Newsletter Date
Table of Contents
1) P. 1-2 Organism of the Year: Spectacular Saprophyte 2) P. 3-4 History of Arlington Gardens 3) P.5 Ocean View Farms 4) P.6 Jacaranda Tree 5) P.7 Propaganda Poster 6) P.8-9 One Wild and Precious Life Poems 7) P. 10-11 Barbaric Yawps 8) P. 12 World Scramble 9) P. 13-17 Letters from the editors
Newsletter Date
Organism of the Year: Spectacular Saprophyte This years’ Organism of the Year is the spectacular Saprophyte! Saprophytes, or decomposing fungi, are incredible organisms that are the ones in charge of converting dead organic matter into fungal biomass, carbon dioxide, and small molecules. They obtain their nutrients by feeding off of the dead decaying organic matter found on logs and other decaying matter. Saprophytes help the soil by releasing the iron, calcium, and potassium into the soil that they obtained from the organic matter. Fungi are some of the main decomposers of the food web. When they finish breaking down the dead organisms, they return the nutrients and organic matter to the soil, making it stronger and more fertile. They can also help the soil with water filtration. Some “Fungal hyphae physically bind soil particles together, creating stable aggregates that help increase water infiltration and soil water holding capacity.” (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov) Saprophytic fungi can increase the accumulation of humic-acid rich organic materials, which can help resist degradation, and can stay in the soil for hundreds of years. Most saprophytic fungi are considered microbes because they are so small, and are commonly found living and active around woody plant residue. In return for the nutrients and organic matter, the soil provides some fungi with nitrogen, “allowing them to decompose surface residue, which is often low in nitrogen,” (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov) when the climate is dry. Did you know that you never actually die? Yes, this might seem a little crazy, but it’s true! Once you die, your energy is simply transferred by another organism back to the Earth.This is performed by special organisms called decomposers. Decomposers are organisms that break down organic matter and dead structures, and recycle them into nutrients for the soil. Without decomposers, life would be horrific! There would be dead animals and plants lying on the ground, and everywhere you went, there would be a migraine-producing stench. Soil is a key ingredient to life on Earth for so many reasons. First of all, soil is essential for farming. Farmers till the soil, then plant the seeds, and harvest the crops that we eat. Most of the world grows their food in this way, and it wouldn’t be possible without the help of soil. Along with field farming, soil is also beneficial on the countryside. The types of soils determine which vegetation can grow, and where, allowing a wide variety of food to be produced! Soil is also a home to millions of different organisms, microscopic and non-microscopic. Among these are the spectacular decomposers. In return for shelter, the organisms provide the soil with nutrients. Many of our national forest rely on soil. Because of the different types of soil available, multiple variations of plants can grow in the forest, which is important to humans because the trees provide them with lumber, oxygen, and other necessities involving wood. Along with serving us with necessities such as oxygen and food, soil also provides our buildings with a stable foundation, so that the structure is less likely to fall down during earthquakes or other disasters. FUN FACT: Once a certain area of soil has been used as for a building foundation, it is most most likely that the same patch of soil will never be used again for any other purpose, such as farming. Earth’s water cycle is also greatly impacted by soil. The soil helps with the regulation of water flow, and can also absorb any excess water if necessary. However, the most common reason of why soil is important to the Earth and humans, is that it grows and produces plants! These plants produce our food, flowers, and make up our national forests. As you may know, soil contains a lot of carbon. This has been being released into the atmosphere, and is greatly impacting climate change. People are trying to figure out ways for the soil to store more and more carbon dioxide excessively, so that we can decrease the climate change rate. Most importantly, soil can be used to preserve history! Many historic and original monuments have survived through centuries because they were covered in and protected by soil. Soil is an important part of our everyday lives, and weather it is used for gardening, sporting fields, or building foundations, it is something that should really be appreciated!
