Ballona Watershed Youth and Community Nature Connections

Green space, park access, and trees

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Many young people and LA community members are seeking nature connections that give them hope for a brighter environmental future. Youth (and each of us) may be suffering from too much social media/screen time and lack access to outdoor experiences or have little knowledge of the natural world that exists within the urban sprawl of Los Angeles. Studies have shown that spending quality time outdoors can greatly improve one’s health and social and emotional well-being.

The program celebrates diversity in nature through inclusive outdoor activities that bring together BIPOC youth, Indigenous community knowledge, and people of all ages to unplug from the daily noise of city life. Participants gain birdwatching skills, identify native plants and pollinators on nature hikes, learn nature sketching techniques, and take part in expanding acres of native plant habitat. Nature Nexus Institute (NNI) staff serve as bilingual recruiters, educators, and environmental professionals, providing a real-world perspective on the importance of nature conservation. Essential to NNI’s mission is building greater youth/community capacity for hands-on experiences in natural spaces that provide knowledge, inspiration, and ways to take action in environmental stewardship, scientific literacy and climate resiliency. The program also supports our organization's broader goal of creating a more diverse and younger demographic within the environmental workforce. Student participants will be recruited for environmental internship opportunities from high schools and from West Los Angeles College where NNI staff lead a no-cost Conservation Studies program. LINKS (Laboratory for Indigenous Knowledge Systems) will co-lead some walks and share cultural knowledge. Overall, the project activities will provide participants with a sense of place within the natural environments of Los Angeles.

The project aims to strengthen the bonds between people and the natural world, through immersive nature walks, workshops, after-school programs, and community habitat restoration activities; fostering hope and a shared responsibility for a healthy environment where wildlife and people can thrive. For example, by restoring cactus habitat in the Baldwin Hills Parklands, we hope to see the return of the Cactus Wren, not seen here in decades due to loss of habitat. Youth/program participants will become future biologists, scientists, and community leaders who will guide Los Angeles towards a greener, biodiverse environment with clean air, clean water, and reduced plastic pollution.