ANAHUAK YOUTH SPORTS ASSOCIATION

What began as a small sports group has now grown into the most significant community-based organization in the area.  Today, ANAHUAK serves over 2,000 boys and girls ages 5-17 and counts with a constituency of about 8,000 family members (older siblings, parents, uncles, aunts and cousins).

Services Provided by Urban Semillas:

The potential to further reach-into Latino communities through ANAHUAK is so evident, that one wonders why an organization with such great connections to the Latino community has been overlooked for much needed funding.  One reason could be that ANAHUAK is seen by environmental entities, conservancies and foundations as only a “soccer association” and not for what they really are: a stakeholder capacity-building, river parkway and open space advocacy, community-based, watershed-driven organization.  Urban Semillas is working under the leadership of Raul Macias, Executive Director and Founder of ANAHUAK, to “re-brand” the organization to reflect their real role in the community.  ANAHUAK is a Social Justice organization.

The re-branding of ANAHUAK includes the further development of their environmental educational programs/products: “Agua (water) University” and “La Universidad del Rio” (River University); the creation of a Community Newspaper that would incorporate real community issues unfiltered by mass media; the nourishment of existing community partnerships; and the development of the two-year and five-year strategic plan for the organization.

The work that is taking place at ANAHUAK will leave a long-lasting imprint in the City of Los Angeles.  Moreover, it will yield substantive data that can provide us with an insight view on how Latino communities are socially structured and best ways to reach them.

STANFORD AVALON FARM

Lead Entity(ies): Los Angeles Community Garden Council

Project Summary: On June of 2006, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DPW) authorized the Los Angeles Community Garden Council (LACGC) to oversee the use of the land located under the transmission line right of way corridor between Compton Creek and 121st street as a community garden.  Presently there are approximately over 120 urban farmers working the garden.  Under the direction and facilitation of the LACGC, the farmers formed a club lead by a group of officers to oversee the everyday operations of the garden and establish a set of rules and guidelines by the gardeners for the gardeners.  Farmers meet at least once a month to discuss and address any issues as they relate to the rules and guidelines currently established.

Urban Semillas facilitates the process for the farmers to take the next steps towards creating a long-term sustainable governing structure for the garden.  We are currently developing a sustainable system that is both functional and transparent through strategic planning, effective training and adaptive facilitation. 

Summary of services provided by Urban Semillas:

1. •Temporarily facilitate and model monthly garden meetings
   

2. •Further development and refining of existing garden rules and guidelines
   

3. •Leadership Training
   

4. •Organize and facilitate Garden Board Elections
   

5. •Increase local community resident participation in the garden
   

6. •Build capacity within the gardener community to participate in garden policy development
   

7. •Develop youth program fro gardener’s children
   

AGUA UNIVERSITY

Lead Entity(ies): Developed by Urban Semillas in partnership with Anahuak

Project Description: A set of environmental workshops that targets minority and underserved high school students.  The topic of watersheds can be a difficult subject to comprehend.  In order to engage our communities we must use a topic that everyone is familiar with.  We chose water (Agua).  By using a domestic topic like water, we can much easily start to make the connections it has in our everyday lives.  We can start to understand the connections and the importance of this precious resource.  And we can start to take action towards its protection and conservation.

Agua University recognizes that our present youth will become our future decision makers.  This is why we have set out to educate and motivate the youth in our communities through a set of environmental workshops with a thematic emphasis on water.

 

2007 Achievements

August 2007 – 25 students from the Cypress park community graduate from Agua University.  Students received certificates from the office of First District, City of Los Angeles Councilmember Ed Reyes.

September 2007 – Agua University and students receive recognition from Los Angeles City Council and the Mayor for their participation and initiative to make change.

November 9th – 33 Local students from 11 different high schools throughout the Cities of Los Angeles and San Fernando received certificates of completion from the office of Honorable State Senator Alex Padilla and Agua University. The most important achievement however, comes without a certificate or recognition.  It comes in the form of knowing that our future (our children) our empowered and competent to be part of a dialogue that will impact them.

Agua University 2007 Partners

Anahuak • State Senator Alex Padilla • Los Angeles Valley College • Councilmember Ed Reyes Assemblymember Lloyd Levine • Environmental Justice Coalition for Water • Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority • Friends of the LA River • Heal the Bay • Glen Dake–Landscape Architect • It’s our LA- Keep it Clean • LA Community Garden Council • The Southern California Watershed Alliance, California Water Impact Network • the Trust for Public Land, Melinda Kelley Photography and Dorothy Green (Mentor and Keynote Speaker at all Agua University graduations).