A fungus at Westridge School
Newsletter Date
Organism of the Year: Spectacular Saprophyte Cont. Every day earth’s natural supply of topsoil is rapidly decreasing due to soil erosion, and agriculture is failing. Due to topsoil loss, almost 37,000 square miles of cropland have been lost. In fact, in China, topsoil is being lost 40 times faster than topsoil can be produced. The most frightening part about it is that it takes approximately 100 years for nature to be able to create one inch of topsoil that is of a decent quality. If soil continues to decrease at this pace, then eventually we will not have anymore soil which will result in global starvation. Ways to stop this problem from occurring are to help the animals that live in the soil by making compost, using compost tea, mulch, or simply planting nitrogen-fixing plants. These methods will help make the soil get to its best quality at a quicker pace. WE INTERRUPT THIS ARTICLE TO BRING YOU BREAKING NEWS! The following information is extremely confidential, and has only been unveiled to 13.5% of the world’s population. We chose to share this soil fact with you, because we trust that you are reliable readers, and smart people who are part of a growing society. Here it is: During the soil formation process, distinct separate layers of soil are formed. These layers are referred to as “horizons.” Soil is made up of three main layers. Topsoil (horizon A) is the darkest of all three layers, due to its excessive amount of humus. Subsoil (horizon B) has a lot less humus than topsoil, and has a large amount of weathered rocks, minerals and clay. Horizon C is made up of more weathered rocks, minerals, and clay, along with leach material from horizon B. When classified as one huge structure, the three horizons together form what is called the “soil profile.” Please refrain from sharing this confidential information with anyone except the person sitting to your far right. As John Green once said, “Everything that comes together falls apart. Everything. The chair I’m sitting on. It was built, and so it will fall apart. I’m gonna fall apart, probably before this chair. And you’re gonna fall apart. The cells and organs and systems that make you you—they came together, grew together, and so must fall apart. The Buddha knew one thing science didn’t prove for millennia after his death: Entropy increases. Things fall apart.” WIthout the saprophyte, the soil would be weak and fragile, because there wouldn't be enough nutrients to support it. This world would also be a very dirty place, much dirtier than it already is, because there would be old dead plant and animal residue everywhere. Even though it may seem like all life comes to an end, the truth is right in front of your eyes. Of course, nothing can keep the same shape or form forever, and must “fall apart.” But the job of saprophytes is to take these pieces and remains, and transform them into something new. Once this happens, the old structure takes on a new form, and starts its life all over again.
A fungus
History of Arlington Gardens
by Mayan
Have you ever wanted take a trip to a beautiful place, filled with spiky cacti and blooming flowers? A place where the plants change with the seasons, and the sound of birds chirping and children laughing fills your ears? If you answered yes, then you should go to Arlington Garden. Arlington Garden is the only dedicated public garden in Pasadena, and is home to many species of plants and animals, along with serving children and adults as an “educational laboratory.” But beneath the surface, Arlington Garden has a very deep history.
Arlington Garden
Before the garden was built, in the same exact location, there “once stood one of the most elegant homes on South Orange Grove Boulevard, Pasadena's "Millionaires' Row." (arlingtongardenpasadena.org) Then, in April of 1902, a man named John Durand bought ten acres, which was known at that time as “Arlington Heights.” This resided on Arlington Drive, which was laid out in 1885, and reached all the way from South Orange Grove to Pasadena Avenue (1,012 feet). Once the house was removed, it took over three years for a team of workers to execute F.L. Roehrig’s reconstruction design of a chateau in France, which was supported and admired by Durand. This chateau was extremely extravagant and lavish, with all hand-carved wood, Red Arizona sandstone exteriors, and interiors that were made of oak, mahogany, and walnut were sometimes given a “dull glitter of gold.” Within this large country house, there were 50 rooms, three stories, and a 17,000 square foot floor area, making it one of the largest houses in Southern California that took on a royal and “baronial” appearance. Because there was a large plot of land (over 600 feet from South Orange Grove), the landscapers were able to create a magnificent “tropical paradise” in front of the house. This garden included roses, hundreds of flowering bushes, cacti, palms, and many other types of plants. The family kept the entire property until the death of John M. Durand III in 1960. All of the furniture and art objects were auctioned off in 1961, and after this, the home was completely destroyed. To this day, over a century after the house was completed (1905), people are still planting gardens on the remaining three acres of land, and there have been some traces of the original fragments of Red Arizona sandstone. After being a vacant lot for 40 years, the goal of Arlington Garden was to show people how beautiful and effective a “ low water using Mediterranean climate garden can be.” It began in 2003, when the City and Caltrans began talking about what to do with the empty lot that covered three acres of land. On this lot, there were only few signs of life, including a jacaranda tree, two oaks, and a California Pepper tree, along with some different varieties of palm trees. Then, the City took a census poll, and decided that whatever the development of the lot was, that there should not be no parking lots, restrooms, or playing fields. Soon, a woman named Betty McKenney, brought up the idea of creating the lot into a peaceful, water conserving garden. As Betty and Kicker (a fellow supporter of the garden) informed and educated people about their idea, they gained more and more support from places such as Cal Poly Pomona, the Pasadena Beautiful Foundation, loyal neighbors, and the Mediterranean Garden Society. People began to donate some materials necessary for the project, such as plants, furniture, and money. The McKenneys used the help of Mayita Dinos to develop a garden site plan, creating different “rooms’ for special plant species.
