On June 9th, 2020 the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program wrapped up its 12th school year. Despite incredibly challenging circumstances during the spring, Greenhouse Interns did their best to see their projects through to completion. For the first time in the program’s history, we were unable to host the Cactus Commencement Ceremony, a culminating event where students formally present their work to an audience of friends, family, and community members. Interns collectively invested hundreds of hours in the research process: crafting a proposal, collecting and analyzing data, and designing a research poster. Each year, we publish the research abstracts in an effort to share the knowledge gained with a broader audience and to acknowledge the interns’ hard work and commitment. This year’s projects include both qualitative and quantitative approaches to better understanding humans and nature in our city.
Akari Johnston
Cyanotype Herbarium of Baldwin Hills
Cyanotype of sage as part of Akari’s herbarium project.
Herbariums are important for cataloguing plants, and plants are typically pressed and taped into the pages, preserving them for centuries. My version is a cyanotype herbarium of the Baldwin Hills. Cyanotyping is a form of photography that uses a solution of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate that reacts with sunlight to produce silhouetted shapes on treated paper. Cyanotyping’s most well-known use was by Anna Atkins, a 19th century botanist who used the process to create a kelp herbarium, which is similar to my project. Although the plan for my project was initially the creation of an herbarium book containing the original cyanotype prints, COVID-19 forced me to change that plan. Instead, I created a digital herbarium with scans of each print and links for each plant to Calflora. My digital herbarium can be used by the public to learn about and identify plants seen at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, which spreads awareness of the various local plant life as well as the differences between native and invasive plant species. Next year, I will continue the project by creating more cyanotype sun prints, adding written descriptions of each plant and creating a bound book of the sun prints.
Denny Lorenzano
Phenology at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
Interns survey for birds at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park.
My project focuses on phenology in the Baldwin Hills. Phenology is the seasonal timing of life cycle events in animal and plant life. From Jan 10, 2020 to March 10, 2020, I observed non-native and native plants as well as birds at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park. I focused on four native plants (Toyon, Encelia, Bladderpod, and White Sage) and the area behind the greenhouse where non-native plants could be viewed. Being able to come to these sites, taking photos and notes really shows how important certain plants are to animal life. The toyon created food for animals, and when the encelia bloomed, bees were able to pollinate in a variety of areas. Overall, I was able to observe 21 different types of bird species during the course of these surveys. Conducting bird surveys helped me understand what birds were most common in the months, it showed me which birds stayed for the winter and which birds came back for nesting. Next year, I will incorporate drawing into my phenology observation process.
Natan Euol
Studying Effects of Mindfulness Activities on Greenhouse Students
Natan introduces a mindfulness activity to the entire group of Greenhouse Program students.
Mindfulness is about being present in the moment and conscious of what you are feeling both internally and externally, and my project studies the effects of different mindfulness activities on students' emotional state and stress levels while identifying what outside factors play the biggest role in those results. The data for my project came from conducting experiments and designing surveys around 3 mindfulness activities, guided meditation, self-meditation, and due to quarantine, digital campfire meditation. Upon completing the experiments, we see that college was the biggest outside factor affecting interns’ emotional state. Despite that my prediction was that school would be the biggest factor, considering our program has many interns in their senior year these results are no surprise. As for the effect on students’ stress levels, my data showed that the self-meditation exercise had the highest report of a decrease in stress at 61.6%. When looking at focus levels, you see the highest report of an increase in focus levels in the third experiment, digital meditation, at 52.9%. It is most important to note that in my post-experiment survey, 100% of interns attributed mindfulness to improvement in their emotional state and 77% felt an outdoor setting was most effective for them, that’s why it’s crucial we take advantage of the benefits of being mindful and study how coupled with nature it can work to better improve one’s mental health and view of our environment.
