STARR KING
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ November 2023
TERREMOTO SF
The Starr King Test Plot sits on a serpentinite hilltop in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. This site is part of an intermittant strip of serpentinite bedrock that stretches across the city to the northwest and ends in the Presidio (see purple blobs in the geologic map below. Starr King, a little patch of neighborhood open space, and meadows in the Presidio, are the only extant serpentine grasslands in the city.
Terremoto plans to investigate various weeding and seeding methodologies that can be applied to the rest of Starr King and to Terremoto projects. We hope to grow some starts from archival seed from the site. And we’ll be figuring out how to water as little as possible since there is no great access nearby.
But first, we will get to know the site through regular observations for a WHOLE YEAR. During this time our only intervention will be passive restoration through the careful removal of certified grade A weeds.
We just met, but we’re looking forward to developing a deep relationship with this land. We’re hoping that by slowing, listening, looking and being with, we’ll develop an ability to hear what the site is telling us it needs. This slow, relational approach is borrowed wisdom from our friends at The Cultural Conservancy which we picked up on our visit to their Heron Shadow project.
We’re also hoping to engage with local community through this TEST PLOT - Starr King regulars, volunteers from the Terremoto-verse, and new faces from the neighborhood.
Follow our observations by clicking on the Starr King tab at the footer.
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ November 2023
TERREMOTO SF
The Starr King Test Plot sits on a serpentinite hilltop in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. This site is part of an intermittant strip of serpentinite bedrock that stretches across the city to the northwest and ends in the Presidio (see purple blobs in the geologic map below. Starr King, a little patch of neighborhood open space, and meadows in the Presidio, are the only extant serpentine grasslands in the city.
Terremoto plans to investigate various weeding and seeding methodologies that can be applied to the rest of Starr King and to Terremoto projects. We hope to grow some starts from archival seed from the site. And we’ll be figuring out how to water as little as possible since there is no great access nearby.
But first, we will get to know the site through regular observations for a WHOLE YEAR. During this time our only intervention will be passive restoration through the careful removal of certified grade A weeds.
We just met, but we’re looking forward to developing a deep relationship with this land. We’re hoping that by slowing, listening, looking and being with, we’ll develop an ability to hear what the site is telling us it needs. This slow, relational approach is borrowed wisdom from our friends at The Cultural Conservancy which we picked up on our visit to their Heron Shadow project.
We’re also hoping to engage with local community through this TEST PLOT - Starr King regulars, volunteers from the Terremoto-verse, and new faces from the neighborhood.
Follow our observations by clicking on the Starr King tab at the footer.
UNDER THE EUCALYPTUS
San Bruno Mountain Test Plot / November 2023
By Victoria Bevington
Test Plot and ULAP Fellow
This is the first time in a while I’ve been at the Test Plot alone. A nice moment to reflect on just the plants and myself, here in late fall in the middle of the hardest times for these new plantings. It’s good to see who is still here after making it through some lucky late winter rains and the typical dry summer.
I was there on the day these plants were put in (March 2023), and I often think back about how fortunate we were that it rained immediately the day after they went into the ground. As much as I want to report on how the activity of the human stewards of this piece of land has affected their survival, so much of it seems to be about fluctuating environmental factors which no one can control. If it had been a winter as thirsty as the previous year’s, how different would things look here?
Our intent when developing the Test Plot was to examine what plants would survive under the eucalyptus canopy, and what some rudimentary maintenance would do to help along their chances. There is no supplementary irrigation, no gopher cages although we’ve established a fence around the plot to keep out the aggressive San Bruno Mountain rabbit population.
Again, our variables are nullified by huge inhuman factors. The eucalypts around us have decided that everything is to be mulched by their leaf fall. The allelopathic qualities of these leaves as they decompose is something else we may want to monitor.
San Bruno Mountain Test Plot / November 2023
By Victoria Bevington
Test Plot and ULAP Fellow
This is the first time in a while I’ve been at the Test Plot alone. A nice moment to reflect on just the plants and myself, here in late fall in the middle of the hardest times for these new plantings. It’s good to see who is still here after making it through some lucky late winter rains and the typical dry summer.
I was there on the day these plants were put in (March 2023), and I often think back about how fortunate we were that it rained immediately the day after they went into the ground. As much as I want to report on how the activity of the human stewards of this piece of land has affected their survival, so much of it seems to be about fluctuating environmental factors which no one can control. If it had been a winter as thirsty as the previous year’s, how different would things look here?
Our intent when developing the Test Plot was to examine what plants would survive under the eucalyptus canopy, and what some rudimentary maintenance would do to help along their chances. There is no supplementary irrigation, no gopher cages although we’ve established a fence around the plot to keep out the aggressive San Bruno Mountain rabbit population.
Again, our variables are nullified by huge inhuman factors. The eucalypts around us have decided that everything is to be mulched by their leaf fall. The allelopathic qualities of these leaves as they decompose is something else we may want to monitor.
General
- Mulch vs nonmulch sections don’t make much of a difference - the overhead Eucalyptus have mulched them all
- A few common weeds returning: grasses, sow thistle, meadow vetch and weedy geraniums
- Blackberry sprouts everywhere; ones we flipped back along the fence are still alive. They are particularly prolific in freshwater seeps and marsh section; wettest region
Prairie + Grassland Section
- Some existing miners’ lettuce returning
- Phacelia californica doing great
- Clarkia rubicunda dead
- Gopher activity has done a lot of damage
Oak Woodlands
- Artemisia douglasiana doing particularly well
Freshwater Seeps + Marsh
- Cornus seneca vastly differing in sections, but I suspect the mulch vs nonmulch is not a factor
- Helenium puberulum + Symphotricum chilense doing well
- Gopher activity here as well
Coastal Sage Scrub
- Lovingly planted yarrow and Epilobium doing well
Community Activity
We’ve done so much this past summer and into the fall! In no particular order: work with Yoni Carnice and ULAP, a cultural collective centering the stories and work of Pinoy creators in and around the Bay, particularly around Daly City. We’ve done art and flower-arranging workshops with community elders, and a visit with a legendary Daly City artist, and have further plans for the winter. ULAP also just launched its new website, where you can find resources and records of our various projects.
We’ve done several interpretive events in and around the Test Plot, including a Red Elderberry hike and Eucalyptus Hike. Both walks were an exciting way to further explore the surrounding landscape through the lens of these two specific species. And, of course, we did a number of work days at the site that involved mulching, weeding, planting, and monitoring species composition and survivorship.
My own work involved interviewing members of my family and weaving what I learned with voices from the community. Earlier this year, we put out a community survey that, while asking practical questions about public familiarity and uses of the mountain, also collected more poetic answers to questions like “Why do you think Daly City is so foggy?
I created a zine that enfolds the answers into a written piece, mixed together with interviews I conducted with members of my family. I talked with my mom and my uncles, who themselves were second-generation immigrants, illustrated the difficult experience of growing up Asian-American in a Daly City that had not yet become the Pinoy Capital of the Bay Area. I also interviewed my brother, and with his experiences and mine, tried to briefly sketch a portrait of my family and its complicated diaspora.
WATCHING WEATHER
Elephant Hill Test Plot / October 2023
Interview with Joey Farewell by Jen Toy
El Sereno neighbor
Jen: I wanted to create this post to share information with our Test Plot community about the wondrous topic of weather. Watching weather patterns and climate forecasting is both an art and science. It’s also increasingly necessary for the business we’re in, and a field that I want more people to understand given the weather extremes we’re all living through nowadays. To that end, please enjoy this conversation with Joey Farewell, a resident of El Sereno, conservation co-chair of Los Angeles CNPS, and unofficial Test Plot meteorologist.
PS. easy access to the links that Joey mentions:
WeatherWest Blog (check out the comments)
Tropial Tidbits (access to GFS model)
National Weather Service
Ambient Home Weather Station
Weather Underground (crowd sourced data from home stations)
Elephant Hill Test Plot / October 2023
Interview with Joey Farewell by Jen Toy
El Sereno neighbor
Jen: I wanted to create this post to share information with our Test Plot community about the wondrous topic of weather. Watching weather patterns and climate forecasting is both an art and science. It’s also increasingly necessary for the business we’re in, and a field that I want more people to understand given the weather extremes we’re all living through nowadays. To that end, please enjoy this conversation with Joey Farewell, a resident of El Sereno, conservation co-chair of Los Angeles CNPS, and unofficial Test Plot meteorologist.
PS. easy access to the links that Joey mentions:
WeatherWest Blog (check out the comments)
Tropial Tidbits (access to GFS model)
National Weather Service
Ambient Home Weather Station
Weather Underground (crowd sourced data from home stations)
Jen: Hey Joey, welcome and thanks for chatting today. How did you get interested in following weather?
Joey: Hi Jen! I’ve always really enjoyed the weather and its nexus with many of my favorite interests –– chasing powder for skiing & snowboarding, growing native plants, and learning about Californian habitat. I also grew up with a father who’s totally obsessed with weather, so meteorology was (and still is) my way to connect with him. Nothing gets my dad more fired up than a big snow cycle forecast for 5-7 days out in the Sierra Nevada –– and it’s really fun to share that excitement.
Also I’m a trusts & probate lawyer, and while I really enjoy estate planning work, meteorology makes for a fun side hobby.
Jen: I’ve heard you talk about how following weather makes you feel good...can you talk about that more?
Joey: Yea, accurate forecasting is kind of like having a superpower for the stuff I’m into. You ski better snow (because others foolishly made plans without following the data –– leaving more tracks of deep powder), you plant native plants at better moments (see: our impeccably timed Elephant Hill Test Plot installation, which was followed by 3” of rain just a day later, and our relaxed watering schedule), and you are just generally more connected with the natural world around you. Rain isn’t something that just happens to you that day; instead, you observed a process, maybe learned something along the way, and then perceive the phenomenon of water falling from the sky. It also gives one an illusory feeling of control in an otherwise indomitable universe. So that’s cool too.
Jen: Weather is kind of interesting because it connects global patterns with local experience. How do you think about scale when you are following weather trends?