For more information please visit: www.AguaUniversity.com

WHITTIER NARROWS RECREATION AREA MASTER PLAN

Lead Entity(ies): San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, Bill Wenk and Associates

Summary of services provided:

Our team’s community outreach effort has several clear objectives; it will:

1. •Maximize input from a broad range of stakeholders
   

2. •Empower residents, businesses and community leaders to participate
   

3. •Reinforce that communities and stakeholders are included in decision-making in a meaningful way
   

4. •Create a forum for community generation of ideas, alternatives and mitigation measures
   

5. •Build trust and consensus by ensuring confidence, credibility and transparency in decision making and
   

6. •Encourage stewardship and responsible use of the WNRA
   

WATER AUGMENTATION STUDY

Lead Agency-Organization(s): Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council (LASGRWC), TreePeople, City of Los Angeles, US Bureau of Reclamation.

Project Description :The Water Augmentation Study is a long-term research program led by the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council (Watershed Council). The purpose of the program is to assess whether the capture and infiltration of stormwater at localized sites throughout the region is a viable means of augmenting water supply, without adversely affecting groundwater quality. The project will implement one or more demonstration projects on a neighborhood scale, incorporating both infiltration and water conservation strategies. The neighborhood project(s) will demonstrate an integrated, comprehensive approach to water management by retrofitting a residential street with state of the art Best Management Practices (BMPs) to address runoff, water conservation, pollution reduction and treatment, flooding, and habitat restoration.

Urban Semillas works in collaboration with LASGRWC and its partners on Phase III of the LA Basin Water Augmentation Study (WAS).  This specific assignment entails working with TreePeople and LASGRWC to implement the outreach program for the neighborhood demonstration project.

Summary of services provided by Urban Semillas:

1. •Assist with door-to-door outreach to targeted Sun Valley residents to solicit interest in the project
   

2. •Review and comment on outreach materials as requested
   

3. •Assist with preparations for community meetings in the targeted neighborhood
   

4. •Serve as liaison to Spanish speaking residents
   

5. •Collaborate in the preparation of community presentations
   

6. •Facilitate presentations of community update meetings
   

LYTLE CREEK WATERSHED ACTION PLAN

Lead Agency-Organization(s): The Foundation for CA State University, San Bernardino Water Resources Institute

The The Lytle Creek Watershed Action Project builds the local capacity to preserve and restore watershed balance in a disadvantaged community with an impaired stream. Four retail water agencies have surface water rights to divert water from Lytle Creek in the upper Santa Ana watershed of Southern California. Lytle Creek’s drainage basin is approximately 186 square miles with a mean annual runoff is 31,720 acre feet. The Project will improve water supply reliability by coordinating supplies derived from the delta with local supplies from Lytle Creek that are interdependent of the delta and improve the efficient use of these waters. The Project consists of three elements: a Lytle is Vital Watershed Stewardship Program (Lytle is Vital Program), a Water Quality and Biotic Monitoring & Natural Disturbance Regimes Program (Creek Intervention Program), and an Environmental Justice Program.

Programs:

The Lytle is Vital Program is guided by an Advisory Committee made up of Partners and Co-Sponsors in the Project and an array of local stakeholders assembled from the watershed to promote watershed stewardship activities. Watershed Forums will be hosted for the public to learn about personal actions that can be undertaken to sustain the watershed and the benefits to the community. Forums address topics such as resource efficient land use to promote retention of surface water runoff, fire prevention actions, preparation for post-fire mitigation strategies, water-efficient landscaping and gardens and urban run-off prevention programs at home or the workplace. Children attending disadvantaged schools in the Lytle Creek watershed (Muscoy, Bloomington, Rialto, Fontana, Colton and San Bernardino) learn about cause and effect of non-point source pollution as well as prevention and how to plant a water-efficient garden at home or school.

 

The Creek Intervention Program establishes a bi-lingual Ambassador Program with the National Forest Service providing outreach to “break the cycle of polluting behavior” caused by thousands of day-use visitors from disadvantaged communities that utilize the creek for swimming, bathing and large gatherings. A water quality monitoring program is established in consultation with the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board for CSUSB faculty to train and supervise student interns to collect samples in Lytle Creek to identify the locations where pathogen-indicator bacteria are being introduced and perform lab tests to quantify the levels of bacteria causing Lytle Creek to remain listed as an impaired stream. A monitoring program on the recovery of the Santa Ana Speckled Dace impacted by the 2003 wildfires and debris flows evaluates the natural disturbance regimes shaping the Lytle Creek ecosystem. Programs offered by the Lytle Creek Fire Safe Council Inc. to visitors and residents living in close proximity to the creek and canyon play an important role in preventing wildfires and the post-fire flooding.

The Environmental Justice Program brings a water education and participation to economically community that has lacked meaningful engagement in watershed issues. Many of the low-income residents are all that is left of a once rural area overtaken by exponential growth.  Many lack the awareness to promote stewardship activities to address the emerging health, safety and quality of life issues they face.

Summary of services provided by Urban Semillas:

1. •Collaborate on the development of the outreach program
   

2. •Bi-lingual watershed-based constituency building and education
   

3. •Capacity building within the Lytle Creek Communities
   

4. •Develop outreach information and materials

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