Project Description: Provide a Master Plan for 32-miles along the Los Angeles River, from the upstream confluence of Bell Creek and Calabasas Creek, downstream to Washington Blvd.  The Master Plan will explore the feasibility of habitat restoration, economic reinvestment, recreational opportunities, and water quality improvements, and will rely on a focused community outreach effort for acceptability.

Urban Semillas was part of the Tetra Tech team of sub-consultants  As part of the team, we worked to support the outreach efforts initiated by The Roberts Group to reach out to the many diverse communities abutting the river.  Urban Semillas’ efforts included coordinating presentations to Neighborhood Councils, Community-based organizations, Community leaders and businesses working and operating within the LA River watershed.

1. ✦One-on-one presentations to community stewards to engage them in the stakeholder-driven process
   

2. ✦Presentations to Neighborhood Councils, their boards and sub-committees
   

3. ✦Assisted in coordinating the First Youth Conference on the River, 500 students from 25 different high schools attended
   

4. ✦Development of community-specific presentation
   

5. ✦Master Plan support building
   

6. ✦Translation of materials to Spanish
   

7. ✦Served as point person to Spanish-language queries on some elements of the project
   

8. ✦Coordinated outreach efforts with City Council First District , LA River AdHoc Committee, Planning Department and Bureau of Engineering.
   

Project Summary: This research has established a multidisciplinary partnership between public agencies, community-based organizations, and USC’s Center for Sustainable Cities and Keck School of Medicine, to conduct action-oriented research on alleys in the City of Los Angeles.  This study will provide a pilot assessment of social and behavioral aspects of alleys enabling the design of a rigorous longer-term comparison of demonstration (greened and improved) and control (unimproved) alleys, to assess usage, physical activity levels of local residents, crime rates and perceptions of danger, and neighborhood property values.

Urban Semillas provided support in fine-tuning materials to be utilized in Focus groups.  The Focus groups seeked to solicit input form local residents in different communities throughout Los Angeles about the alleys in their community, current uses and how they currently interact with these.

Summary of Services Provided:

1. ✦Moderated all Spanish-language focus groups in various communities throughout the City of Los Angeles
   

2. ✦Fine-tuned materials to be utilized and presented during the focus groups
   

3. ✦Provided feed back on focus groups
   

4. ✦Assisted in the transition of materials (Spanish Language)
   

Project Summary: Urban Semillas cooperated with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust in conducting a series of workshops to local community members. These workshops were provided to the community through a series of accumulative learning topics and presentations each day. In attendance were an average of 20-30 community members.

Topics covered included: The importance of water for healthy living; an introduction to the Los Angeles stormdrain system; what is a watershed? water quality & supply and the importance of revitalization; the connections between land use green space and healthy communities. Presenters on these topics included experts from varies agencies: Just Breathe Healing, Heal the Bay, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Trust for Public Land and Joe Linton.

It is assumed- based on continued participation and topics presented during these workshops, that all, if not most attendees left with a greater understanding of their connection to and their place within a watershed. This understanding might not necessarily express itself by the use of newly learned terminology from attendees. Rather, it was manifested by the participant’s reaction to the new information they were exposed to and their understanding on how their immediate actions and behavior have and impact (positive or negative) on their communities, their environment and themselves.

Project Description: This project seeks to build on existing work to preserve the Northeast LA hillside as open space.  We will work towards reaching immigrant and underserved populations by utilizing a four-element (Tierra, Fuego, Agua, Aire) based approach to promote environmental community-relevant issues.  We will develop culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible environmental education and information.  Some tasks include:

1. ✦Identify and develop the skills of respected neighborhood leaders
   

2. ✦Educate and mobilize low-income residents in support of local conservation issues
   

3. ✦Build an advocacy base for related conservation policy issues
   

4. ✦Watershed conservation and rehabilitation
   

5. ✦Assist in the development of an urban conservation model
   

6. ✦Train committed neighborhood leaders about Audubon Center programs and environmental issues
   

7. ✦Build individual and community capacity
   

Summary of services provided by Urban Semillas:

Provide reconnaissance and outreach services for the long-term guiding principles for community engagement and outcome strategies. Design an organizing plan and assist in the development of training and materials for an outreach drive in Highland Park with the specific objective of collecting 150 surveys to assess opinions about programming and usage of the Audubon Center and Debs Park, and publicize a community event.

1. ✦Participated in strategy sessions to lay the foundation for the work force to be conducted
   

2. ✦Developed an outreach map that specified streets and routes to follow throughout the different stages of the reconnaissance, outreach and data collection
   

3. ✦Assisted in the development of outreach materials to be utilized by the outreach team
   

4. ✦Conducted the door-to-door outreach: collected data, provided information and identified long-term community advocates