On Thursday, February 9, 2023, a group of Service and Action students joined Yadira “Yadi” Enciso, Assistant Director of Student Engagement for the Pam Rector Center for Service and Action, and Joey from Facilities Management, to weed the Featherston Life Science Building Slope.
Native flowering plant seeds are germinating under the burlap strips on the Slope and weeding the non–native weeds will give them a boost. There was a light breeze and it was an unseasonably warm day, which made it somewhat dream–like as we weeded.
Tatiana “Tanya” Kuzmenko, Instructor of Biology with Seaver College of Science and Engineering, tackled her nemesis, a prickly dandelion weed that had invited itself onto the Slope, and Dr. Pippa Drennan, Professor of Biology with Seaver College of Science and Engineering, joined the Weeding Brigade, saying every few minutes, “I think I’ll stay to weed just a few more plants I see”, and that went on for about 45 minutes (LOL)!
Lisa Fimiani, Drollinger Environmental Fellow, wore a Restorative Justice T–shirt, in honor of Black History Month.
We were also treated to a surprise visit from an LMU Alum and former employee of the Center for Urban Resilience, April Sandifer, who happened to be at LMU for an event as part of her job, Director of Community Engagement for Sola Impact, and we had a nice reunion.
CURes, in partnership with Seaver College, are trying an experiment with the native seeds, to see if they successfully germinate. If they do the hillside will mimic mountains nearby during the Spring, awash with orange (California Poppies), yellow (California Goldfields) and purple (Lupine). Fingers crossed they do well with the next round of anticipated rain.
A couple of students walking by on their way to class asked what we were doing, and Yadi invited them to the next event. CURes will host another round of weeding in a month, so if you want to get your hands dirty, touch the soil, smell the breeze, and feel the sun on your back – please come join us!