History of Arlington Gardens Cont. By Mayán
“With Councilmember Steve Madison's championing the cause and with the support of Mayor Bill Bogaard and Councilmember Sid Tyler, and in partnership with the City of Pasadena and Pasadena Water and Power, the project moved forward.” (arlingtongardenpasadena.org) The first step was to cover the garden entirely with mulch, and then people had to install a working irrigation system. They also had to level out some areas of ground, in order for them to work easily. Finally, in 2005, Betty, Kicker, and all of the helpers and volunteers, planted the first trees and plants. Since this time, there have been over 400 different trees planted in Arlington Garden, along with hundreds of plants that can thrive in our strange California climate.
Blooming flowers in Arlington Gardens
Over the years, Arlington Garden has been recognized for numerous awards, and has also been mentioned in multiple newspaper articles, such as the Los Angeles Times, Pasadena Star News, The Quarterly, Arroyo magazines, and Fungi News. “Arlington Garden has been visited by the Garden Conservancy during its annual Open Days garden tour, Pasadena Heritage, Mediterranean Garden Society, Pasadena Garden Club, The Diggers, the LA County Arboretum, the Washington DC headquartered American Public Garden Association, and Pacific Horticulture.” It was also recognized by the City of Pasadena three times! Besides being a relaxing place for adults, Arlington Garden is also a fun and educational place for children to visit. It is common for students from Westridge School, Sequoyah School, and Mayfield Senior School to come and enjoy or work with the plants and nature at Arlington Garden. They also take part in and help with the beautification of the garden. For example, the girls at Mayfield Senior School were the ones who designed and created the magnificent rock labyrinth, using historical patterns and designs. From the beginning, the journey of thinking, constructing, and enjoying Arlington Garden has been truly amazing. When you visit this garden, you wouldn’t expect to find any choo-choo trains or pony rides, but instead the buzzing of bees and swaying of branches. Betty states that “"Gardens help sustain us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.” What she means by this is that no matter how you feel, the way you look, act, or think, a garden is a place to free yourself from your senses, and live life the way it should be lived, simply, yet filled with imagination and adventure.