Joey: That’s an interesting question. I would say that, when it comes to precipitation and snow in California, the storm door is (as we well know) closed more often than it’s open. Global patterns often conspire against us here, particularly in Southern California –– and that seems even more true in an era of climate change and “stuck” weather patterns. When that storm really opens, though, it’s both (generally) great for us and really problematic for other places that are far more accustomed to receiving rain and snow. Big precipitation years in California usually indicate some level of drought in the Pacific Northwest, fires in Australia (particularly during El Niño years), and below-average snow on the East Coast. When we’re scoring, the world often isn’t. That translates to forecasting, too –– when we see big high pressure building in the Hudson Bay region, for example, we can usually assume that the Northeast will get shut out and we can expect stormy low pressure out west. And when we see a pattern favoring cold temperatures and snow in New York, it’s usually time to put away the skis and break out the hose in the garden.
Jen: What is your favorite forecasting model? What is it useful for, and what are the limits?
Joey: Let’s put it this way –– all models are wrong, but taken in context, and in sum, they’re useful. Supercomputing, the internet, model aggregator websites such as Tropical Tidbits, weather blogs like WeatherWest, they all have made for what I consider the golden-age of home forecasting, but with that comes a myriad of ways to misuse that data and get humiliated in front of your friends and colleagues.
So here’s what I do. I generally use the USA-based GFS, not because it’s the best (that would be the ECMWF, the European model and gold-standard for forecasting) or because I’m particularly patriotic (our tax dollars at work, though!), but because it’s freely available, it’s generally pretty good out to 7 days, can spot things with some accuracy out to 10 days, and after that is, to put it kindly, useless. We call the post-12’ish day forecast “fantasyland” in model data, because it’s just too hard at the moment to forecast that far in advance with (1) our computing limits and (2) the inherent chaos of weather. It also “runs” (produces readable data) 4x a day, whereas the ECMWF only runs 2x a day (viewable around noon and then midnight), so the latter isn’t quite as good for a daily weather nerd routine.
For big cycles and events, it’s best to use multiple models –– so that’s when we are looking at the GFS, the ECMWF, and other models like the German IKON and Canadian CMC, all to try to find a consistent solution between them to best anticipate what is really going to happen. And then there are also short term models, like the NAM and HWRF, which are run at higher resolutions and can spot things (like isolated thunderstorm development or rain shadowing –– which is when topographical features such as mountains “catch” the moisture from rain-bearing clouds and deny it to the areas behind them –– where certain areas might get skunked) that the lower resolution models can’t. There’s also the ensemble models, which is when the GFS, the ECMWF, and others, are run multiple times and then averaged together in a super-model of sorts –– but that data is more available to the pros than the lay forecaster.
And what’s critical is to corroborate model findings with other users, too. The internet makes this more possible than ever (though I’ve got to shout-out a few weather nerds of mine in real life, where “lol dude the 18Z GFS is totally bonkers” is a real thing that we text each other), where we can connect with other model-riders (yes, that’s a real thing) on fabulous online weather forums like WeatherWest. On the comment board for each post (follow the activity on the most recent post for up-to-date analysis), you’ll find general chatter about current conditions, model data, storm prognostications (and post-mortems), banter, and –– my personal favorite –– the absolute hazing of folks who call “bust” on a storm far too early, before any meaningful precipitation or effects were forecasted to begin in the first place. These folks aren’t professionals, but they’re close. And oftentimes these users are the first to spot long-range patterns and atmospheric perturbations that result in that thing we all love: storms.
And speaking of pros –– I’ve absolutely got to mention that the National Weather Service is an invaluable resource for both confirming your own read of the data, but also illuminating many other things you will invariably miss in your forecasting. They present their accessible info through social media, but the good stuff is in their AFDs –– called “Area Forecast Discussions.” These discussions (updated 2 to 3 times daily) contain thorough, high-level analysis of both short and medium term forecast windows. They usually don’t go out past that time-frame (see the above community WeatherWest for proper fantasyland chatter) but are seriously invaluable for learning to understand this stuff. And again, National Weather Products reflect our tax dollars at work! In a world of complicated, slow government –– I love reading and learning from the professionals at the National Weather Service. It’s public work at its best.
Jen: What kind of weather station do you have at your house?
Joey: I really like our Ambient Weather station. You could pay more for a Davis, etc, but these work great, are user-friendly, and connect well with Weather Underground and a range of data supporting apps.
Jen: Couple more questions. You’ve said that this has been “the best year ever” for habitat restoration plantings –– can you tell us why that is?
Joey: Oh man, the 2022-2023 planting year! Wet season for the ages. Deserving of a treasure trove of superlatives (I’ve written too much already –– so I’ll spare you). We had a strong storm in early November (2-3”), a couple smaller fronts that kept things moist and happy through early December –– at which point a series of atmospheric rivers took aim at California and just unloaded consistent, cold storms through late March, early April. We had one “long” break from precipitation, like 12 days in late January and early Feb, and then it was game on again. Then, as if all that rain wasn’t enough (but at 38” in El Sereno, it definitely was), May was downright cold and cloudy, June went full gloom, July wasn’t that bad, and in August –– it rained like (almost) never before during a SoCal summer! 4” in El Sereno (bringing our season total up to 42” incredible inches for the wet season ending September 30), 6” in Glendale, just all totally bonkers. After all that, the weather gods delivered perhaps the most unexpected coup-de-grace: September was nice and cool for once! I think we watered the Elephant Hill Test Plot like 6 times all year. Unbelievable.
Jen: Finally, any thoughts on this coming year and the predicted El Niño?
Joey: I’ve got a few thoughts! More likely than not that we get above-average precipitation in SoCal –– which is a big deal in California, where we are more likely to have a dry year than a wet one –– as strong El Niños are as sure a bet as you’ll find for wet season forecasting. In fact, it’s really only strong Niños that move the needle in that regard for CA, and we certainly can get wet years without them (last year was a La Niña).
Indeed, on one hand, things look good. A strong El Niño (particularly an east-based one, as we have now) should theoretically amplify the southerly jet stream into Southern and Central California, propping the storm door open for mid-latitude cyclones to provide the ultra rare back-to-back wet years for LA.
But in an era of climate change and rapidly warming oceans, things seem less predictable than usual. Because El Niños operate via an oceanic-atmospheric relationship that relies fundamentally on ocean temperature anomalies –– in layperson terms, a bunch of warm water in a certain place (certain zones of the equatorial Pacific) that are markedly warmer than areas around them –– they may be less impactful when the entire Northern Pacific is basically on fire. The temperature gradient might be there for strong Niño effects (ie, a strong southern jet stream), but what if the overall oceanic temperatures in the mid and northern latitudes are warm enough to disturb that effect? That’s what some folks smarter than me think happened in 2015-2016, the last strong El Niño (which, outside of a riveting week in early January, was a total bust for SoCal storms).
So yeah! Looks good, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we go dry, perhaps owing to the extraordinary warmth above, or for another fly in the ointment yet to be discovered. But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?
(OK well, not the global warming thing)
Jen: Thank you for sharing your knowledge with our Test Plot community. Next time, let’s talk more about local weather and microclimates.
SUMMER FIELD MOMENTS
Debs Test Plot / July 2023
By Hannah Pae
Debs Volunteer, Terremoto designer
The atypical amount of rain this spring has resulted in some exciting lush growth as the soil underfoot gladly absorbs the extra moisture. The cool and dusky scent of CA sagebrush surrounds us as we pull milk snails off the stems and leaves of purple lupines that pop up amongst the salvias. On other days, we carefully free sprawling coyote brush and monkeyflower that have happily outgrown their protective gopher baskets. A desert centipede wriggles itself deep into bark mulch while wild cucumber drops its spiky lime green fruit and winds its tendrils through a bank of deep green toyon. The peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains are laden with snow in March when the Encelia flanking the trail up to the test plot starts to let out the first of its yellow flowers. By July, the snow has melted and the Encelia is in full ecstatic bloom.
The following is a series of field observations, memories, and moments collected from the past few months while volunteering at Debs Test Plot.
Debs Test Plot / July 2023
By Hannah Pae
Debs Volunteer, Terremoto designer
The atypical amount of rain this spring has resulted in some exciting lush growth as the soil underfoot gladly absorbs the extra moisture. The cool and dusky scent of CA sagebrush surrounds us as we pull milk snails off the stems and leaves of purple lupines that pop up amongst the salvias. On other days, we carefully free sprawling coyote brush and monkeyflower that have happily outgrown their protective gopher baskets. A desert centipede wriggles itself deep into bark mulch while wild cucumber drops its spiky lime green fruit and winds its tendrils through a bank of deep green toyon. The peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains are laden with snow in March when the Encelia flanking the trail up to the test plot starts to let out the first of its yellow flowers. By July, the snow has melted and the Encelia is in full ecstatic bloom.
The following is a series of field observations, memories, and moments collected from the past few months while volunteering at Debs Test Plot.
IT’S RAINING OAKS, AND OTHER UPDATES
Elephant Hill Test Plot / June 08 2023
By Joey Farewell
El Sereno neighbor
To cut to the punchline, the plots are thriving! The gods blessed us with one of the wettest winters in the past 30 years, with local gauges showing between 36-38” of total rainfall at the bottom and top of the hill, respectively. As the designated Test Plot Meteorologist, I (Joey) connected with staff at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, which provided official precipitation data going back to the 1996/1997 season for their nearby rain station in Alhambra. According to their data, this year of years beat all but one wet season (the vaunted 2004-2005 winter), with a total of 36” of precipitation at the Alhambra gauge since October. Incredible! Read on below...
Elephant Hill Test Plot / June 08 2023
By Joey Farewell
El Sereno neighbor
To cut to the punchline, the plots are thriving! The gods blessed us with one of the wettest winters in the past 30 years, with local gauges showing between 36-38” of total rainfall at the bottom and top of the hill, respectively. As the designated Test Plot Meteorologist, I (Joey) connected with staff at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, which provided official precipitation data going back to the 1996/1997 season for their nearby rain station in Alhambra. According to their data, this year of years beat all but one wet season (the vaunted 2004-2005 winter), with a total of 36” of precipitation at the Alhambra gauge since October. Incredible! Read on below...
