Description
For decades, Northeast Los Angeles’ Elephant Hill has been both a refuge for native habitat and a veritable land-use quagmire. Accordingly, over the past 3 years, TEST PLOT, in collaboration with the Los Angeles / Santa Monica Mountains Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, has worked to support longtime conservation efforts at Elephant Hill by (1) establishing an experimental native plant garden in an invasive-choked natural upland bowl, (2) coordinating with stalwart community groups like Save Elephant Hill, and (3) holding educational programming on local flora, restoration efforts like TEST PLOT, and the relationship of native and invasive plants to fire.
At once expanding the native plant footprint in an urban setting and providing vital access to nature for a blue-collar community, this coalition of neighbors, designers, scientists and activists have successfully transformed not just 10,000 square foot of public land, but inspired larger progress of that land to become true, protected, accessible parkland.
“Our efforts may not bear fruit in one or two years, but they will over time.”— David Iniguez, El Sereno resident and US Forest Service employee
Presenter Bios
Joey Farewell
CNPS Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mountains Chapter
Joey Farewell is a resident of El Sereno, Los Angeles, and an Estate Planning attorney who also serves as Conservation Co-Chair for the Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mountains Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. His work sits at the crossroads of public service, land use conservation, and native plant education. With a B.A. in Government from Claremont McKenna College, a Master’s in Psychology from Pepperdine University, and a J.D. from Loyola Law School, Joey brings a multidisciplinary perspective to native plant work. His time living abroad in Spain and France—where he became fluent in Spanish and proficient in French—further deepened his ability to connect across cultures. Today, he works directly with community members on issues involving public lands and develops resources that support the health of both our natural world and the people who depend on it.
Jen Toy
Test Plot
Jen Toy is a landscape architect, educator, and habitual weed puller. She leads Test Plot, a California-based nonprofit that supports community-led landcare. Her work focuses on urban ecology, regenerative practices, and bridging the gap between neighbors and land managers to restore both ecosystems and relationships. Previously, Jen taught at the University of Southern California, where she developed Test Plot’s hand in the-soil curriculum. Earlier in her career, she worked as a park ranger in Yosemite and as a groundskeeper at the Morton Arboretum—two of her all-time favorite jobs. Jen graduated from Harvard College with a degree in the History of Science and from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. She grew up in the Bay Area, where her deep connection to the California landscape first took root.
Cris Sarabia
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
Cris Sarabia is Conservation Director for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy in southwestern Los Angeles and oversees all conservation projects including land preservation, habitat restoration, endangered species protection, and management of the nature preserves and open spaces on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Cris has a wide history of involvement with ecological and social justice organizations including being the cofounder of the Long Beach cultural community center Flora y Tierra, as a leader within the California Native Plant Society, an ecologist with the Los Cerritos Wetland Stewards, an Explore the Coast grant Advisory Board Member, and an Advisory Board Member with the Conservation Corp of Long Beach. On his free time, Cris advocates for habitat restoration and multi-lingual nature based programs throughout the urban areas of Los Angeles.
DateFriday, February 6
