Friday, February 28th was a day of celebration for the Tataviam Land Conservancy (TLC). Under the warm sun, folks mingled in a space that had been transformed from an abandoned, trash-filled residential lot into a thriving native plant nursery and community gathering space. As attendees participated in nursery tours, painted clay pots, and enjoyed delicious tacos, conversations flowed around the hope and excitement created by the first tribal plant nursery in Los Angeles County.
This opening celebration marked the ribbon-cutting of the Puhawvit (“in the farm fields”) Native Plant Nursery, created by TLC and the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians (FTBMI) to grow native plants for cultural use and provide locally sourced, climate-resilient native trees directly to residents of northwest Los Angeles County. The nursery was established as part of the Sikwa’puhawam (“greening fields”) USDA Tree-Planting Program in collaboration with the California State University of Northridge (CSUN), with funding provided by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.
The event featured remarks from President Rudy Ortega Jr. (FTBMI), Jeffrey Reeder (CSUN Tribal Liasion), Belinda Faustinos (FTBMI Environmental Protection Division Manager), and Karla Gonzalez (Puhawvit Nursery Manager). The offices of Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez also presented the nursery with certificates commemorating the historic accomplishment. Speakers uplifted the importance of this nursery for increasing access to native plants and preserving cultural and ancestral connections to land and traditional practices.
In the coming months, the Puhawvit Native Plant Nursery will host public educational workshops centered around Traditional Ecological Knowledge and cultivating connections to native trees. To keep up to date on nursery programs or to sign up for a free native tree, click below.