What has this meant for our local El Sereno Test Plot? Mostly good things! If you recall, we installed over 200 native plants back in November 2022. Below is the complete plant list we planted in November, mainly sourced from North East Trees as well as donations from TreePeople, a few neighbors, and wildflower seed from California Native Plant Society.
We’ve seen deep establishment of many of our native chaparral and scrub plants, including black sage, white sage, sagebrush, fuschia, and monkeyflower. Remarkably, we have not had to water these plants at all. This is because we had a powerful storm drop over 2” immediately after planting in November, which was then followed by consistent, regular rainfall and cold temperatures all the way through April. Since then, we have seen below-average temperatures, heavy fog, and occasional drizzle. The result is a stunningly efficient establishment of our chaparral plants –– they are already deeply rooted, large in size, and show no signs of drought stress. Conversely, the only species we’ve had issues with thus far is California buckwheat. Generally, Eriogonum species are quick to establish and grow in loamy California soils, but we hypothesize that the combination of clay soils at the Test Plot site and extreme rains have stunted the growth of the buckwheat, leaving them dormant (at best) and yellow and sickly (at worst). Time will tell how the buckwheats react to the summer heat, but we are optimistic that they will rally once the soil fully dries out and the roots are able to breathe a little easier.
Our slate of trees is also thriving, even in unexpected ways. We planted a variety of one gallon native oaks, black walnuts, and larger tree-like shrubs like Elderberry and Lemonadeberry. All are doing really well and showing few signs of stress, if any.
And speaking of oaks and walnuts, with the consistent wetting rains and cold air, the many acorns and walnuts we direct-seeded into the north facing slope are germinating en masse! They started sprouting in January, and since then we’ve counted dozens upon dozens of Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak / Whet) and Juglans californica (Southern California Black Walnut / Takaape' Waashut) both within the plots and on our north-facing slopes. These acorns and walnuts will set deep taproots that may give them a superior chance of drought resistance and longevity, especially in an era of climate change, compared to those we planted from containers.
The only problem with this many baby trees coming up has been flagging them for watering and protection –– but thankfully, that’s where the kids from El Rio Elementary School in Lincoln Heights came to the rescue. We recently held a school hike and oak-marking activity at Elephant Hill, where the kids used bright orange flags to locate and mark the many oak seedlings coming up all over the Test Plot. To give you an idea of how just how many oaks are coming up, we actually ran out of flags (and there were at least 25 left in that bag…).
Moving forward, while there is a now a robust presence in the Test Plot basin itself in our little valley at Elephant Hill, growing in tandem with a community of Black walnuts and oaks, coffeeberry, poison oak and monkeyflower on the adjoining north facing slope, the upper flat and southeastern bowl areas have been largely dominated by mustard, european grasses, and castor bean.
We hope that our early fast adapters will get established and start creating mycorrhizal relationships that better support a coastal scrub and woodland ecosystem and allow native habitat to compete better with the invasives surrounding the plot. In truth, this is already happening –– oaks and walnuts (and even Western Vervain, a riparian plant) are volunteering in places that were dominated by mustard this time last year. Where there was once a stand of impenetrable mustard, we’ve already got baby trees in our baby Test Plot. Hard to imagine a better first year at the Hill.
As for next year? We hope to plant more wildflowers (inspired by the Elysian Park Test Plot Superbloom) and native plants (especially grasses) in the fall to take advantage of the nascent El Niño brewing in the Pacific Ocean, which generally (but not always) portends above-average precipitation in Southern California. In fact, many of the wettest winters in Southern California history are associated with El Niños –– but you’ll have to read our Test Plot Weather Update coming soon for more on that!
Other Assorted Stuff
Another update we have is about MOWING. Each year in May-June, LA City, which owns the parcels of land around the Test Plot (on MRCA land), hires a contractor to mow the grasses and mustard for fuel reduction. We were pleased to see that they mowed around the fences, respecting our marked plantings and even protecting pockets of poppies and other natives. Hopefully, each year the area they need to mow will shrink.
Planting Strategy
We planted four areas:
1) walnut and oak acorns and some 1 gallons along the north facing slope down to the toe of the slope where it drops into the east-facing basin – as mentioned above, these lil guys are taking off.
2) in the basin, coastal sage scrub plants in an upper plot that is largely flat – this plot was sheet mulched with cardboard. Initially these plants as a general rule, did not grow as rapidly as the lower plot, though they are the same species mix.
3) a bit further down/east, a lower plot with a stronger eastern aspect
4) along the edges – coyote brush, mulefat, laurel sumac and other tough shrubs that will hopefully hold their own against the mow edges.
Plant List (November 2022)
| Juglans californica | SOCAL BLACK WALNUT |
| Quercus agrifolia | COAST LIVE OAK |
| Quercus berberidifolia | SCRUB OAK |
| Quercus lobata | VALLEY OAK |
| Umbellularia californica | BAY LAUREL |
| Acmispon glaber | DEERWEED |
| Artemisia calfornica | CALIFORNIA SAGEBRUSH |
| Asclepias fascicularis/Stipa pulchra combos | NARROW LEAF MILKWEED |
| Baccharis pilularis | COYOTE BRUSH |
| Baccharis salicifolia | MULEFAT |
| Diaplacus longiflorus | STICKY MONKEYFLOWER |
| Epilobium canum | CA FUSCHIA |
| Eriogonum fasciculatum | CA BUCKWHEAT |
| Frangula californica | COFFEEBERRY |
| Hesperoyucca whipplei | CHAPARRAL YUCCA |
| Lupinus longifolius | LONG LEAF BUSH LUPINE |
| Malosma laurina | LAUREL SUMAC |
| Rhamnus ilicifolia | HOLLYLEAF REDBERRY |
| Rhus integrifolia | LEMONADE BERRY |
| Salvia apiana | WHITE SAGE |
| Salvia mellifera | BLACK SAGE |
| Salvia spathacea | HUMMINGBIRD SAGE |
| Sphaeralcea ambigua | APRICOT MALLOW |
OUR SECRET SUPERBLOOM
Elysian Test Plot / May 25 2023
By Jenny Jones
Elysian volunteer, Terremoto partner
The Rainbow River is here, y'all! If you're anywhere near Elysian Park this week, run over to Marian Harlow Grove to see our own secret superbloom. This past January, at the first ever Test Plot, we improvised and manifested a spontaneous vision to plant a chaotic mix of wildflowers in the shape of a serpent. And the vision has finally taken form, snaking up and down the hillside. Clarkia is dominating but we're not mad about it, as she's hosting a tremendous amount of caterpillars, and putting on quite a show. This was definitely the year for Clarkia, but we also had many other flowers come up: Poppies, Owl's Clover, Tidy Tips, Baby Blue Eyes, Lupines, Chia, and Phacelia. And there are currently hundreds of caterpillars on the Clarkia, mostly all White-Lined Sphinx Moth, whose colors range dramatically from black, to green, to striped. The shape of the Rainbow River even looks a bit like a caterpillar! Check out our previous post called RAINBOW RIVER AT ELYSIAN to read more about the humble origins: a simple scythe, the sweet little seedlings, and some light hand weeding. This dream was all about timing and patience. The incredible rains plus the gentle hands of our devoted volunteers made it come true. Thank you to all who helped.
Drone pics by Nina Weithorn
On the ground pics by Rio Asch Phoenix
Elysian Test Plot / May 25 2023
By Jenny Jones
Elysian volunteer, Terremoto partner
The Rainbow River is here, y'all! If you're anywhere near Elysian Park this week, run over to Marian Harlow Grove to see our own secret superbloom. This past January, at the first ever Test Plot, we improvised and manifested a spontaneous vision to plant a chaotic mix of wildflowers in the shape of a serpent. And the vision has finally taken form, snaking up and down the hillside. Clarkia is dominating but we're not mad about it, as she's hosting a tremendous amount of caterpillars, and putting on quite a show. This was definitely the year for Clarkia, but we also had many other flowers come up: Poppies, Owl's Clover, Tidy Tips, Baby Blue Eyes, Lupines, Chia, and Phacelia. And there are currently hundreds of caterpillars on the Clarkia, mostly all White-Lined Sphinx Moth, whose colors range dramatically from black, to green, to striped. The shape of the Rainbow River even looks a bit like a caterpillar! Check out our previous post called RAINBOW RIVER AT ELYSIAN to read more about the humble origins: a simple scythe, the sweet little seedlings, and some light hand weeding. This dream was all about timing and patience. The incredible rains plus the gentle hands of our devoted volunteers made it come true. Thank you to all who helped.
Drone pics by Nina Weithorn
On the ground pics by Rio Asch Phoenix
Weather
With more than 28 inches of rainfall since July 2022, the 2022-2023 rain season (ending June 2023), is now L.A.'s 8th wettest season in 145 years.
Seed mixes from Theodore Payne Foundation:
Rainbow mix:
- Clarkia amoena (Farewell-to-Spring)
- Clarkia unguiculata (Elegant Clarkia)
- Eschscholzia californica (California Poppy)
- Eschscholzia californica var. maritima (Coastal Poppy)
- Gilia capitata (Globe Gilia)
- Lasthenia californica (Goldfields)
- Layia platyglossa (Tidy Tips)
- Lupinus succulentus (Arroyo Lupine)
- Phacelia campanularia (Desert Bluebells)
- Phacelia tanacetifolia (Lacy Phacelia)
Hummingbird mix:
- Castilleja exserta (Purple Owl's Clover)
- Clarkia unguiculata (Elegant Clarkia)
- Peritoma arborea (Bladderpod)
- Mimulus aurantiacus (Sticky Monkey Flower)
- Penstemon centranthifolius (Scarlet Bugler)
- Penstemon spectabilis (Showy Penstemon)
- Salvia columbariae (Chia)
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Salvia mellifera (Black Sage)
RAINBOW RIVER
Elysian Test Plot / March 29 2023
By Jenny Jones, Dani Vonlehe, Dante Iniguez
Elysian volunteers
We eagerly await the growth and flowering of our seed mix that includes Phacelias, Clarkias, and Poppies. We call it the Rainbow River as we hope the curving path that we’ve scythed into the hillside will soon bloom into a winding curve of purples, pinks, oranges and blues. We’ve staked our river with wood triangles to indicate its path to those who will be carrying out future brush clearance. The unpredictability is somewhat tense, not knowing if the test would work when we began, and not knowing if it will be weed-whacked away after it’s bloomed. We enjoy the act of experimenting though.
