A trio of local nonprofits recently teamed up to give Ballona Creek a makeover.
More than 100 native plants were introduced into a 90-feet-wide area behind the Mar Vista Family Center’s new building at 5075 S. Slauson Avenue, Culver City, by staff and volunteers with the Center’s By Youth For Youth program and the Youth Science Alliance, which brought 18 high school student interns preparing for WATERS Project (Watershed Awareness Training for Ecological Research & Stewardship) from three communities within the Ballona Watershed.
Using a grant provided by the Earth Island Institute on behalf of the Wetlands Recovery Project Community Wetland Restoration Grants Program, the Friends of Ballona Creek and the Ballona Creek Renaissance partnered with the Center on a long-term project along the creek, adjacent to the Center grounds. The three partners started this program three years ago by bringing youth leaders to the Ballona Wetlands for educational tours and restoration projects, in preparation for the intended Ballona Creek Restoration and Stewardship Project.
Most of the heavy labor was performed by youth from the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, which prepared the rock-hard ground for planting with a rototiller and pick axes. The Corps’ primary mission is to provide at-risk young adults and school-aged youth with opportunities for success through job-skills training, education and work experience with an emphasis on conservation and service projects that benefit the community.
The mission of the Mar Vista Family Center is to provide low-income families with quality early-childhood education, youth enrichment and educational tools to create positive change in their lives and communities. The center operates 21 projects within three main program areas: early childhood education, youth and community. The By Youth For Youth program is built on the Center’s self-empowerment and personal responsibility philosophies. Today, more than 600 children and teens are benefiting from the center’s youth programs.
Anyone interested in assisting with the on-going maintenance and education of visitors to the new native plant garden, contact Jim Lamm with Ballona Creek Renaissance (ballonacreek.org), Lisa Fimiani with the Friends of Ballona Wetlands (ballonafriends.org) or Lucia Diaz at the Mar Vista Family Center (marvistafc.org).