Savannah House
Writing a Handbook: How the Greenhouse Program has Impacted the Community
Through this handbook, I want to relay the story of the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program. As a third-year intern, I know first-hand the hard work and the diligence it takes to do research at the park. In the last two years, I have done research on the effects of different soil types on native plants’ germination and transplant survival rates. I have written a paper on, created a poster, and publicly presented both projects. Not only do I want to give the program the acknowledgment it deserves, but share the knowledge that interns have found with the public and highlight the work they have done since 2008. There are 82 projects from 2008-2019, and I organized each one on a spreadsheet. All staff and some alumni got individual interviews, and the majority of current students were interviewed in groups. My major focus ended up being how Greenhouse impacted each of the students and what they took away from the program.
Axel Maya
Comparing Compost Bin Types for Invasive Plant Composting
From January 2019 to October 2019, I conducted an invasive-plant composting project at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park. Knowing an effective method for composting invasive species leaves a smaller carbon footprint and provides another way of eliminating invasive species. I compared 3 types of compost bins (trashcan, open wire, and pallet box), using the same mixture of invasive grass for all three. My hypothesis that the trash can compost would take less time to decompose was not supported by my results. The compost height for all three types of bins was reduced to 1/3 of its original height by the end of the project, with no major difference between each type. The box and wire compost did not have a smell, while the trash can compost did. The wire and box compost was drier and colder than the trash can compost, which felt moist and hotter. In October 2019, over 250 days since starting the compost. I documented characteristics of the composts, such as color, texture, presence of invertebrates, animal remains, and pH. Overall, both the box and wired composts were the same in results, while the trashcan had differences.
Brandon Kim
Analyzing the People-Nature Relationship Via Student Literary Samples
Human modification of the environment has led to a significant human-nature disconnect; my project investigates this disconnect by examining the relationship between people and nature via literary samples. I collected these samples from students in the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program, who responded to: (1) a twenty-word story about a natural experience, (2) a reflection on the reasoning behind habitat restoration and a prediction about what the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook would look like in 10 years, (3) a six word story written following a bird walk at an all-ages youth summit, (4) an emotional reflection on nature, and (5) a 25-30 word free-write based on a peer-given nature-related word. I conducted a thematic analysis of these samples based on a theme code that I developed. Major trends that emerged included frequent mention of location, plants, and animals, which suggests that these three aspects are tied heavily to natural experiences. In addition, responses overwhelmingly displayed a sense of excitement, awe, adventure, and/or optimism, which suggests that nature is perceived as a new, exciting place separate from daily urban life. Interestingly, responses to Prompt 4 displayed a sense of peacefulness, tranquility, calm, and/or relaxing, which suggests that the actual emotional impact of nature may be the inducement of a calm mindset. These results may help people better manage their time in natural spaces and urban-induced stress. In addition, it can help those involved in conservation efforts to know which aspects of nature are most valued, and thus should be highlighted.
Ahmad Rizwan
Window Stickers to the Rescue: Preventing Bird Collisions
This is a digital composite of what Ahmad’s stickers would look like on the BHSO visitor center windows to reduce bird collisions.
It is crucial to acknowledge the dangers of windows that impose a threat to birds. The issue of bird collisions can be seen in a recent congressional bill. The Bird-Safe Buildings Act (H.R. 919) will require there to be sustainable standards in terms of designing windows. This proves that this problem is urging people to take the initiative, and for this reason, we all need to act both locally and nationally to prevent the increase in bird mortality. In order to decrease the potential danger that windows impose on birds in my local area, I took photos of the Visitor Center’s windows located atop of Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook to visualize where to put the stickers on the glass windows so birds could see them. I sketched images of a Northern Mockingbird, Allen’s Hummingbird, and a Red-Tailed Hawk on newsprint paper, took photos of the drawings, and then uploaded them to Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for processing into stickers designs. I would like to present my project to the Los Angeles Audubon Society Board to get support for placing my stickers on the Visitor Center’s windows.
John Recendez
Next Steps for a Greenhouse Business Plan
My long-term project is a business plan focused on selling plants to the public at the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program. The purpose behind it is to benefit both the community and the environment as well as greenhouse through several factors. The majority of my time this year was spent connecting my project to climate change and considering benefits the project would provide. The research consisted of the books and other media that I researched in order to connect my project to climate change. My project focuses more on the benefits of the selling and buying of native plants rather than profit. My next steps are to deal with the technical details of my project involving tax information and ownership of the plants.
