CURes Blog

Birding Adventures at Ballona!

“Hope is the thing with feathers”… wrote poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), and they certainly do lift our spirits when we see or hear them. Lucky for us at LMU, they … Read more

Tongva Memorial Gets Some TLC just before Indigenous Peoples Day!

Once again, due to the collaborative efforts of several LMU departments and student groups, we have successfully spruced up the Tongva Memorial Site just before Indigenous Peoples’ Day https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/10/11/a-proclamation-on-indigenous-peoples-day-2024/, and … Read more

Latino Conservation Week 9/15-9/22

Latino Conservation Week was last week, 9/15-9/22 and National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15th-October 15th! Our staff at CURes hopes you all are celebrating Latino/Hispanic culture, and we thought … Read more

Trifecta of Bluebird Families Breeding at LMU

LMU’s favorite Western Bluebird couple, Blue Ivy Carter and Sage, came back for a third year in a row this past spring to fledge a new brood of chicks in Box #2!  Not only did we have this lovely pair raising a family, but in February of this year we put out a third bird box near the Loyola Boulevard entrance (box #3), in a row of Jacaranda trees, and by March there was a NEW pair taking up residence. One of our students, Noah, who was assigned to watch the birds as part of his commitment working with CURes, named them “Alex and Casey.”  Meanwhile we got a big surprise was when Ian Kimbrey, Bluebird Bird Nest Guru, https://www.instagram.com/cheepcheephomes/, discovered a THIRD PAIR in Box #1 (located in a pine tree to the right of the Sacred Heart Chapel).  Last year a pair of House Wrens took up residence in this box, but this year a new pair of Bluebirds occupied the nest.  We named them “Ozzie and Harriet.” 

Over the summer our 3 pairs of Western Bluebirds at LMU successfully raised their first broods from their first clutches, and 2 of the 3 had successful second clutches.  Needless to say, it’s been a very good year for Bluebirds in the area!  Ian reported that the three bluebird nest boxes at LMU fledged a total of 23 chicks this year, more than double last year’s total of 11. Since the first nest in 2022 we have added a total of 40 bluebirds to the campus population! 

That LMU total doesn’t include the surprise nest down in Playa Vista, on the riparian corridor trail, where, in nest box #28, another pair successfully fledged five chicks of their own this past summer!   

Over 30 boxes were installed along the wood fencing adjacent to Bluff Creek when Playa Vista Elementary School shortly after the new school opened in 2012. Some of those boxes were creatively painted with themes as part of family projects to raise money for programs at the new elementary school.  Over the next 12 years the nest boxes, originally erected to attract Tree Swallows and/or Western Bluebirds, had sporadic occupancy by House Wrens.  It wasn’t until 2024 that not only did a pair of Bluebirds nest (in box #28), but also a pair of Tree Swallows (in box #54).  It just goes to show you, if you build it… eventually, they will come! 

If you would like to watch some videos of our LMU bluebirds please click on the YouTube links below: 

Blue Ivy Carter and Sage  https://youtube.com/shorts/ZcD0jOfT310 

Sage flying out of nest box with fecal sac  https://youtube.com/shorts/1rCQsubvvC8  

Alex at the entrance to his Box #3  https://youtube.com/shorts/DkaEqYNA8RU 

Bluebird baby being fed by Dad with Yellow Warbler photo bombing!  https://youtube.com/shorts/fho-z6o29bA 

Baby Bluebirds Snuggling  https://youtube.com/shorts/NixiY2Pkfa8 

Harriet and Junior at Mealworm Tray  https://youtu.be/PC12PRnd7cQ 

Harriet Gathering Mealworms for Babies  https://youtube.com/shorts/KkiJvj98tbE?feature=share 

Sage Goin’ for the Live Ones  https://youtu.be/S4TLSohAptk 

Casey Stuffing His Beak  https://youtube.com/shorts/NBn127l964E?feature=share 

2024 K-12 Restorative Justice Practices Implementation Academy Recap

Event Recap: K-12 Restorative Justice Practices Leadership Institute

August 29, 2024

The CURes RJ Project hosted its inaugural K-12 Restorative Justice Practices Implementation Academy, held from July 15th to July 18th, 2024 at Loyola Marymount University at the Westchester Campus. Our facilitators, Schoene Mahmood, Anthony Ceja, Jennifer Winkler, and Adele Bovard, provided administrators and faculty in leadership positions with a deeper understanding of how to integrate concepts of restorative practices within their roles. The training team presented the group with the significant research, experience, and knowledge gained from years in the academic study and implementation of restorative justice practices.

Attendees from all over the country not only gained valuable knowledge on how to promote systemic transformation within their own roles, but also had the opportunity to participate in restorative circles and activities that encouraged personal growth and connection with others within the K-12 leadership community.

                     

Read some firsthand experiences from the attendees:

  • “Thank you for this wonderful gift. I have never felt so connected to a cause & to a group of people like this.”
  • “Thank you so much for this training! I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to learn with and from you. As any educator who has felt on the cusp of burnout, especially the last few years, this training has me feeling excited and hopeful for the upcoming school year.”
  • “I love love love our facilitators. They lead us with such authenticity, vulnerability and commitment. I learned so much from them in just the way they operate as people! Thank you!”
  • “Phenomenal job breaking down this work in ways that were digestible, accessible, and inspiring.”
  • “The facilitators were so helpful and knowledgeable about RJP and so understanding when unexpected situations occurred. I truly appreciate their quick responses and though the group outnumbered them, they did a phenomenal job of ensuring everyone was on the same page, had time to share and had clarity on the material. I can’t thank them enough for everything.”

For more information about future trainings, please contact: cures@lmu.edu.

CATE Editorial Fellows Interview

We are pleased to announce that our CATE Editorial Fellows, Mallika Sardeshpande, a Research Associate at University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and Opeyemi (Yemi) Adeyemi, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow … Read more