Ocean View Farms By Alina Ocean View Farms is a non-profit community garden located in west Los Angeles. It was built in 1977 by a group of people who were interested in growing food on a hillside in West Los Angeles. They didn’t start out with money from their own pockets; they started by getting federal funding from the CETA program. They then took the money and used it to get seeds for planting. Slowly, Ocean View Farms has expanded from only having one or two acres of land, as they now have six acres of land. In order for a community garden to fully function, they need the community to pitch in, and there are over 300 gardeners from the community that are helping make that possible. Ocean View Farms originally started out as an open field that grows soy beans, and is now terraced, with established plots that are separated by paths. They also implanted a water system, so that the water was getting to the necessary plots of gardening land. There are now many different types of fruit trees in place of where the soy beans once grew. Although Ocean View Farms started out as simply an idea from Mayor Tom Bradley, it has grown so much. In fact, it is larger than more than 60 community gardens in Los Angeles County. Their mission as a community garden is to provide their community with a place to promote and practice organic gardening techniques so that the people of West Los Angeles will know to choose fresh food over a McDonalds Happy Meal. They try their best to minimize waste by reusing, reclaiming, or recycling whatever materials that they can find. Therefore, they are guaranteeing a minimal impact on the environment and all that inhabit it. Where this garden is located used to be a food desert, but ever since West Los Angeles built Ocean View Farms and spread the idea around, the community as a whole has begun to make healthier eating choices. Since the people of West Los Angeles are growing their food, they’re eating their food, and the impact that a healthy life style has on them is amazing. Karemah Alhark, the president of the Ocean View Growing Grounds neighborhood leadership group, said, “This is a place where we can begin to empower ourselves and the community to be self-sufficient so that we don’t have to eat things that are sub-par, that are not good for us.” She added, “My children have gotten a chance to see that by your own hand and God’s will you can grow food.” Gardens can make a difference in the community, even if it starts out small, it will grow big.
Jacaranda Tree By Trinity The upright, rounded growth habit and purple-blue clusters of trumpetshaped flowers offer quality to the Jacaranda tree. Its open, spreading branches and finely-texture leaves gives credence to its use in the landscape as a shade tree. Jacaranda trees require minimal, basic care in order to thrive, allowing both beginning and expert gardeners to grow it successfully. Jacaranda trees grow in places where temperatures will remain well above 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Best flowering and growth occurs in full sunlight, but these semievergreen trees tolerate partial shade. Although Jacaranda trees grow well in a range of soil types, they prefer sandy soil. Jacarandas have a high tolerance for drought and suffer in wet soils; therefore, the soil must be fast draining. Their foliage does not do well when exposed to salty spray, so avoid planting these trees along coastal areas.
Jacaranda Tree
Jacaranda trees require nonscheduled watering during periods of little to no rainfall. They also will benefit from watering when temperatures reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. The watering frequency should be based upon soil moisture content. Timing the watering for when the top 3 to 4 inches of soil becomes dry will ensure a proper balance. Yearly applications of a 10-10-10 nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium slow-release granular fertilizer will provide the tree with the needed nutrients. An application rate of 1 tablespoon per square foot of soil underneath the tree's canopy is suitable. Annual pruning of jacaranda trees will keep them looking clean and reduce growth problems. Keeping young trees pruned to a single trunk with one central leader will set the tree up for healthy mature growth. Pruning is best done in the late winter while the trees remain dormant. Removing broken, damaged and diseased limbs will improve plant health while protecting nearby objects. Pruning out water sprouts, suckers, crossing or rubbing limbs and branches will crotches angles less than 45-degrees is also necessary. Removing no more than 25 percent of the tree's growth during one pruning will keep the tree's limbs and trunk from becoming burned by unblocked sunlight and will maintain regular growth rates. Jacaranda trees have a susceptibility to aphids and mushroom root rot. Spray aphidinfested foliage with insecticidal soap or a steady stream of water to eradicate these pests. Following proper watering practices to avoid causing overly moist soils will prevent mushroom root rot from forming. Jacaranda trees often produce limbs with narrow crotch angles that have a high incident of splitting or breaking from the tree. Proper pruning practices to remove these problem limbs will keep the damage to a minimum. These trees constantly drop leaves and flowers, so locating them away from pools, streets and driveways will reduce the need for cleanup.
One Wild and Precious Life Poems
Blind
Limitless Who made life?
Above me I hear the chitter chatter of a mockingbird. The mountains don’t gleam anymore. What is this, dear humming-bird, for your humming ceases to exist.
The Journey in which all embark on, with ups and downs? Who made the birds that flitter above? The flower whose breath’s so sweet it could be honey? This leaf, I mean-
The air has the taste of pollution. How has this happened, little bug? They say spring is a time of true life. I do not see much… The last leaf falls to the ground taking the last hope of recovery with it.
the leaf who slowly budded out of a tree, the one that zoomed backwards to fit the needs of others, who is swaying back and forth, who is living life limitless, Now it’s towering over the tiny world that it inhabits.
