will do a non-targeted a cutback of all plant material a few times over the course of the wet season. The logic is that through cutbacks we prevent annuals from going to seed- after 3 years the seed bank of annual weeds is exhausted.

During Phase 1 (Observation), we collected native seeds to contract grow. These plugs will be planted now and into this winter, with the goal to only plant what originally came from the site. 




The goals and methods of Phase 2 are as such:

1. We only (re)introduce/use materials and plants from the site, or from the adjacent open space on serpentine outcrops.
2. We test variable weeding strategies using the Bradley Method:
3. We pay attention to time and use it as a tool - by continuing to observe + weed regularly, we can start to understand how much time is required of us, and how the site is evolving based on our new inputs and labor. We focus on maintaining our slow and measured approach
4. We involve the greater community in volunteer days + observation sessions (once we get grounded in the space ourselves) 

Rainbow Canyon has a homey community feel with beautiful sheltering trees, a riparian area, a scenic viewpoint of the city, and switchback trails. It is a peaceful oasis surrounded by the sounds of lawn work, neighbors out and about, barking dogs, birds chirping, and coyote howls. There is a characteristic rotting pumpkin, a chair with a tire perched on top of it, and lots of forgotten tidbits of plastic and metal.

On our site preparation day on October 26th, we divided and conquered tasks to prepare the area for planting. Volunteers conducted weeding, invasive species removal, trash removal, site maintenance, and debated design options for the new Test Plot. The switchback area was altered to have a longer entrance, a less steep gradient, and logs were added for trail identification. Castor bean and tree-of-heaven were removed. The trash cleanup group found all sorts of treasurers from lego figurines to seemingly ancient cans and bottles. A majority of the cleanup work focused on picking out tiny bits of plastic, glass, and styrofoam scattered in the soils.

We asked each volunteer to place a flag at their favorite place in the Canyon. I retrieved these flags from every corner of the Canyon but many were placed along the riparian area and central gathering spaces. We received feedback with exciting ideas for transforming the space, such as the addition of benches, a bridge, an art installation, a space for classes and events, and educational signage. Volunteers gathered to review potential designs and then had the opportunity to show us with rope where they would add a plot to the space. We received sketches with a Yin and Yang plot formation and a few designs with large central ovular plots.

The most heartwarming aspect of the day was the Mount Washington Community members and all the volunteers who showed up with a smile to help us with these preparation activities. With our volunteers, we were able to not only envision the future of Rainbow Canyon, but hear stories from its past. Rainbow Canyon has a rich history of community advocacy that led to its preservation. It has proven to be a space worth protecting and loving. We even learned that Rainbow Canyon was the venue of a wedding for a local resident. We hope to honor the combined natural and human history of the Canyon with our Test Plot, coming on December 8th, 2024.

By April we had blooms coming along nicely, and we kept weeding out the grass and mustard. Critters started appearing on the blooms, butterflies, bees, flies, and moths. We suffered another little setback when someone decided to walk through the Rainbow River, leaving a little path of destruction in their wake. We decided to not assume it was intentional, and we simply adjusted some of the wood stakes we had out there marking where to walk across the river. We propped some of the seedlings back up and hoped they’d bounce back. The Row Plots were a few weeks behind the Rainbow River in terms of growth, a mixture of slightly later seeding and the fact that they are on a north-facing slope.

SUMMARY: After three seasons ofwinter rains, the Baldwin HIlls plot is looking lush and impenetrable. I think this plot is most similar to the “microforest” strategy as it’s one larger plot planted with a ton of biodiversity and densely packed. Background refresher: Back in November 2021 we planted 250 x 1 gallons and seeded with 1 lb. of a custom grassland seed mix created with Theodore Payne  - all in an area of ~5,000sf. The original experiment was to test 3 different plant communities: oak woodland, coast scrub and grassland to see which would fare better given continued disturbance, the extremes of climate change, andthe evolving dynamics of our urban ecology. The first winter (2021-2022) was fairly dry (12.4”) and we watered the plot monthly for that first year or so. The second two winters (2022-23 and 2023-24) were unprecedented, dumping 28.4” and 25.2”, respectively. As noted in Arely’s 2023 post the perennials and shrubs were fairly established by early in the second winter.

While visiting the plot on June 8th, I took note of the species that I saw and was curious which ones would be dominant and/or thriving after 3 years. The plot is so dense that you can’t walk around it. There’s a narrow maintenance path through the middle and you can go partially around the perimeter to the left, but the right side is busting at the seams to the fence edge. I think it is time to remove the fencing and expand the area. Nature Nexus Institute has started to clear the adjoining hillside of black mustard and plant along the upslope.

Weather
High of 72, Low of 59 degrees 
We received the first sprinkle of rain earlier this month, Prior to that it has not rained since April, which is typical of our summer dry climate.

Tests
The seeded only plots are visibly different from the plots planted with 1-5 gallon plants. Not as variety visible in the fall with the seeded  plots. This could be due to the seeded species being mostly annual wildflowers. Check plantlist to vertify hypothesis.