Weather and what’s blooming
It has been a wet winter! As of March 25, we’ve received 26.32” of rain. A lot of cloudy days, sun appears in between rainstorms for a day or two. Mudslides elsewhere in park, but Test Plots have not been impacted. High winds.
New plants installed in Plot 4 are:
- Salvia mellifera
- Artemisia californica
- Heteromeles arbutifolia
- Penstemon spectabilis
- Rhus integrifolia
- Eriogonum fasciculatum
- Salvia apiana
- Quercus agrifolia
- Ceanothus ‘frosty blue’
- Isocoma menziesii
- Baccharis pilularis
- Epilobium canum
- Yucca whipplei
What have you been working on?
Plot 4: The big move this season has been dismantling the circular fence shape around the very first plot that Test Plot ever installed. Most of the plants in this plot are well-established, including black sage, Artemesia californica, and Penstemon.
The hope is to stop supplemental watering to these established plants, which means we are in a new phase in this greater Test Plot project–that of seeing how well our established plants can do on their own!
We opened up the original circular form, and reused the fence pieces, laying them out in lines to follow the topography as it steps both up and downhill. We have also expanded the planting upslope, towards the main trail. We planted about 50 plants in front of the newly laid out fences, and seeded behind them. We’ve had numerous volunteer days with our core group of volunteers this winter - planting, mulching, weeding, caring for this plot.
Seed
As noted, we’ve seeded behind the fences in Plot 4 - a combination of Rainbow and Hummingbird mixes from TPF, as well as Lupine seed that Jenny gathered and soaked. We seeded TPF shade mix in Plot 3. We also are in process of a large seeding experiment outside of the plot boundaries themselves. We call it the Rainbow River - a snaking path that starts south of Plot 4 and weaves around and behind it. The Rainbow River has been seeded with the Rainbow and Hummingbird mix from TPF, along with some random seed from the Terremoto office. We first scythed the path, roughed up the ground just a bit, then seeded on top of the scything, and have been weeding it every couple of weeks this winter to allow the seeds room to grow. There has been no additional watering. The path is marked by pyramidal wood stakes along its length.
What kind of maintenance strategies are you trying out?
When weeding around newly seeded areas, we haven’t been pulling the weeds out from the roots. Instead, we’ve been leaving a couple inches at the base and have been trimming off everything else, either by grabbing a bunch in our hand and simply ripping, or by using a hand sickle. We’ve found that leaving the weeds in the ground has actually been protecting the seedlings because it shades them and keeping the ground moist. Not pulling out weeds by the roots also reduces the risk of pulling out any seedlings when weeding around them.
What’s been happening with volunteers?
We’ve been really working with a smaller volunteer group this season composed of a core of about 5-6 of us. Rather than bimonthly larger group efforts, this core group meets every couple of weeks for a couple hours. Dante organized the big planting we did this winter. With all this rain, we’ve stopped using the weekly watering sign-up sheet. We might test doing monthly watering sessions for the first time this summer rather than weekly waterings.
Plant success and failures?
The new plants that we’ve planted in Plot 4 have been very successful. Satureja douglasii in Plot 3 has really died back. Out of the many species we’ve seeded, the Clarkias seem to be the most prolific. Lupines have also been successful from seed. White sage, buckwheat, and artemisia not so much — but curious to test out other seed propagation techniques in the future for shrubs. Other successes include: Penstemon, Mugwort, Pitcher Sage. Our one Yerba Santa failed, and we’re not sure why. Maybe we’ll try again…
Wildlife?
Gophers are still around, but don’t seem to be affecting the Plots as negatively. A hypothesis for this could be that we have continued to plant plants that are somewhat resistant, or just not as tasty, to gophers. We’ve also used gopher cages on most of our new plantings, which seems to be working! We’ve spotted numerous lizards, hawks, owls and a scorpion.
General reflections
Dani - I think the smaller volunteer workdays have been a great, lower stress way of getting together than have been the bigger volunteer events that we’ve historically coordinated. We also have a small group text which is has been an effective way to communicate - much easier than some of the app-based platforms that we’ve tried to coordinate before.
Dante - Some rogue volunteers have just started planting and flagging non-natives in the Plot so we’re going to have to find a way to manage community planting in Test Plot that is not directly affiliated with Test Plot.
Jenny - opening up the original Test Plot by removing and rearranging the fences felt like a symbolic, important moment for the plots. Like we entered a new phase, one more bold and open. Being in our 3rd year at Elysian feels momentous as well, as a new phase of
experimenting with how well ‘establishment’ goes.
VERTICAL MULCH UPDATE
USC South Watt Plot / March 23 2023
This was a quick observation after the historic amounts of rain Los Angeles has received over the past two months. These observations were made around 12:30pm on a Thursday. A drone was used to take aerial shots of the plots and documentation of the flowering species was done.
USC South Watt Plot / March 23 2023
By Nina Weithorn
Test Plot Intern
Test Plot Intern
This was a quick observation after the historic amounts of rain Los Angeles has received over the past two months. These observations were made around 12:30pm on a Thursday. A drone was used to take aerial shots of the plots and documentation of the flowering species was done.
Weather
High of 54, low of 45 degrees Fahrenheight. Sunny for a change.
How are the plants doing?
The plants are all looking healthy and vibrant after the rain. The Diplacus aurantiacus, Heuchera rosada, and Lepechinia fragrans are all flowering.
What is Vertical Mulch?
Vertical mulching is a way to address soil compaction and allow for increased water infiltration into the root zones of plants. The process of vertical mulching involves digging a hole or trench at least 1 foot deep adjacent to plants and replacing the soil with wood chips. When water is poured into the vertically mulched area, it immediately reaches the deeper roots of established plants or encourages deep root growth of new plantings.
Field Notes
Maintenance
Plots could use weeding as non-native grasses reappear after th rain. Additional mulch could be applied, especially before the hotter upcoming months.
Action items
Ask campus irrigation to turn off sprinklers so we can control by hand watering.
SPRING AT DEBS
Field Notes / March 10 2023
By Adrian Tenney
Debs volunteer, Terremoto designer
Arriving early before there is any direct sun on the plots, but when there are lots of birds chirping and fluttering about. As the sun slowly creeps up and covers the shrubs in light I can see them all reaching for the sky and opening their spring blossoms. The spring is the most exciting time to visit - everything is fresh from the rain, and not yet dry from the excessive heat.
Field Notes / March 10 2023
By Adrian Tenney
Debs volunteer, Terremoto designer
Arriving early before there is any direct sun on the plots, but when there are lots of birds chirping and fluttering about. As the sun slowly creeps up and covers the shrubs in light I can see them all reaching for the sky and opening their spring blossoms. The spring is the most exciting time to visit - everything is fresh from the rain, and not yet dry from the excessive heat.
What is the update on your work?
- We have planted 4 sections
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Rabbits and other animals have eaten some things like the Buckwheat
-
A few plants have been removed
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Overall everything is doing really well
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We planted lots of things in gopher cages that were handmade, so the cages go about 12” above ground
-
March 3 we cut the wire away from some of the plants that had started growing through their cages
Did you sheet mulch?
One of our 4 sections was sheet mulched with cardboard and mulch. So far it has been really successful in keeping the weeds at bay.
What are you learning?
- Test Plot became an extension to Audubon center’s restoration work in Debs Park. It also provided a physical location for students (New Village Girls Academy) to experience hands-on learning by planting native plants and getting their hands in the soil.
- There’s a lot of value in being invited into an existing community organization because we were able to connect with students we wouldn’t have otherwise had a link to.
- Audubon had established resources including nursery/ locally sourced seeds, tools, mulch and a volunteer list that we were able to access.
-
Coordinating between multiple groups for the volunteer events
- Establishing regular volunteer maintenance schedule
Successes & failures so far?
- Still pretty early to tell
- We planted some shade-tolerant plants under a SNAG (dead tree) that has since been removed to our surprise, so we will see if those understory plants can survive the summer
- The Elderberry is growing more slowly than expected
- The Toyons and Sages are growing fast
- Some of the nice labels installed have been kicked around by the public
Wildlife?
- Lots of birds!
- Ticks
WHAT’S IN BLOOM
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook / March 7 2023
The weather at the Overlook has mostly been sunny, with a combination of clouds and some rain peaks. Since we have had a decent amount of rain, we have not watered the test plot since January. We kept the test plot as a special site for volunteers to restore habitat and see a thriving native plant site. Our volunteers have mainly been weeding wild radish, mustard, and castor bean and fixing basins for our small native plants. Fortunately, many of the shrubs that were planted are fully established. We have had ground squirrels, rabbits, black phoebes, California towhees, song sparrows, western fence lizards, Harlequin bugs, honey bees, bumble bees, and sweat bees. A male anna’s hummingbird has claimed the Elderberry as his territory.
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook / March 7 2023
By Arely Mendia Perez
Habitat restoration site manager, Nature Nexus Institute
Habitat restoration site manager, Nature Nexus Institute
The weather at the Overlook has mostly been sunny, with a combination of clouds and some rain peaks. Since we have had a decent amount of rain, we have not watered the test plot since January. We kept the test plot as a special site for volunteers to restore habitat and see a thriving native plant site. Our volunteers have mainly been weeding wild radish, mustard, and castor bean and fixing basins for our small native plants. Fortunately, many of the shrubs that were planted are fully established. We have had ground squirrels, rabbits, black phoebes, California towhees, song sparrows, western fence lizards, Harlequin bugs, honey bees, bumble bees, and sweat bees. A male anna’s hummingbird has claimed the Elderberry as his territory.