-Trinity Smiling at all who bow down before it, I barely know how to worship, I do know how to plop down in the dirt, How to notice the unnoticeable, How to live my life limitless, Being one with the dirt and air, Which is what I’ve been practicing day and day after. What else should I have done? In my most wild and precious life. -Alina
One Wild and Precious Life Poems Cont.
Peace Above me the sky swells with bruises from the tussling clouds A small battle of colors between monkey flowers and dandelions A little girl’s sharp squeal echos through the throats of mockingbirds and woodpeckers. The crashes and scrapes of metal against an asphalt street sting my ears, sharp as a bee. The air smells of cigarette smoke, and chokes my heart. While the grass gives off a scent of sour dust, the sugar plum rosemary lives on. Silky cloth wraps around my fingertip, swaying in a senseless, slippery gust of wind. Golden locks of corn flow gently off a delicate head, bouncing with each hummingbird’s buzz. Long, green stalks shoot up from the ground, Snipping and slicing at anything that crosses their path Yet, I lie there. In a blanket of warmth and sun But where has it gone? -Mayán
Barbaric Yawps
Live to Die
Choices
Don’t all people live to die?
Grain of sand on a beach, Piece of grass in a field.
To be so lucky, to die smiling,
I scream. I cry.
Only to fall back into darkness,
You don’t care.
Into the soil,
Tree in a forest,
The soil where they come from,
Letter in an essay! I burn.
With a grin plastered on their face.
You laugh.
I’ll die smiling,
Tick, tock…
I’ll stand on a mountain cliff, scream,
I was here Tick, tock…
Go to sleep,
You’re running outa time. Tick, tock…
And then fall back into darkness,
Was I ever here to you?
To the soil
Tick, tock…
Where you
I’m here.
Once were.
Do you finally notice me? Or am I just a threat…
-Alina
-Trinity
Barbaric Yawps Singing for Life Your green blades nip at my bare feet They cut me, yet I shed no blood. I am invincible, and so are you. I rejoice, and frolic as the sun casts your silhouettes over my smiling lips. The only tears that ever roll off my cheek, simply water your garden. When I sit down, your dirt stains my pale legs. The dirt that has rested on you for thousands of years. The dirt that you bore as your own child, layer after layer,
I know that I will one day be a reason for that celebration. The worms will tend to me, and return me to the ground. When new children are born, they will walk upon me like antelopes; gracefully fighting. I will serve so many of your darling trees, giving them nutrients, as they gave me life. I look at the bushes, the trees, and the plants. They are the reason I am not gone yet. My “burning breath” keeps them going, and their photosynthesis does the same for me. I look at the galloping horses, their manes swishing from side to side. The black falcon swoops down and shatters my heart with its beauty.
tumbling off of your surface.
The bacteria that I know are crawling down the arm of the dead squirrel lying on the floor
When I sit down,
send shivers down my spine.
you engulf me in your flowers.
I let go of my senses,
Dandelion spores fly through my dark brown locks,
I free my voice with screams and songs!
and out to the polished hillsides.
I spin, and cartwheel through never ending meadows.
I walk through the clear forests,
Nothing can stop me from letting go,
and woody fragrances empty my brain.
no human or plant.
I look down at the grown.
Confetti flows from my heart and into the clouds.
The worms in my hands are rolling around,
If you ever need me,
as if they too, were celebrating you.
look up and down.
I know that I will one day be a reason for that celebration.