How are the plants doing?
The plants look good, none are visibly in distress. Many of the plants have gone to seed or fruit. California Buckwheat provides a nice color through its seeds to compliment the evergreens in the Fall. After monitoring the test plots for two years we’ve noticed certain species are thriving
Successful species:

• Eriogonum fasciculatum - California Buckwheat
• Isocoma menziesii - Menzies' Goldenbush
• Baccharis pilularis - Coyotebrush
• Asclepias fascicularis - Narrowleaf milkweed

Malosma laurina - Laurel Sumac

• Muhlenbergia rigens -  Deergrass
• Sphaeralcea ambigua var. Rugosa - Apricot Mallow

Future Activities
Note spontaneous growth in the Spring. Many of the species have grown for 2 years, infill planting to fill in the gaps as next steps

• Mulch beds with depleted mulch layer. 3-5” thick  layer of wood chip mulch is optimal.
• Replace labels and provide labels for all plants
• (Tongva, English, Botanical names)
• Can this be done before the Oct 17th?
• Update “What is Planted Here” laminated sheets
• Make this signage more visible
• Increase vegetation density
• Increase variety of species
• Struggling species
• Penstemon spectabilis (Showy Penstemon)

We met Tania Romero at the Rio de Los Angeles State Park Test Plot on a sunny spring day. While Tania played an important role in shaping the plant palette for the naturalized portion of the park, our conversation with her focused on a different subject; who makes up arguably one of the biggest groups of the park’s users: the birds. When developing the plant palette, Tania researched what plant and bird species could be found within a 5-mile radius of the park, and went from there.


Tania works as an environmental consultant, performing bird surveys for electrical pole replacement operations, making sure that a pole due for maintenance is not the current home of nesting birds or any species with special status. The beauty of consulting, she explains, is its flexibility: while she’s “more of a bird person”, she also gets to learn about mammals and plants, and how they all fit into the whole picture.



Tania has always been curious about how the whole picture comes together. Growing up in South Central, there wasn’t much nature around, she recounted. Her mom believed nature was important to experience, so many of her foundational childhood experiences involved trips to places like Pasadena and Azusa, to experience the mountains and rivers. Once, on a trip to the San Diego Zoo, Tania saw a monkey climb on a hippo’s back. This small interaction grew into a bigger curiosity in college - why do animals behave the way they do?


In the outdoors and conservation field in general, Tania always felt like an outsider. She often found herself reflecting on her childhood experience and questioning “Why was there limited green space and nature where she was raised in south central Los Angeles?“ As she got deeper into her studies, she came across environmental racism and began to understand why. She also found herself dwelling further into social justice including worker’s rights, gender and sexuality issues, and racism. Although she had a passion for conservation, she found herself questioning how she focused on conservation when there were multiple other social issues that impacted her everyday life and her community. 



Currently, Tania runs a bird banding station at Bear Divide, in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest. Accessible only by car, the station is anything but immediately located for most people and station visitors. The greater Bear Divide area is used by dedicated birders and hikers.  For many of people visiting the station, it is their first time touching birds or seeing them up close. Her long-term dream is to open a bird observatory that balances community and research.





Balancing community and science is a challenge, she tells us, as people often underestimate the work that goes into building a sense of stewardship. Building a relationship with volunteers and the community should be intentional. For example, for restoration events that require volunteers, we should ask “ Why should someone volunteer at this event and work this land?” Tania suggests reaching out to local partnerships that are already involved in the community or within the community such as community partners and schools, to build mutual understanding and deliver a message with a foundation of trust and understanding. Building trust however is work, often becomes an afterthought, and is reduced to posting a flier in hopes that the right people will see it. Or worse, she explains: as a person of color, employers will expect her to “know diversity” and will throw inclusion work to her even when it is not part of her job card.


But to take the effort to engage people - to understand their wants and needs, and to teach them how they relate to nature - is absolutely worth it, she explains. One of the most validating experiences is when volunteers show up, especially repeatedly, because then it’s clear that the work means something to everyone involved. Her goal is to branch out of common narratives of conservation, to value and incorporate new narratives and new sources of knowledge when it comes to restoration work. By incorporating new narratives and accepting new experiences, we become more inclusive of everyone in the community. One example in restoration work is including the stories of gardeners, farmers, and Indigenous people who know so much about how the land works - but because they may not have the specific vocabulary associated with restoration work, their knowledge is overlooked.




Not only does Tania hope that this evolving model of restoration and stewardship will become more and more prevalent - she is actively working to make it happen. When asked who she would like to share her restoration work with, her answer looked towards the past: she would want to share it with her grandmother, who passed away when Tania was 10 years old. Tania’s family members in Mexico have told her that her grandmother was just like her - she loved birds and bright colors. She would want to share this understanding with her grandmother, and maybe gain some understanding in return - about how we have built this passion and love in our veins.


Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Tania! 

Photos by the talented Robert Flynn

                        

 
Thank you so much for sharing your time and experience with us, Luis! 

                        

 

South Hill Plot

South Hill Plot

South Hill Plot

South Hill Plot

South Hill Plot