The Garden Space

Here are some “before” pictures of the site. The are some native plants and trees on the current landscape including oak trees and laurel sumacs. We want to add additional native plants, and remove invasive plants like tree tobacco, to create habitat for native animals in this area. We also want to incorporate signage and seating areas to make this an outdoor classroom space.

Progress So Far

We worked with Watershed Progressive to design an educational garden and hosted an event to dig out a rain garden and start the planting process. We planted 130 native plants this session and will be hosting additional planting events in the Fall. Irrigation is being installed in order to allow our native plants to establish and make this garden a sustainable space for future students to enjoy.

Meet the Team

Nicholas M.

I’m Nick McEntee from Ventura and I’m a member of the Green Valley Project Youth Council. I help plant gardens and help with community planting events, and I use iNaturalist to track pollinators. I want to help our neighborhood support native pollinators and get more youth outside learning about native plants. Example: “I play the drums and I’m excited to meet others who care about the environment.
Noah P.

My name is Noah, I'm a boy, and I live in Ojai. I am 14 years old. I am a member of the GVP youth council. I have been planting things for most of my life with my dad, and I am decent at designing things. I want to put Native plants in areas where they are needed. I also want to learn more about wildlife. In my freetime, I rock climb and build computers. I am looking forward to GVP with my friends
Nicholas S.

I’m Nicholas from Oak View and I’m a Youth Member with the Green Valley Project Youth Council. I help out with a non profit organization that helps restore wildlife corridors and I am a member of the Bioscience program at Foothill. I want to help our community here in Ojai become more educated and build their native wildlife restoration skills. I play basketball, tennis, and I enjoy cooking-Im excited to learn and meet others who care about the environment.
Maple W.

I’m Maple (she/her), an 18-year-old from Ojai and a UCLA freshman, and I’m a member of the Green Valley Project Youth Council. I’ve worked with the Green Valley Project before and bring skills in planting, public speaking, leadership, design, and event planning and management. I care deeply about restoring and protecting the environment and hope to make a difference in conservation. Outside of this work, I ride and take care of horses, so I’m basically a horse girl. I’m excited to connect with others who share a passion for the environment.
Nico H.

My name is Nico Holve, I am 14 years old, and I am from Santa Barbara. I am part of the Green Valley Project. When I come to the Green Valley Project, I bring my creative thinking, kindness, and love for the environment.This project matters to me because I feel that it is very important to help our local natural environments, and do our best to make a change. One fun fact about me is that I like playing beach volleyball with friends.
Aspen N.

I’m Aspen(she/her) from Ventura, CA and I’m the vice president of the Green Valley Project Youth Council. I help in designing gardens, planting, and leadership. I want to help bring more native education spaces to schools and groups in Ojai. I play ice hockey and love to grow different flowers- I’m excited to make a difference and meet people who want to make more native spaces.
Celeste A.

I’m Celeste Ayala (she/her) from Ojai and I am President of the Green Valley Project Youth Council. I’ve worked with native plants for almost three years now as an intern for the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, where I lead volunteers, help educate the public, and learn about conservation, botany, and restoration. I also participated in the Green Valley Project’s last session where I served as Vice President. I’m looking to help educate and build community around restoration and the natural world through my role. I love science, especially botany, as well as art and reading– and I’m so excited to incorporate these into my work with the Green Valley Project this session.
Kay J.

I’m Kay, I am 17 and I live in Ojai. My pronouns are she/her. I am an activities chair, I help facilitate group activities that help the members get to know each other. I am involved in a lot of leadership roles at my school, such as ASB secretary, student leader, and dorm prefect. .This work matters because I believe it's for a really good cause and that it helps educate people on the environment and why it needs to be protected. I love playing sports, especially team sports. My favorites are soccer and volleyball.
Suki Z.

Hello! My name is Suki Zhang and I am a boarding student and Junior at Besant Hill school who works with the Green Valley Youth Council. I am part of the educational Enrichment Committee this year, but I’ve worked with Green Valley on multiple programs, including Youth Council and Communications Internship, since my freshman year. Since working with the CREW, I’ve been introduced to environmental leadership and the big difference our small action can make. I hope to use my experience with public-speaking and communications to advocate for our goal!
Jessi P.

Description goes here
Hazel W.

Hello my name is Hazel Williams, I love to ride horses, ride bikes around ojai and i love to help others out. I love cross country and love to go on hikes. I like to see what we can do with our gardens. I can't wait to see what we achieve in green valley project together
Camille M.

Hi my name is Camille Moa, and I like to ride horses and play volleyball. I go to Villanova prep, and I'm a part of Zad ranch which is a barn in Malibu where you help horses and clean up around the ranch.