Amigos de Los Rios, a Southern California-based nonprofit, received California Climate Investments funding through California Natural Resources Agency’s Urban Greening program in 2021, supporting their efforts to incorporate more green space at an elementary school in Altadena and restore a portion of the Rio Hondo Greenway. Mary Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary School, which originally had large areas of heat-radiating asphalt, is now surrounded by large shade trees, beautifully landscaped gardens, and outdoor learning spaces. The Rio Hondo Greenway also features new native greenery along with interpretive signage and ADA accessible sitting areas. Amigos de Los Rios’ managing director, Claire Robinson, hopes that these projects serve as examples of how communities can transform public spaces to connect residents to nature, increase recreational opportunities, and counter the effects of extreme urban heat. Read interviews on both projects below to learn more about the details of implementation and the specific benefits associated with each of these Emerald Necklace projects.
Mary Jackson Elementary School
Can you tell us your name and your affiliation with the project?
Claire Robinson, Amigos de los Rios, Managing Director
Tell us about Mary Jackson Elementary School. What makes it unique? What are some of its greatest needs?
The Mary Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary School Community in unincorporated Altadena has 625 students and 26 teachers strong. 66% of students are considered economically disadvantaged, 65% of population is Latino with 18% of students being English learners. The school has an incredible spirit, extremely energetic parents dedicated to improving school experience for all, an amazing Principal, and extensive community partners.
Claire Robinson at Mary Jackson Elementary School with Science teacher John Newell and PTA President Brooke Kind.
We’d love to hear more about the project. What did it accomplish? What benefits has it provided?
The project transformed a traditional asphalt campus into a microcosm of the greater watershed to bring the multiple benefits of natural infrastructure and urban forestry to the Mary Jackson campus. Public School students are suffering mental health, physical fitness and academic performance issues related to school campuses with large expanses of asphalt that generate excessive heat.
What was the overarching goal of the project?
Honor the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights and create a Watershed Discovery case study on a public school campus where nature and the multiple benefits of urban forestry are integrated into all areas of campus.
View of main courtyard with cream colored pervious paving, outdoor classrooms and view of newly designated San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
What kind of message do you hope this project sends when it comes to designing campuses for sustainability and student well-being?
We hope this school transformation project serves as a prototype for what all public school campuses could become. The design and implementation was in direct response to the inclusive needs of all students and their right to experience and enjoy nature on campus. The project trees form shade canopies that support biodiversity, improve air quality, and sequester carbon. The permeable concrete surfaces, mulched landscape areas, and rain harvest gardens capture and infiltrate stormwater.
What was challenging in carrying out the project, and what did you learn from those challenges that could be useful for others to know?
The challenge was in coordinating with the facilities department to allow us to complete the construction of the community-based campus design. We had the support of expert engineers and knowledgeable construction partners. Comprehensive greening of a school yard is disruptive to current facilities standards and norms of maintenance. It takes great partners, a visionary superintendent, wise board members, a deeply thoughtful principal, active and engaged parents and inspired teachers, and philanthropic partners to make a Watershed Discovery Campus sustainable.
An educational kiosk, mulched native plant landscape, and outdoor classroom at the Mary Jackson Elementary School campus.
What are some elements of the project that you would recommend others redesigning schoolyards incorporate into their projects?
We would definitely recommend prioritizing a significant increase in tree canopy, to 30% coverage, where students spend most of their time - it is too hot for students not to have shade available throughout the day.
We also recommend integrating a new vocabulary of climate resilient materials such as permeable concrete, rain harvest boxes, mulched landscape areas, recycled urban lumber benches onto school campuses.
What advice do you have for others applying for funds? What have you learned from the application process that would be useful for others to know?
Believe in your vision and your group’s hopes to create a new urban greening project, have confidence and write the grant. If you don’t succeed the first time – you can ask funding agencies for helpful notes – and try again.
What or who inspired the redesign of the Mary Jackson campus? Who helped bring the project to life?
A wonderful parent and PTA president named Brooke Kinde and Principal Rita Exposito had the dream of bringing an urban forest to Mary Jackson School Campus. They were interested in working with our nonprofit to bring nature into all areas of campus.
We formed a project steering committee with PTA parents, principal, teachers, community partners, experts in public health and natural infrastructure from Occidental College. This dynamic group was inspired by the benefits of school greening and included an encouraging parent leader who had successfully led a transformation at her home campus.
Outdoor classroom, recycled urban benches, and native plant area at the Mary Jackson Elementary School campus.
How long did the project take to complete?
The project started in June of 2021 and was completed in October of 2023 - 28 months. The first day students returned to campus in August of 2022 they were totally surprised and absolutely delighted with the new campus.
What do you hope is the lasting legacy of this project? Do you have any other final thoughts on the community impact of these types of initiatives?
The Mary Jackson Watershed Discovery School Campus has become a prototype for how develop an inclusive natural infrastructure campus to simultaneously protect school community health and the environment at many other campuses across the Los Angeles Basin.
Projects like this one provide community members with the opportunity to demonstrate how deeply they care about the environment and how much interest there is in hands-on participation in urban greening projects.
Rio Hondo Greenway Phase II
Can you tell us your name and your affiliation with the project?
