Environmentalists Win One, Lose One in Valley

Tullio Picardo started with a secret garden. But he’s aiming for an ecosystem.

Armed with $26,000 in newly acquired grant money, the fourth-grade teacher at Montague Charter Academy in Pacoima wants to transform the school’s asphalt, chain-link landscape into a horticultural oasis complete with wandering vines of honeysuckle, a lush vegetable garden and a grape arbor.

Picardo calls his project “A Garden for Our Children.” And Wednesday, his vision was rewarded with funding from the Los Angeles Urban Resources Partnership, a joint program sponsored and funded by federal, state and local authorities.

The Pacoima group was one of 18 organizations that received money from the partnership at a brief ceremony attended by at least 50 people amid the high grass and waterfowl at Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area.

Mayor Richard Riordan, Councilman Marvin Braude and U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture James Lyons spoke briefly to the crowd, praising the collective efforts of those who worked to improve the environment in Los Angeles.

“City people don’t often have the opportunity to be exposed to nature,” said Councilman Marvin Braude. “It’s one of the delights of life and we need to help the young appreciate those values.”

Speaking to the benefits of the program, Lyons added, the effort was all about creating “a greener city, healthier neighborhoods and a spirit of community.”

The partnership aims to bolster grass-roots environmental organizations in Los Angeles with financial and technical support, its administrators say. The program is also being tried in seven other cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, East St. Louis, Ill., New York, Philadelphia and Seattle, they said.

In all, the Los Angeles groups--which are involved in greening projects, environmental education and habitat restoration--will receive $500,000, officials said.

Picardo’s plans for the money are grand. He wants to create a new environment at the public charter school where children could wander picturesque “mission-style” grounds flanked by native plant life and, in one area, a gurgling fountain. Most of the project remains to be done.

In addition to A Garden for Our Children, those honored include Gardens For Kids of Sunland, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, the Mono Lake Committee, Save the Whales, and the National Audubon Society.

“This is the type of partnership with the community that we really need to build upon,” said Lillian Y. Kawasaki, the general manager of the city’s Environmental Affairs Department. “There is so much that is beautiful in Los Angeles, but so much more that we need to do.”