Search for me in both the clouds, and the soil. -Mayán
Word Scramble
Dear Reader,
What comes to your mind when you hear the word soil? Do you think of the mud pies that you made when you were younger? The thousands of critters that crawl inside of it? Before the soil unit, I never gave dirt any thought, thinking that it was basically useless, but dirt is so much more than just that. It’s basically our provider! It’s something that we take for granted daily because it seems so normal, almost infinite. Once I learned about the process that it takes to create a single inch of dirt, I’ve never thought the same way about everything around me. Soil is like a metaphor for life because in life, it takes so long to reach your highest point in life, but once you do you can help so many people. Therefore, I advise you to start to pay attention to things that you see every day that you might not realize have so much beauty lying within. Soil is also the provider of food on earth as we know it, and if topsoil keeps reducing at the pace that it is, the world as we know it will have no fruits or vegetables. It’s also home to the trees that are our main source of air, which is another thing that would be missing if soil became extinct. Another thing that I’ve learned about in the soil unit is food deserts. Basically, a food desert is a place where healthy, fresh food isn’t available unless you drive miles away to a supermarket. I already had a little bit of knowledge around food deserts, but I’ve never actually visited one while physically knowing that it was a food desert. After listening to Ron Finley’s TED talk, I noticed things that I may have overlooked when we were on the bus to go and visit Ron Finley’s garden. I noticed the lack of supermarkets, and the abundance in fast food chains. It was only then that I realized how imperfect our society really is. There aren’t necessarily starving people left and right in every single inch of our society, but there are also obese people that didn’t necessarily make the best decisions because they only know fast food restaurants, and the fact that their financial situation might not be the best will also affect their decision, if you didn’t have that much money in your pocket, would you choose a burger for two or three dollars? Or a healthy salad that you made by yourself wasting maybe $12 on all the organic and healthy ingredients that you might’ve found in the supermarket miles away? I believe that more people need to be educated about soil because not only will they now become more aware of how they treat things, but also because it will educate them on how to get healthy food without spending a ton of money through gardening. I hope that from reading this magazine, you have begun to find more interest in the soil beneath our feet.
Sincerely, Alina
Dear Readers, As this Fungi News magazine comes to an end, I would like to share with you something about my experiences during the past two weeks of “the Soil Unit.” Before the unit began, I was very skeptical, and thought that it would be like a full two weeks of playing with dirt. I was wrong. We went on many fun field trips and obtained so much knowledge about the increasing soil-loss problem. On the first day, we spent a lot of relaxing time in Arlington Garden, where we wrote poems, worked on science experiments, and walked a labyrinth. My favorite part of that day was during the poem-writing part, because I found a nice, comfortable mini grassy field to sit on, and Trinity and Caroline Peacore read me their poems. As you guessed, one of the main topics of that day was soil. One of the most exciting parts of the day was when my group was collecting soil samples, and Trinity found some mating snails. As she held them in her hand, I could see the slime following their trails through her fingers. As I later learned, these snails were responsible for the largest variety of bacteria that formed on the petri dish. The second day was my one of my personal favorites. The Westridge class of 2020 had the amazing opportunity to go and visit Ron Finley’s garden. Ron Finley is an inspirational man, who lives in something called a “food desert.” A “food desert” is a place where you have no access to fresh produce for over a mile. To solve this dilemma, Ron Finley created his own garden on a sidewalk patch of grass. This soon expanded, and now his backyard is full of thriving greenery, and his vegetables are thriving. Ron Finley’s garden serves many people in his community by providing them with healthy food choices. What I found interesting, is that even though Ron Finley could have just limited his garden to himself, he was very caring and selfless, and decided to open it up to the public, so that other people wouldn’t have to go through what he was experiencing before. One challenge I faced that day, was being able to understand how many people in this country live in “food deserts,” considering the fact that I am not directly affected by this problem, and have many healthy food options to chose from. I hope to one day take part in the solving of a situation as big as “food deserts,” and that I can be as devoted to helping other people, just like Ron Finley. On the third day, my class spent the day learning about the topic of “food deserts,” along talking about how soil is formed and used, and reading some “Barbaric Yawps!” Something that really stuck me was the fact that at least 33% of the population lives over a mile away from a grocery store, or more than 10 miles away from a rural census tract. This made me feel very conscious about the world that we live in, because I had no idea that “food deserts” were even a problem. However, I did enjoy hearing, reading, and learning about a “Barbaric Yawp” and the uses of soil. When we did the homework, I didn’t really understand how soil was created and used, but once it was explained in class, everything was cleared up! The fourth day was devoted to working on our propaganda poster, and finalizing the data for our science experiment that we constructed in Arlington Garden. When my group first began looking at the petri dishes filled with bacteria, is was extremely hard for all of us to count and classify each type of bacteria. With the help of the magnificent Ms. Chabot, we concluded that the air sample has the least variety of bacteria present, and as I said before, the mating snail petri dish has the widest variety of bacteria present. This really encouraged me to wash my hands more often, because after seeing all of the finger bacteria, along with the phone bacteria, a was a little freak out and disgusted that my hand could have contained all of those bacteria germs. I honestly really enjoyed working on my group’s propaganda poster that day, because we all put some thought into what it should look like and say, and I think the designed turned out looking fun, yet intriguing.