Aaron Rivas
Irrigation Systems and Native Plant Survival
Due to Los Angeles’s Mediterranean climate and California’s frequent droughts, irrigation systems have become a necessity for native plants that do not receive adequate water. This includes the many native plants at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (BHSO) State Park, which are being restored in order to serve as habitat for native animals. For my project, I investigated plant survival in ring and drip irrigation systems. I divided the traffic circle at the entrance to the park into two sections, one with drip irrigation and one with ring irrigation, and installed native plants such as aristida, encelia, blue-eyed grass, California fuchsia, and white sage. I hypothesized that plants in the ring irrigation system would have higher survival than plants in the drip irrigation system. I had found that all 11 plants survived in the ring irrigation, and 9 of the 11 survived in the drip irrigation.
Azul Calderon
Spanglish Ecology of the Baldwin Hills
My project is a podcast, The Spanglish Ecology of Baldwin Hills. I will address Baldwin Hills ecology in order to educate the public about how diverse the land is and teach them new basic Spanish words relating to ecology. I first had to learn about ecology and find out which intern projects best fit my narrative. By interviewing 4 of my fellow interns, I was able to find out what makes Baldwin Hills unique to other parks in this area, gain other students' perspectives on ecology, and find out what made them so interested in it. In order to record the interviews, I used a Sony model #ICD/UX560 microphone that had an SD card and I relied on the internal mic. I went back and listened to the podcasts and I learned that all 4 interviews had a common theme: when we educate the public about the environment, people better understand the situation and may be more willing to take action. My plan next year is to combine the Spanglish ecology of Baldwin Hills with capturing the soundscape of Baldwin Hills.
Sienna Koizumi
Exploring the Properties of Repurposed Single-Use Plastics
Sienna crochets a sample swatch with plarn she created from single-use plastic bags.
My project is about ecological and mental well-being. Hand-work, such as crochet and knitting, can positively impact the well-being of crafters, providing them with a feeling of productivity and calmness. They can be done with a variety of material, including yarn made out of plastic bags, or “plarn.” Reusing disposable plastic bags can prevent them from going to the landfill, where they have a detrimental impact on the environment. For my experiment, I made sample swatches of five different types of plastics: bread bags, produce bags, grocery store bags, frozen food bags, and shipping bags. I first had to cut them into loops and connect them into a chain that I could then crochet into small swatches (8- to 9-inch squares). After completing each swatch, I recorded various factors including stretchability and texture. I concluded that some materials were significantly more difficult to use than others, making them less probable candidates for creating next year’s project: a giant plarn octopus. Next year, I will probably use grocery shopping bags and produce bags, but knowing the properties of the other materials will come in handy. By experimenting with plarn, I have learned lessons that will enhance next year’s project.
Omar Mahfouz
Native Plants Survival Investigation
The Baldwin Hills area is home to a wide range of wildlife, including coyotes, mice, several species of birds, and other mammals (Molina 2001). Over time, however, most of the wildlife was lost to human activity. Habitat restoration can reverse this. I have designed an experiment with native plants in order to demonstrate a viable way to restore the habitat of the Baldwin Hills. I have grown native plants in a greenhouse and a hillside and have investigated the germination rate of the seeds in both areas, in addition to installing a wildlife camera on the hillside to capture animals. Originally, my hypothesis was that the plants in the greenhouse would grow taller than those on the hillside, but I have shifted my focus to how many of the seeds germinated. Throughout the experiment, the general pattern was that plants in the greenhouse would germinate at a moderate rate for a sustained period of time and that the number of plants in each area would suddenly decrease. The implications of my results are important: the sudden decrease in plants in both areas suggests that a larger land area was required for the plants, as well as more protection from predators.
Published by Los Angeles Audubon Society, Western Tanager Vol. 87 No. 1 Sep–Oct 2020.