Current Plant List
Artemisia californica-- California sagebrush
Artemisia suksdorfii-- Coastal mugwort
Asclepias fascicularis-- Narrow-leaf milkweed
Encelia californica-- California brittlebush (blooming)
Epilobium canum-- California fuchsia
Eriophyllum confertiflorum-- Golden yarrow (from seed)
Helianthus annuus-- Common sunflower (blooming) (from seed)
Heteromeles arbutifolia-- Toyon
Juglans californica-- California black walnut
Keckiella cordifolia-- Heartleaf keckiella (blooming)
Lonicera subspicata-- Southern honeysuckle (blooming)
Lupinus succulentus-- Arroyo lupine (blooming) (from seed)
Muhlenbergia rigens-- Deer grass
Peritoma arborea-- Bladderpod (blooming)
Quercus agrifolia-- Coast Live Oak
Ribes speciosum-- Fuchsia flower gooseberry (blooming)
Rosa californica-- California wildrose
Salvia apiana-- White sage
Salvia leucophylla-- Purple sage (blooming)
Salvia mellifera-- Black sage (blooming)
Salvia spathacea-- Hummingbird sage (blooming)
Sambucus mexicana-- Mexican elderberry
Solidago californica-- California goldenrod
UPDATE ON OUR NEWEST PLOT
Elephant Hill Test Plot / Jan 30 2023
Thrilled to report that our dream of a planting day (250+ native plants installed, followed by almost 3" of early season rains!) has been followed by an even dreamier 18.23" of total rainfall –– which is more than our area receives in a whole year! And the valley in which we planted is soaked to the groundwater, so much so that a creek is running on the other side of the hill! As @saveelephanthill could tell ya, that's the same (rarely visible) creek that saved Elephant Hill from development. But that's a story for another time.
Suffice to say, we couldn't have imagined a better start to our little Test Plot. With the recent rains and early installation, our native plants are beyond thriving. But alas –– so are the weeds! Mustards and grasses are already 2 feet high and climbing, which means it's time for a volunteer day to clear the invasives and give space for our native plants to thrive and grow. They say El Sereno is where the country meets the city –– we welcome you to a morning of roosters crowing and mustard pullin’. See you out there.
Elephant Hill Test Plot / Jan 30 2023
By Joey Farewell
El Sereno neighbor and Elephant Hill volunteer
El Sereno neighbor and Elephant Hill volunteer
Thrilled to report that our dream of a planting day (250+ native plants installed, followed by almost 3" of early season rains!) has been followed by an even dreamier 18.23" of total rainfall –– which is more than our area receives in a whole year! And the valley in which we planted is soaked to the groundwater, so much so that a creek is running on the other side of the hill! As @saveelephanthill could tell ya, that's the same (rarely visible) creek that saved Elephant Hill from development. But that's a story for another time.
Suffice to say, we couldn't have imagined a better start to our little Test Plot. With the recent rains and early installation, our native plants are beyond thriving. But alas –– so are the weeds! Mustards and grasses are already 2 feet high and climbing, which means it's time for a volunteer day to clear the invasives and give space for our native plants to thrive and grow. They say El Sereno is where the country meets the city –– we welcome you to a morning of roosters crowing and mustard pullin’. See you out there.
VALENTINE’S DAY AT RIO
Rio de Los Angeles Test Plot / Feb 14 2023
The rain came early this year and the test plots are loving it. The weeds around the plots are lush and green, starting to encroach on the plot area. Encelia californica and Sphaeralcea ambigua are in bloom.
Rio de Los Angeles Test Plot / Feb 14 2023
By Daniela Velazco
Test Plot Intern
Test Plot Intern
The rain came early this year and the test plots are loving it. The weeds around the plots are lush and green, starting to encroach on the plot area. Encelia californica and Sphaeralcea ambigua are in bloom.
NEW PLANTINGS
USC Bloom Walk / Feb 15 2023
In February we filled in some of the empty spaces in the USC Bloom Walk Test Plot. We selected additional species based on what was performing well in the plots and selected a couple of novel species that could be well adapted the shady and moist plot. New plants were marked with yellow flags. Some existing plants such as the Gambelia speciosa and Lepechinia fragrans are thriving and have grown substationally since their initial planting.
USC Bloom Walk / Feb 15 2023
By Nina Weithorn
Test Plot Intern
Test Plot Intern
In February we filled in some of the empty spaces in the USC Bloom Walk Test Plot. We selected additional species based on what was performing well in the plots and selected a couple of novel species that could be well adapted the shady and moist plot. New plants were marked with yellow flags. Some existing plants such as the Gambelia speciosa and Lepechinia fragrans are thriving and have grown substationally since their initial planting.
ADDED PLANTS
Achillea millefolium
Berberis aquifolium
Ceanothus hearstiorum
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Gambelia speciosa
Heuchera maxima
Polysitchum munitum
Ribes virbunifolium
Salvia mellifera
Solidago californica
Symphoricarpos albus
Achillea millefolium
Berberis aquifolium
Ceanothus hearstiorum
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Gambelia speciosa
Heuchera maxima
Polysitchum munitum
Ribes virbunifolium
Salvia mellifera
Solidago californica
Symphoricarpos albus
FIELD DRAWINGS
San Bruno Mountain / Fall 2022
Exploring the native and introduced species in and around San Bruno Mountain in Daly City, CA such as Blue Green Eucalyptus, Bay Laurel, Monterey Cypress, Toyon and Monterey Pine.
San Bruno Mountain / Fall 2022
By Tera Johnson, Lian Mae Tualla
UC Berkeley Landscape Architecture students
UC Berkeley Landscape Architecture students
Exploring the native and introduced species in and around San Bruno Mountain in Daly City, CA such as Blue Green Eucalyptus, Bay Laurel, Monterey Cypress, Toyon and Monterey Pine.
FIELD NOTES
Rio Update / October 22 2022
Rio Update / October 22 2022
By Daniela Velazco
Test Plot Intern
Test Plot Intern
Nina and I met up at the Test Plots to monitor the
existing species and create labels for plants when necessary. We met at 10am on
a Sunday. The log borders are working well as a way to differeniate the plots from the path. It seems that the most successful plots have a thick 3-5” layer of mulch.
While going through and taking note of successful species two park visitors came up to us and told us they were volunteers and a part of the larger recent natives planting at Rio. The area around the test plots had 50-100 new young sprouts that were planted.
One of the volunteers mentioned noticing what seemed like a pest growing on one of the oak tree saplings. She remarked how much she loved the species and knew how long they take to grow, so she wanted to keep an eye on it to give it the best chance possible. We walked over and saw a red beetle and white substance underneath the oak leaves (eggs, fungus, foam?). We took pictures and notified the Parks Coordinator. We then completed our assessment of the plots and infilled metal labels in areas that needed it most. We were at the park for around an hour.
While going through and taking note of successful species two park visitors came up to us and told us they were volunteers and a part of the larger recent natives planting at Rio. The area around the test plots had 50-100 new young sprouts that were planted.
One of the volunteers mentioned noticing what seemed like a pest growing on one of the oak tree saplings. She remarked how much she loved the species and knew how long they take to grow, so she wanted to keep an eye on it to give it the best chance possible. We walked over and saw a red beetle and white substance underneath the oak leaves (eggs, fungus, foam?). We took pictures and notified the Parks Coordinator. We then completed our assessment of the plots and infilled metal labels in areas that needed it most. We were at the park for around an hour.
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.
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:
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
- 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
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)
ELYSIAN AFTER 3 YEARS
The Elysian plots were first planted in the Winter of 2019. After three years, we wanted to share some reflections on how they are doing and what we have leanred.
Q: Will people show up?
Yes. Young professionals sign up and self organize via a google sheet to water weekly. Plus we’ve hosted semi-monthly “plant church” community events.
Q: What are your key lessons learned so far?
What questions are you thinking about moving forward?
Q&A with Jenny Jones / Oct 06 2022
Test Plot Co-Founder, Partner at Terremoto
Test Plot Co-Founder, Partner at Terremoto
The Elysian plots were first planted in the Winter of 2019. After three years, we wanted to share some reflections on how they are doing and what we have leanred.
Q: Will people show up?
Yes. Young professionals sign up and self organize via a google sheet to water weekly. Plus we’ve hosted semi-monthly “plant church” community events.
Q: What are the minimum inputs to establish a native ecosystem?
- We planted over 600 plants with 50% survival rate.
Only caveat on this stat is that we don't actually need ALL the plants to survive. The Micro Forest idea.
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Fencing, gopher cages, signage, signs of care, and programs help.
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Success in location. A lot of people see the test plots during their routine daily use of the park and reach out to volunteer as a result of this visibility
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Initial mulching and adding new mulch year to year, plus chop and drop from in-situ pruning.
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Planted while mounding berms for new planting to stabilize
- Enhanced watering basins for more efficient watering, seems to be working well.
Q: What are your key lessons learned so far?
- Method of watering has been adapted to the age and success of the plots. Watering with round diameter sprinkler at first, as plants age water changes to direct contact hose watering. Volunteers seem to prefer this method
- Dialing in the planting palette has taken years. We’ve monitored gopher activity and its relation to certain species and replanted those plants that were gopher resistant during the second/third years. The plant palette was quite broad and has narrowed over time to reflect what are the most successful species
- Seed plot was a mild success. Annuals did well, very few perennials or shrubs grew from seed and survived.
- Influence from neighboring trees (pine and eucalyptus) has played a role in the health of the plots
- Consistency of volunteer base has a lot to do with keeping up with community volunteer events. Sense of collaboration with others has been important.
- Some plants that were thriving in years 1-2 are now declining (Satureja). Shade plot looked amazing first 2 years, now has seen a little decline. Could be Pine Tree’s influence?
What questions are you thinking about moving forward?
