Students to Create Ecosystem Display

To the casual observer, the overgrown plot of land behind Reseda High School doesn’t look like much.

But to students in the school’s Environmental Science Magnet program, the lot is a tropical rain forest, butterfly garden and outdoor theater just waiting to happen.

The young scientists plan to create several ecosystems at the site so that elementary and middle-school students can get a close-up view of plants, insects, birds and fossils.

“The entire project is being planned by students,” said magnet coordinator Tony Recalde.

“The teachers are taking a hands-off approach. We are offering guidance, but they are making all the decisions.”

About 80 students, parents and volunteers from L.A. Works and Clean and Green--both nonprofit community service organizations-- recently joined forces to clear the lot and prepare the area for the various ecosystems.

As volunteers cut brush, trimmed tree limbs, raked paths, removed stones and weeded gardens, Recalde walked through the area and pointed out where each ecosystem will be located.

A shady area will become a tropical rain forest with banana, papaya and guava trees. A sunny section will be made into a desert garden with native plants.

Tall, leafy trees will serve as a natural arbor for an outdoor amphitheater where drama students can perform Shakespearean plays.

A rundown greenhouse will be turned into a hydroponics lab where vegetables will be grown in nutrient-rich soil. And an old shed will become a geology-paleontology museum where fossils and a gold-panning exhibit will be displayed.

Students also plan to build butterfly, hummingbird, vegetable and rose gardens; a Pacific Northwest rain forest with redwoods and pine trees and a freshwater habitat featuring a stream flowing into a pond.

“The students want to create a place where younger kids can learn from older students without having to travel far away,” Recalde said.