Claire Robinson, Amigos de los Rios, Managing Director
Tell us about the community surrounding this bikeway. What makes it unique? What challenges does it face?
Our community is diverse and vibrant with a high percentage of Latino and Asian families and relatively low median income (characterized as disadvantaged by Cal EnviroScience). This urban area has stunning views of the San Gabriel Mountains, yet very few places to access them.
Emerald Necklace Watershed Stewards weeding along trail.
We’d love to hear more about the project. What improvements were made to the trail?
The Emerald Necklace Rio Hondo Greenway Phase 2 was designed to bring a desolate urban river corridor to life and demonstrate the powerful effects of introducing urban forestry to this area. Communities in this park-deficient area deserve a multi-benefit river greenway and not a bleak post-quarry industrial landscape. The corridor featured a continuous Class A bike trail from San Gabriel Mountains to the Sea – but the trail looked like a freeway with no tree canopy, moonscape compacted soil, no vegetation, and no wayfinding signage or amenities. Now this segment of the Emerald Necklace connects adjacent disadvantaged communities to the 180-acre Peck Road Water Conservation Park and offers great open vistas to the newly designated San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
What would you say is the overarching goal of the project?
The goals of the projects are to implement a critical segment of a ‘Mountains to Sea’ landscape scale conservation initiative. The natural infrastructure network will reduce climate impacts by sequestering GHGs, capture & infiltrate water, protect ecosystem integrity, enhance wildlife and biodiversity, provide health benefits such as air and water quality protection, and mitigate urban heat island effects among local underserved communities. The biggest goal is to connect urban residents to nature and to the solace nature-based recreation areas can provide during difficult times in life such as the pandemic. We want LA to be known for an enchanting network of bike trails and interpretive elements that speak to rich and diverse natural and cultural history of our watershed.
What benefits has this project provided to the community?
During the pandemic, people came to the Rio Hondo Trail in droves to bird watch, find solace, and connect with nature. We first removed asphalt. We then worked with California Conservation Corps and San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps to create a multi-benefit trail lined with river cobbles, mountain boulders, native trees, shrubs, wayfinding, interpretive elements, and a series of new ADA accessible sitting areas for community members. The community now enjoys increased bird activity, species diversity and habitat along natural infiltration areas that were previously underutilized and inaccessible.
View of Emerald Necklace Greenway – Regional Bike Trail Peck Trail Head.
What were the biggest challenges you encountered?
The most challenging part of the project was the red tape and length of time it took county departments to review our proposed greenway plans and approve them. Even though the LA County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in September of 2017 to prioritize a strategic implementation plan for greenways, the process was fraught. Once the pandemic hit – the natural area we created immediately became an important and necessary space for people to escape stress and take a break outdoors.
Where did you draw inspiration?
In 2003, we pulled the 1930 Olmsted Bartholomew plan, which had been commissioned by the LA Chamber of Commerce to guide LA metro areas’ sustainable development, off the shelf. It was a brilliant and comprehensive plan. We walked along the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel Rivers with the Conservation Corps and young community members and took careful notes about existing trail segments and opportunities for greening along the Urban River Corridors. The Emerald Necklace Vision was supported by the County and by multiple local jurisdictions – we have been patiently waiting for the opportunity to implement the vision.
What are some elements of the project you think others should consider when reimagining these types of urban recreation spaces?
Everyone should include natural infrastructure - ‘Green Lasagna’ into their projects. Natural infrastructure elements include trees, which provide canopy, protect air quality, sequester carbon and improve soil, rain gardens as gentle contours that capture storm water, and shrubs, which enhance biodiversity. Wayfinding and interpretive signage also help people feel welcome and assist them in navigating the trail. Additions such as recycled urban lumber benches and decorative nature-themed gates fabricated by local artisans provide wonderful surprises.
What was your experience like applying for funds? Do you think the funds you received will drive further success?
We applied multiple times before we were successful. We realized that we could reduce the scope of our grant to complete a small but powerful demonstration site. This grant now could provide momentum to continue the larger scale vision in a subsequent grant.
View of Rio Hondo multi-benefit trail and the informational bird signage provided with a view of Peck Lake and the San Gabriel Mountains.
Who was involved in bringing the project to life?
This is a collective impact effort including California Conservation Corps, Emerald Necklace Watershed Volunteer Stewards, local university experts, our state conservancy, local governments, school districts, many local environmental nonprofits like San Gabriel Mountains Forever, Bike SGV, Rose Hills Foundation, Climate Resolve, and national groups such as Earth Watch, Nature Conservancy, and Sierra Club. Fellow community members are involved as part of this large collaborative weave and as Emerald Necklace Stewards. We have had thousands of youth participants support biodiversity along the greenway.
How long did it take to complete the trail improvements? Have you seen any impacts already?
This segment of the project was implemented from 2018 until 2023. We have seen over 200 bird species at the park - and have seen an order of magnitude increase in the diversity and overall numbers of visitors.
Do you have any closing thoughts on this project or what is next for Amigos de Los Rios?
We will build off of the success of this phase of greenway and continue to expand the multi benefit project for the benefits the project provides.
We are deeply moved at how important state grant programs like this are because they incite change and empower community vision when county government is at a standstill.