- How to maintain a consistent and diffuse volunteer base so that the task of watering every weekend doesn’t get left to a handful of ultra-dedicated volunteers?
- Method of establishing new test plots while accounting for water restrictions and changing climate?
RIO AFTER 2 YEARS
The Rio plots were planted in the Fall of 2020. A class of landscape architecture students partnered with CA State Parks and a local group the Abuelas de Rio. After two years, we wanted to share some reflections on how they are doing and what we have learned.
Q&A with Jen Toy / Oct 06 2022
Test Plot Lead, USC Lecturer
Test Plot Lead, USC Lecturer
The Rio plots were planted in the Fall of 2020. A class of landscape architecture students partnered with CA State Parks and a local group the Abuelas de Rio. After two years, we wanted to share some reflections on how they are doing and what we have learned.
Q: Can we replicate Test Plots in other places?
Yes! our 2nd location at Rio has been very successful. It’s been a completely different process, site and community than at Elysian, so that is very exciting and we’ve learned a ton. For example, the site prep needed to change because Rio is urban fill as a former railyard (as opposed to the naturalized areas of Elysian). The Grow/kill strategy to flush out the weeds was not very successful at Rio b/c the ground was so compacted. We ended up removing bermuda grass, thistle, etc with pickaxes.
Q: What are your key lessons learned so far?
What challenges have you faced?
Yes! our 2nd location at Rio has been very successful. It’s been a completely different process, site and community than at Elysian, so that is very exciting and we’ve learned a ton. For example, the site prep needed to change because Rio is urban fill as a former railyard (as opposed to the naturalized areas of Elysian). The Grow/kill strategy to flush out the weeds was not very successful at Rio b/c the ground was so compacted. We ended up removing bermuda grass, thistle, etc with pickaxes.
Q: How did you adapt for different community needs?
- At Rio we work with a group of elderly Spanish speaking abuelas - with no email or social media. They come to the park in the morning for a walk and some gardening. It was difficult during the pandemic, but we’ve started to create a weekly time to meet on Monday mornings that is organized by Luis Rincon, a community engagement coordinator who works for CA State Parks.
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This site is also much sunnier and exposed and requires meeting earlier in the morning during the summer.
Q: What are your key lessons learned so far?
- Pioneer species taking off (Isocoma menziesii-- Goldenbush, Encelia californica -- CA Bush Sunflower).
- For the seed only plot, in the first year, seedlings of chia, black sage, lupines, buckwheat and annual wildflowers were present - from a mix that Theodore Payne made for us based on the historical riparian ecology. In 2nd year, the seed only plot was composed largely of Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum).
- Seed/plant combo plots more successful than seed only or plant only.
- Sheet mulch and thick layer of mulch (4-6”) has been effective at suppressing Bermuda grass, but it can still creep in from plot edges
What challenges have you faced?
- We watered almost every week for the 1st year (maybe too much? Huge growth quickly and found scale on some plants like Malosma)
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Baby oak and walnut trees (not in plots) died b/c not watered / trampled. Need better cues.
STARTING THE USC CAMPUS PLOTS
Q: How do we help a campus transition away from turf?
Q: How do we make native plants and sustainable, water-wise practices, practicable in an institutional setting?
Q: How we make the practice of testing and stewardship part of standard campus / landscape architecture practice?
Still thinking about this one....
![Original condition as unusable turf]()
Questions we’re thinking about / Spring 2022
By Alex Robinson
By Alex Robinson
Q: How do we help a campus transition away from turf?
- Identify areas of “non-functional turf” as places to start plots.
- Test a palette of plants that are easily found to purchase, are primarily evergreen or semi-deciduous, and can be maintained/trimmed to USC’s aesthetic standards
- Develop a Plant Suitability Framework for choosing other native plant species that have not been tested by the Test Plot team
- Work with facilities to understand needs, opportunities, existing efforts/maintenance regimes, and knowledge gaps
- Expand the existing Test Plot student employee role into 2 internship positions covering maintenance and monitoring
Q: How do we make native plants and sustainable, water-wise practices, practicable in an institutional setting?
- Work with existing Irrigation infrastructure
- Suitable palette for campus use and aesthetics
- Maintenance practices & personnel management
Q: How we make the practice of testing and stewardship part of standard campus / landscape architecture practice?
Still thinking about this one....
THE PLOT WITH THE VIEWS
Starting Baldwin Hills / Fall 2021
By Daniela Velazco
Test Plot Intern
The Baldwin Hills Test Plot came together through a collaboration between the Nature Nexus Institute, USC Landscape Architecture graduate students, and local high school students and volunteers.
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The folks at Nature Nexus Institute have worked hard to take the hills from largely overrun by non-native invasive species to hills of coastal sage scrub habitat patchworked throughout the park. With their help, we turned a 5,000 square foot area near the top of the hill by the Skyline Terrace Amphitheater from a field of mustard into a testing site for speculative climate futures.
Below is a breakdown of what was done.
1. Prep the site.
The staff at the Nature Nexus Institute hand pulled wild mustard in early August. They left a few bladderpod plants, black sages, a tobacco tree (home to a resident hummingbird) and a large white sage.
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2. MLA graduate students visited the site to prepare for research on the site’s current ecology/ historic ecology and site uses.
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3. In late August we started a grow/kill cycle to stimulate the many years of seeds below ground in the seedbanks. We watered the site weekly and once the plants (mostly black mustard) began to sprout we’d weed and water again.
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*A note on black mustard: black mustard is an extremely resilient non-native brought to California from Europe. The plant with the huge green leaves with yellow flowers that covers the Los Angeles hillsides in the Spring. It does extremely well in nitrogen areas thriving off the nitrogen from our car exhaust pipes. It grows faster than our native species, choking them out before they’ve had a chance to grow. By removing it and planting natives, we are creating more much needed habitat that local species need to survive. It was also a huge fire hazard!
4. The Test
Climate experts predict a future of more extreme weather events. As we’ve seen this year, this can mean heavier rainfall, storms, and/or longer drought. As a studio class we developed a test based on these predictions using the selected species and planting strategy as variables for the site.![]()
We landed on a strategy that takes 3 different California native plant communities and intermixed them on site.
-Oak woodland based on the historic ecology of the north facing slope
-Coastal sagescrub based on the sites current ecosystem
-Grassland, a plant community that thrives in disturbance
The intent is that the diverse initial planting palette will allow the land to sort out into the appropriate future community makeup.![]()
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Starting Baldwin Hills / Fall 2021
By Daniela Velazco
Test Plot Intern
The Baldwin Hills Test Plot came together through a collaboration between the Nature Nexus Institute, USC Landscape Architecture graduate students, and local high school students and volunteers.
The folks at Nature Nexus Institute have worked hard to take the hills from largely overrun by non-native invasive species to hills of coastal sage scrub habitat patchworked throughout the park. With their help, we turned a 5,000 square foot area near the top of the hill by the Skyline Terrace Amphitheater from a field of mustard into a testing site for speculative climate futures.Below is a breakdown of what was done.
1. Prep the site.
The staff at the Nature Nexus Institute hand pulled wild mustard in early August. They left a few bladderpod plants, black sages, a tobacco tree (home to a resident hummingbird) and a large white sage.
2. MLA graduate students visited the site to prepare for research on the site’s current ecology/ historic ecology and site uses.
3. In late August we started a grow/kill cycle to stimulate the many years of seeds below ground in the seedbanks. We watered the site weekly and once the plants (mostly black mustard) began to sprout we’d weed and water again.
- diagram by Lara Lebeiko
*A note on black mustard: black mustard is an extremely resilient non-native brought to California from Europe. The plant with the huge green leaves with yellow flowers that covers the Los Angeles hillsides in the Spring. It does extremely well in nitrogen areas thriving off the nitrogen from our car exhaust pipes. It grows faster than our native species, choking them out before they’ve had a chance to grow. By removing it and planting natives, we are creating more much needed habitat that local species need to survive. It was also a huge fire hazard!
4. The Test
Climate experts predict a future of more extreme weather events. As we’ve seen this year, this can mean heavier rainfall, storms, and/or longer drought. As a studio class we developed a test based on these predictions using the selected species and planting strategy as variables for the site.
We landed on a strategy that takes 3 different California native plant communities and intermixed them on site. -Oak woodland based on the historic ecology of the north facing slope
-Coastal sagescrub based on the sites current ecosystem
-Grassland, a plant community that thrives in disturbance
The intent is that the diverse initial planting palette will allow the land to sort out into the appropriate future community makeup.
TANIA ROMERO,
LOS ANGELES SUPER STEWARD
Rio de los Angeles
By Hannah Flynn & Daniela Velazco
former Test Plot interns
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LOS ANGELES SUPER STEWARD
Rio de los Angeles
By Hannah Flynn & Daniela Velazco
former Test Plot interns
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
DANTE INIGUEZ + ANTHONY MARTIN,
LOS ANGELES SUPER STEWARDS
Elysian Park
By Daniela Velazco & Hannah Flynn
current and former Test Plot interns
We are Dani and Hannah, current and former Test Plot interns. Starting in early 2022, we conducted a series of seven interviews with “Super Stewards” - members of the Test Plot community who are stewards of community and of the environment. Our conversations covered personal histories, what it means to be a steward, and what the future of community-tended green space can be.
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We met Dante Iniguez and Anthony Martin at the Elysian Park Test Plot on a chilly late afternoon as they were watering what was at the time the newest plot, a plot mostly filled with wildflowers grown from seed. Dante and Anthony are more than regular volunteers at Elysian Park - their reliable presence is a pillar of the Test Plot.
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Dante, a designer, and Anthony, a microbiologist, live in an apartment together with no room for a garden to tend to. Dante spent formative years in San Luis Obispo, where widespread native plants and protected nature areas instilled a deep appreciation for the nature of California. Anthony’s parents, immigrants from the Philippines, took him camping frequently throughout the state as a child. His father developed his own deep connection to the land by studying agriculture, a connection that was practically “genetically transferred” to Anthony, citing his father’s own interest in agriculture.
