A week of growth, teamwork, and new experiences with YAW Cohort 9. Pushed past comfort zones, built stronger connections, and learned lessons that will stick far beyond this moment. Can’t wait for what’s next.
What's happening under the ground? Check out these microscopy pics from our Puente Hills test plot, taken last weekend by @maggie__mayhem and her caption below:
"I checked out the sample on the microscope. I'm attaching some pics!
I definitely saw some fungal strands! I also saw a ciliate which is awesome and shows diversity between trophic levels of organisms. Usually I would just see bacteria and minerals in a disturbed lot. That was the majority of what I saw but definitely some indications of the soil health maturing <3 woo!
I was surprised by how little organic matter I am seeing. Hopefully the mulch applications and maybe some compost will help! Looks great though, y'all are making amazing progress from abandoned lot soil."
1 - video of the little critters
2 - fungal strand
3 - Fungal spore
4 - Minerals
5 - Microplastic
@puentehills_testplot@studio_mla
Thank you for coming out! We had a blast painting this glorious mural with our community last Saturday. Can’t wait for more art projects around the Test Plot.
Calling all painters, we need your help! The high school students at Youth at Work have been developing concepts for a new mural at the Puente Hills Test Plot on the pedestrian tunnel connecting the plot to the landfill park trailhead. We'll be working with professional muralist Arturo Gonzalez as he guides us in a morning of art, paint and transformation!
Please RSVP at our Eventbrite link under "Volunteer"
Saturday Oct 4th 8am-12pm
3301 Workman mill road
South El Monte
The event is made possible by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation in collaboration with Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis (First District), the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, Southern California Edison, Puente Hills Youth@Work Cohort, Studio-MLA, and Test Plot.
@puentehills_testplot@phlandfillpark@studio_mla@eastlacamp213
In our work session today, we workshopped ideas to paint a mural at the Puente Hills Test Plot site .
Big thanks to Arturo from East Side of the River for informing us about what art means to the community.
After nearly 30 years in the making, the Groundbreaking for the Puente Hills Regional Park was on Saturday, September 6th 2025. A true moment in history
Good job cohort 7 for completing these creative plant lifecycle zines! These are important for the monitoring part of our project. Now, future cohorts and volunteers will have a colorful resource for learning about the life cycles and care methods of the native plants in our test pot.
Find these and more on the monitor page of our website .