The fifth day was probably one of the funnest days I have ever had! We went to Millard Canyon in Altadena, and worked with the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy. I really loved shoveling the wood chips into the buckets with my friends, and I also liked watching the assembly line of girls pass the buckets all the way to the top of the dead grass, and then toss the wood chips. One of the strangest things that I experienced that day was when the pile of woodchips became really hot, and started producing steam. It was funny watching some girls lie down and take a short nap in the pile. I also liked walking with the wheelbarrow to another location where we had to dig out giant weeds, and I could also easily skip across the river. Once I left the canyon, I really felt that I had made a small impact on our ecosystem, because I was reducing the risk of fire in the canyon, and possibly saving the lives of many plants and animals that live there! I also really enjoyed the sixth day, when we had many amazing volunteers come and work and educate us about birds, composting, soil, trees, weeds, and small organisms. Leigh Adams’ Tree Walk taught me so much about the history of lawns, and how they are impacting and killing the Westridge trees, and hundreds of other trees across the globe. It saddened me to think that by watering and supporting our beautiful grass, we are also taking away the life of our valuable trees. I also thought that it was really awesome how during the hydrophilic inclination of soil workshop with Rishi Kumar, I could see a millipede breaking down the soil up close. Along with this, I also learned that it is extremely easy to use and create vermicomposting at my house, just by using some scraps of newspaper, a plastic bin with holes, and a handful of Red Wiggler worms. With the help of Emily Cobar, I saw many different types of birds on the Westridge campus, and also learned the difference between a crow and a raven. We also worked with Ted Tegart to weed and mulch the mini gardens and flower spaces behind and in front of Mudd. Besides internally bruising my finger while pulling out weeds, I had a really great time! Overall, this Soil Unit experience has been truly spectacular. I learned so much, and had a lot of fun working on my magazine article, and talking with inspirational people such as Ron Finley. I think that it was a great experience for me to have, and it really opened my eyes to what else is happening in the world outside of Westridge. Sincerely, Mayan Alvarado-Goldberg Thank you for purchasing this magazine subscription. Call now and pay for a one-month trial for the chance to win a free iPad! Have a fun summer! :)
Dear Reader, I applaud anyone who has gotten past the first page. Don’t get me wrong, I loved doing this magazine, but that was mostly because of my experiences. For two weeks, the 7th grade of Westridge School for Girls studied the soil beneath their feet. We have had great experiences that came with many challenges we had to overcome. For example: one time we had to mulch an area. With buckets. And shovels. There were some oak trees that needed mulch around them. At first, people just went around filling buckets and tossing them (not literally). It was hard, laborious work, a dodge of a bucket or two (do not ask) included, but we did it. We also found a bug that looked cool. It was called a Jerusalem Cricket, even though it had nothing to do with Jerusalem. Now that I think about it, that activity reminds me of school. Minus the flying buckets. That was probably my favorite trip. My next favorite trip was probably the one where we went to Ron Finley’s garden by the sidewalk. It was awesome how he had a garden in his unfilled pool. there were so many succulents and different plants. There was even a pomegranate tree. There was so many plants and sunflowers. The garden was so pretty and through the window of the bus I thought it was someone’s front yard. But then I saw the sidewalk and I was really surprised. The Soil isn’t just something you walk on, it’s a big part of you life. Soil is where you get your food and your elements were part of the soil at one time. The soil is our beginning, the beginning of all organisms. It’s also our end. Sincerely, Trinity