Spring Happenings At CNC

The hustle and bustle of spring has brought growth and fullness as we deepen our connection to youth and community around our Vista Hermosa and Elyria Canyon hubs and with our community partners across the county. With all these happenings we are excited to share some of what we’ve been up to and what’s on the horizon across our youth leadership, community access, fire resilience, certification, and nursery and restoration programming. Upcoming Programs, Join Us! Community Campfire at Vista Hermosa A series of fire resilience community campfires are being held at Vista Hermosa this Spring where community members can learn about fire ecology, home hardening, and disaster preparedness measures. The next Campfire is on June 13, 4:30-6:30 at Vista Hermosa Natural Park. Click here to check out and register for our upcoming programs! Transit to Trails June 13th: Continuing Connections Alumni & Friends are invited to come see the Grunion Run at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium! Transportation provided! June 26th: College Access Plan and the Altadena Community are invited to ring in the start of summer on a Transit to Trails trip to the iconic Santa Monica Pier! Click here to check out and register for our upcoming programs! Spring Program Highlights Outdoor & Coastal Access Leadership Institute Congratulations to our OCALI participants who completed the 12 week Leadership Institute based at the Akuutet Learning Nursery at Elyria Canyon Park this spring. During the weekly sessions, youth leaders were introduced to protected MRCA managed canyons in the Northeast LA area at Elyria Canyon, Rainbow Canyon, and Elephant Hill where connectivity of green space could potentially be the future of habitat and native plant restoration. Participating in multiple community events at these sites, OCALI met with community leaders who shared the beneficial impact of stewarding these spaces. OCALI had a big adventure up north to camp amongst the redwoods and brought their learnings home which manifested in their community access projects. Participants also engaged in wellness activities and learned about historical barriers to the outdoors and redlining during the bi-monthly Friday virtual sessions. OCALI used the knowledge and experience gained throughout the program to develop a community action project with the theme: Through native plant education and land back awareness at Elyria Canyon settlement, we will move away from colonial practices and towards equitable access to the outdoors. On May 18th, the program culminated in a community program where participants showcased their work with a native plant banner, a trail map, and a zine about the history of Elyria Canyon settlement. OCALI interns met friends and family and led them through a guided hike, sharing knowledge and showcasing the stops featured on the newly designed trail map. The hike was followed by refreshments and a ceremony recognizing each OCALI intern for their extensive work and dedication to the program.  Vista Hermosa Emerging Naturalists Continuing our youth leadership programs at Vista Hermosa Natural Park, youth from the community deepen their connection to their local park, engage in community advocacy, and visit other local treasures in the neighborhood like Unidad Park & Community Garden. The Emerging Naturalists capped it all off with a beach day celebration with friends and family and a visit to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. California Naturalist Certification Program Our Naturalists-in-Training are learning from local experts in the field and building their naturalist practices through observation and inquiry. We had such a great time on our Urban Ecology field trip deepening our understanding of novel ecosystems and our shared experience that nature is all around us, even in the middle of Los Angeles. This realization was evidenced by the ecology of the LA River and illuminated by our special guest speakers from Friends of the LA River and Feminist Bird Club. Participants are partnering with local organizations on their stewardship projects, participating in community science projects, and engaging in coursework and with our stellar lineup of guest speakers. Continuing Connections & Community Programs at Elyria Canyon Our Nursery & Restoration team has been super busy this spring, supporting community events with our partners. In April, CNC teamed up with Test Plot to host a volunteer event at Rainbow Canyon Park where program alumni engaged in land stewardship practices including native plant maintenance and invasive species removal. CNC also visited Elephant Hill to join a panel in collaboration with MRCA, the California Native Plant Society, and Save Elephant Hill to address community concerns on fire resilience and readiness, as well as management of Elephant Hill to prevent illegal off-roading in protection of the site's trails and habitat. At the Akuutet Learning Nursery, volunteers have been busy this spring transplanting more than 100 fire-resistant Sticky Monkey Flower (Diplacus aurantiacus) seedlings to 1 gallon pots. The Nursery team was also excited to represent CNC and support the Grand Re-Opening of La Esquina Park at the LA River Center & Gardens; giving away free native plants to community members and introducing program alumni to partnering organizations. Emerging Naturalists: Girls Outside We’re back at Vista Hermosa for a Spring into Summer Emerging Naturalists program - Girls Outside edition! This program kicked off in May and is  featuring themes of wellness and connection to nature for girls. It has been so much fun to design this program and we can’t wait to share sessions with participants on combating climate anxiety, food as medicine, movement as meditation, nature journaling, zine-making, and more. The girls will also invite their friends on two summer day trips to our local State Parks and a 2-night camping trip to Leo Carillo State Beach in July! There are still spots available for high school aged girls to join our summer trips. Share this with a young girl in your life - the interest form can be found here. Thanks for reading! Support our nature access, community resilience, youth leadership and career pathway programming here: https://www.communitynatureconnection.org/monthly-donation