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They were both drawn to the opportunity to be outdoors and work with people with similar values to theirs. In spending so many hours working, they quickly bonded with the plots. Dante’s reasoning behind his choice of favorite plant in the plots, the Manzanita, reflects this: they are “really sculptural, beautiful….[and] unique”, but they also take a long time to grow”.. Anthony’s favorite part of the plots isn’t a plant, but the whole picture - including the soil in which the plants grow. He’s “excited by…the idea of creating habitat and returning the land to how it needs to be.” He draws a comparison with his work studying gut microbiomes: like our own digestive systems that power us, “there’s a whole ecology of microbiomes that affect the soil’s health.”
Spending quality hands-on time with the plots has taught them a lot. Anthony feels that he’s getting to see the life he studies in the lab “being its full self outdoors”, understanding how plants interact with each other and with the climate. Test Plot has become like “a game”, experimenting with parameters like pH and soil composition to see how plants will grow – or not. And it’s not just the volunteers who get to learn: as people walk by, they get curious and ask about them. These interactions have the potential to be valuable opportunities to help people who aren’t as exposed to ecology “understand the value of what [Test Plot is about] and why native plants are better than other plants.”
![Wild mustard growing on the hill]()
![Test Plot planted with native species]()
Dante and Anthony strongly believe exposure leads to understanding, which leads to an appreciation of ecological systems much larger than the Test Plots themselves: a greater understanding of how our gardens connect to the broader ecological context of the city, to “our food systems, the clothes we wear, and where [that all] is coming from.” An understanding that our plant palettes “can be aesthetic and still building an ecology.”
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Who would benefit from this hands-on exposure? A lot of people are already showing their desire to work with plants, say Dante and Anthony, citing beautiful balcony gardens that they’ve noticed hanging down from apartment balconies throughout the city. If apartment gardeners had a plot to care for, they would bond to it, just like Dante and Anthony did. Neglected public spaces - like the mustard-filled spots at Elysian before the plots were established - are a “missed opportunity to give the land back to the people” so that they can get their hands dirty and build that connection, plant by plant.
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Thank you, Anthony and Dante
Photos by Robert Flynn
LOS ANGELES SUPER STEWARDS
Elysian Park
By Daniela Velazco & Hannah Flynn
current and former Test Plot interns
We are Dani and Hannah, current and former Test Plot interns. Starting in early 2022, we conducted a series of seven interviews with “Super Stewards” - members of the Test Plot community who are stewards of community and of the environment. Our conversations covered personal histories, what it means to be a steward, and what the future of community-tended green space can be.
We met Dante Iniguez and Anthony Martin at the Elysian Park Test Plot on a chilly late afternoon as they were watering what was at the time the newest plot, a plot mostly filled with wildflowers grown from seed. Dante and Anthony are more than regular volunteers at Elysian Park - their reliable presence is a pillar of the Test Plot.
Dante, a designer, and Anthony, a microbiologist, live in an apartment together with no room for a garden to tend to. Dante spent formative years in San Luis Obispo, where widespread native plants and protected nature areas instilled a deep appreciation for the nature of California. Anthony’s parents, immigrants from the Philippines, took him camping frequently throughout the state as a child. His father developed his own deep connection to the land by studying agriculture, a connection that was practically “genetically transferred” to Anthony, citing his father’s own interest in agriculture.
They were both drawn to the opportunity to be outdoors and work with people with similar values to theirs. In spending so many hours working, they quickly bonded with the plots. Dante’s reasoning behind his choice of favorite plant in the plots, the Manzanita, reflects this: they are “really sculptural, beautiful….[and] unique”, but they also take a long time to grow”.. Anthony’s favorite part of the plots isn’t a plant, but the whole picture - including the soil in which the plants grow. He’s “excited by…the idea of creating habitat and returning the land to how it needs to be.” He draws a comparison with his work studying gut microbiomes: like our own digestive systems that power us, “there’s a whole ecology of microbiomes that affect the soil’s health.”
Spending quality hands-on time with the plots has taught them a lot. Anthony feels that he’s getting to see the life he studies in the lab “being its full self outdoors”, understanding how plants interact with each other and with the climate. Test Plot has become like “a game”, experimenting with parameters like pH and soil composition to see how plants will grow – or not. And it’s not just the volunteers who get to learn: as people walk by, they get curious and ask about them. These interactions have the potential to be valuable opportunities to help people who aren’t as exposed to ecology “understand the value of what [Test Plot is about] and why native plants are better than other plants.”
Dante and Anthony strongly believe exposure leads to understanding, which leads to an appreciation of ecological systems much larger than the Test Plots themselves: a greater understanding of how our gardens connect to the broader ecological context of the city, to “our food systems, the clothes we wear, and where [that all] is coming from.” An understanding that our plant palettes “can be aesthetic and still building an ecology.”
Who would benefit from this hands-on exposure? A lot of people are already showing their desire to work with plants, say Dante and Anthony, citing beautiful balcony gardens that they’ve noticed hanging down from apartment balconies throughout the city. If apartment gardeners had a plot to care for, they would bond to it, just like Dante and Anthony did. Neglected public spaces - like the mustard-filled spots at Elysian before the plots were established - are a “missed opportunity to give the land back to the people” so that they can get their hands dirty and build that connection, plant by plant.
Thank you, Anthony and DantePhotos by Robert Flynn
LUIS RINCON, SUPER STEWARD
Rio de Los Angeles State Park
By Hannah Flynn & Dani Velazco
current and former Test Plot interns
Starting in early 2022, we conducted a series of seven interviews with “Super Stewards” - members of the Test Plot community who are stewards of community and of the environment. Our conversations covered personal histories, what it means to be a steward, and what the future of community-tended green space can be.
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![Meet Luis Rincon, State Parks Community Engagement Coordinator]()
Photos by Robert Flynn
Rio de Los Angeles State Park wasn’t always a park. For a long time, it was part of the Los Angeles River floodplain and agricultural fields. That is, until the massive Taylor Yard rail yard was constructed, roughly coinciding with the concretization of the Los Angeles River. It was operated as a rail yard until 1985, when it closed operations. To learn the story of how Rio became a park, we met with Luis Rincon, State Parks Community Engagement Coordinator, on an unusually warm and sunny winter day. We sat down together near the Test Plot, in the grass, soaking up the sun. According to Luis, the abuelas del Rio, longtime residents of the neighborhood and park volunteers, are to thank for their dedicated advocacy work to turn the brownfield into a park for their grandchildren to play.
The location was perfect: because of its proximity to the river, it could connect kids to the river, its ecology, and its part of the city’s history. The abuelas found an opportunity with California State Parks to turn this parcel of land into a park because of its significant natural value as a riparian zone. However, the abuelas and other community groups also wanted to have soccer fields and basketball courts, which State Parks does not administer, so the park is run as a partnership between the City of Los Angeles and State Parks.
Luis noted that on the administrative side, State Parks was keenly aware of a statewide relevancy problem: the people visiting their parks didn’t reflect the rich diversity of the state. The advocacy work of the abuelas aligned perfectly with State Parks’s own initiative to build more urban parks to “bring parks to the people.” As Luis started with State Parks, he was drawn to Rio because of the abuelas’ passion and vision of green space for their community. Getting to meet them and work with them was inspiring. “I remember when I first got here, everything in the landscape was small,” he recounted, underscored by the dappled shade provided by the now-mature toyon we sat beneath.
A native Angeleno himself, his connection to the outdoors began with family camping trips up near Yosemite. One of his earliest memories was jumping on a log and falling into a creek, a memory he associates with happy senses of freedom and being with family. Growing up in Northeast LA, Luis served as a community ambassador as part of a program called the Conservation Career Development Program (CCDP), a Student Conservation Association (SCA) program serving inner-city youth. Wanting to give back to his community, he switched to social work following college graduation. Eventually, he came to the realization that while social work was important and effective, community health is inextricably linked to open, green space, which brought him back to working with nature. And while situated in an urban setting, Rio’s 20 acres of nature is just enough to provide human health benefits and habitat benefits, such as creating habitat for an endangered bird, the Least Bell’s Vireo.
Working as an Community Engagement Coordinator for State Parks, Luis is able to build community and expand who gets to benefit from access to nature. He insists that he can’t do it alone, that it’s “always about finding the right partners who have aligned thinking.” Through partnerships with organizations such as the Audubon Society and Test Plot, he’s able to organize more resources for the community, in turn strengthening the community’s relationship with the park. “It’s not just about parks, it’s about the people. The abuelas didn’t know that they would set 100 acres [as in the 100 Acre Partnership] in motion in Los Angeles where real estate is at a premium…it is always about just taking that first step.” The abuelas could not have imagined the long-term impacts to the nation’s second-largest city that their green advocacy work catalyzed.
Rio de Los Angeles State Park
By Hannah Flynn & Dani Velazco
current and former Test Plot interns
Starting in early 2022, we conducted a series of seven interviews with “Super Stewards” - members of the Test Plot community who are stewards of community and of the environment. Our conversations covered personal histories, what it means to be a steward, and what the future of community-tended green space can be.
Photos by Robert FlynnRio de Los Angeles State Park wasn’t always a park. For a long time, it was part of the Los Angeles River floodplain and agricultural fields. That is, until the massive Taylor Yard rail yard was constructed, roughly coinciding with the concretization of the Los Angeles River. It was operated as a rail yard until 1985, when it closed operations. To learn the story of how Rio became a park, we met with Luis Rincon, State Parks Community Engagement Coordinator, on an unusually warm and sunny winter day. We sat down together near the Test Plot, in the grass, soaking up the sun. According to Luis, the abuelas del Rio, longtime residents of the neighborhood and park volunteers, are to thank for their dedicated advocacy work to turn the brownfield into a park for their grandchildren to play.
The location was perfect: because of its proximity to the river, it could connect kids to the river, its ecology, and its part of the city’s history. The abuelas found an opportunity with California State Parks to turn this parcel of land into a park because of its significant natural value as a riparian zone. However, the abuelas and other community groups also wanted to have soccer fields and basketball courts, which State Parks does not administer, so the park is run as a partnership between the City of Los Angeles and State Parks.
Luis noted that on the administrative side, State Parks was keenly aware of a statewide relevancy problem: the people visiting their parks didn’t reflect the rich diversity of the state. The advocacy work of the abuelas aligned perfectly with State Parks’s own initiative to build more urban parks to “bring parks to the people.” As Luis started with State Parks, he was drawn to Rio because of the abuelas’ passion and vision of green space for their community. Getting to meet them and work with them was inspiring. “I remember when I first got here, everything in the landscape was small,” he recounted, underscored by the dappled shade provided by the now-mature toyon we sat beneath.
A native Angeleno himself, his connection to the outdoors began with family camping trips up near Yosemite. One of his earliest memories was jumping on a log and falling into a creek, a memory he associates with happy senses of freedom and being with family. Growing up in Northeast LA, Luis served as a community ambassador as part of a program called the Conservation Career Development Program (CCDP), a Student Conservation Association (SCA) program serving inner-city youth. Wanting to give back to his community, he switched to social work following college graduation. Eventually, he came to the realization that while social work was important and effective, community health is inextricably linked to open, green space, which brought him back to working with nature. And while situated in an urban setting, Rio’s 20 acres of nature is just enough to provide human health benefits and habitat benefits, such as creating habitat for an endangered bird, the Least Bell’s Vireo.
Working as an Community Engagement Coordinator for State Parks, Luis is able to build community and expand who gets to benefit from access to nature. He insists that he can’t do it alone, that it’s “always about finding the right partners who have aligned thinking.” Through partnerships with organizations such as the Audubon Society and Test Plot, he’s able to organize more resources for the community, in turn strengthening the community’s relationship with the park. “It’s not just about parks, it’s about the people. The abuelas didn’t know that they would set 100 acres [as in the 100 Acre Partnership] in motion in Los Angeles where real estate is at a premium…it is always about just taking that first step.” The abuelas could not have imagined the long-term impacts to the nation’s second-largest city that their green advocacy work catalyzed.
Thank you so much for sharing your time and experience with us, Luis!
MEET THE SUPER STEWARDS!
2022-2023
By Hannah Flynn & Dani Velazco
current and former Test Plot interns
We are Dani and Hannah, current and former Test Plot interns. Starting in early 2022, we conducted a series of seven interviews with “Super Stewards” - members of the Test Plot community who are stewards of community and of the environment. Our conversations covered personal histories, what it means to be a steward, and what the future of community-tended green space can be.
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Once a month for the rest of the year, we are going to share write-ups, photos, and audio recordings of these conversations. This post will update whenever a new write-up is posted.
July 2023: Luis Rincon
August 2023: Dante Iniguez & Anthony Martin
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Photos by Robert Flynn
2022-2023
By Hannah Flynn & Dani Velazco
current and former Test Plot interns
We are Dani and Hannah, current and former Test Plot interns. Starting in early 2022, we conducted a series of seven interviews with “Super Stewards” - members of the Test Plot community who are stewards of community and of the environment. Our conversations covered personal histories, what it means to be a steward, and what the future of community-tended green space can be.
Once a month for the rest of the year, we are going to share write-ups, photos, and audio recordings of these conversations. This post will update whenever a new write-up is posted.
July 2023: Luis Rincon
August 2023: Dante Iniguez & Anthony Martin
Photos by Robert Flynn
Visit 4/19/24
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ April 2024
TERREMOTO SF
EF
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ April 2024
TERREMOTO SF
TIME: 4:30pm
DATE: May 8, 2024
TEMP: 77 degrees
WEATHER: humid heat, but not a cloud in the sky
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): breeze coming from NW, it is welcomed
SOIL MOISTURE: dry!
PLANTS SIGHTINGS: a couple of new lupine, dot plantain, poppies, artemisia californica, sticky monkey flower
WEED SIGHTINGS: all of the ones we’ve been seeing, plus dandelion
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: scrub jays, bees on the clover, evidence of gophers from their holes, yellow swallowtail butterfly
HUMAN ACTIVITY: mainly the sounds of kids in the school yard, no one has passed through the annex except me
GENERAL NOTES: it is so dry all of a sudden! vetch appears to be making a come back in the east bluff plot after we gave the grasses a haircut last week. weeds have reappeared in the south hill plot. TALL grasses in the north pine plot. everything is tawny except for the vetch and the natives. it feels like summer already.
DATE: May 8, 2024
TEMP: 77 degrees
WEATHER: humid heat, but not a cloud in the sky
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): breeze coming from NW, it is welcomed
SOIL MOISTURE: dry!
PLANTS SIGHTINGS: a couple of new lupine, dot plantain, poppies, artemisia californica, sticky monkey flower
WEED SIGHTINGS: all of the ones we’ve been seeing, plus dandelion
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: scrub jays, bees on the clover, evidence of gophers from their holes, yellow swallowtail butterfly
HUMAN ACTIVITY: mainly the sounds of kids in the school yard, no one has passed through the annex except me
GENERAL NOTES: it is so dry all of a sudden! vetch appears to be making a come back in the east bluff plot after we gave the grasses a haircut last week. weeds have reappeared in the south hill plot. TALL grasses in the north pine plot. everything is tawny except for the vetch and the natives. it feels like summer already.
EF
South Hill Plot
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East Bluff Plot
gopher holes
coyotes???
LUPINUS SUCCULENTUS!
Visit 4/19/24
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ April 2024
TERREMOTO SF
TR
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ April 2024
TERREMOTO SF
TIME: 11:05 pm
DATE: April 19, 2024
TEMP: 55 degrees
WEATHER: Cloudy with a little sun
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): 7.1 mph to the northeast
SOIL MOISTURE: not dry not wet
PLANTS SIGHTINGS: poppy, lupine, sticky monkey flower
WEED SIGHTINGS: hoary mustard (?), wild radish, mallow, common milk thistle
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: a hawk and something burrowing in the ground
HUMAN ACTIVITY: just me!
GENERAL NOTES: Crazy how much clover there is under the pine tree compared to the rest of the site. Everything is blooming, so it’s clearer what plants are better suited for which parts of the park.
DATE: April 19, 2024
TEMP: 55 degrees
WEATHER: Cloudy with a little sun
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): 7.1 mph to the northeast
SOIL MOISTURE: not dry not wet
PLANTS SIGHTINGS: poppy, lupine, sticky monkey flower
WEED SIGHTINGS: hoary mustard (?), wild radish, mallow, common milk thistle
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: a hawk and something burrowing in the ground
HUMAN ACTIVITY: just me!
GENERAL NOTES: Crazy how much clover there is under the pine tree compared to the rest of the site. Everything is blooming, so it’s clearer what plants are better suited for which parts of the park.
TR
South Hill Plot![]()
East Bluff Plot
Wild Radish
Hawk!!
Sticky Monkey Flower
Visit 3/22/24
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ March 2024
TERREMOTO SF
TR
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ March 2024
TERREMOTO SF
TIME: 1:20 pm
DATE: March 22, 2024
TEMP: 65 degrees
WEATHER: Cloudy with a little sun
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): 13.3 mph to the north
SOIL MOISTURE: Still pretty wet from the rains
PLANTS SIGHTINGS: lots of lupine and poppies blooming!
WEED SIGHTINGS: lots of vetch blooming as well as what looks like trifolium hirtum (Rose clover)
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: no one but me
HUMAN ACTIVITY: just me!
GENERAL NOTES: So many blooms!
DATE: March 22, 2024
TEMP: 65 degrees
WEATHER: Cloudy with a little sun
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): 13.3 mph to the north
SOIL MOISTURE: Still pretty wet from the rains
PLANTS SIGHTINGS: lots of lupine and poppies blooming!
WEED SIGHTINGS: lots of vetch blooming as well as what looks like trifolium hirtum (Rose clover)
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: no one but me
HUMAN ACTIVITY: just me!
GENERAL NOTES: So many blooms!
TR
South Hill Plot
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East Bluff Plot
Lupines
Vetches
Rose Clover (Trifolium hirtum)
Visit 2/29/24
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ February 2024
TERREMOTO SF
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San Francisco TEST PLOT/ February 2024
TERREMOTO SF
South Hill Plot
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East Bluff Plot
Poppies
Lupines
Tall grasses almost buried our flags.
Wall Barley (Hordeum murinum)
Wild Oat (Avena fatua)
Lots of vetches
Rose Clover (Trifolium hirtum)
Wild Radish (Raphanus sativus)
Acacia melanoxylon
Visit 2/22/24
San Francisco TEST PLOT/ February 2024
TERREMOTO SF
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San Francisco TEST PLOT/ February 2024
TERREMOTO SF
TIME: 11:15 am
DATE: February 22, 2024
TEMP: 50 degrees but feels warmer
WEATHER: Sunny with almost no clouds
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): 3mph from the East
SOIL MOISTURE: Very moist; it’s been raining most of the week
PLANTS SIGHTINGS: Lupine and Poppies, both are starting to bloom on the South Hill Plot
WEED SIGHTINGS: Oxalis, Vetch, Mallow, some kind of grass with an interior red blade
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: Bees and butterflies
HUMAN ACTIVITY: Loud noise from roofers on the residential street nearby
GENERAL NOTES: It seems like there’s more growth of poppy and lupine at the south hill plot.
DATE: February 22, 2024
TEMP: 50 degrees but feels warmer
WEATHER: Sunny with almost no clouds
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): 3mph from the East
SOIL MOISTURE: Very moist; it’s been raining most of the week
PLANTS SIGHTINGS: Lupine and Poppies, both are starting to bloom on the South Hill Plot
WEED SIGHTINGS: Oxalis, Vetch, Mallow, some kind of grass with an interior red blade
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: Bees and butterflies
HUMAN ACTIVITY: Loud noise from roofers on the residential street nearby
GENERAL NOTES: It seems like there’s more growth of poppy and lupine at the south hill plot.
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South Hill Plot
North Pine Plot
East Bluff Plot
Additional Photos
