Cabrillo National Monument Visitors Center has received a $5,000 community grant award to help it restore and enhance native habitat.
The American Society of Landscape Architects, San Diego Chapter (ASLA SD), in collaboration with the San Diego Native Plant Society, announced Cabrillo as the 2016 recipient of the community grant.
The ASLA Community Grant was established in 1997 as a result of the chapter’s commitment to the local community. The grant is awarded to deserving community groups pursuing the cultural, aesthetic, and educational enhancement of their local environment.
With the guidance of San Diego native plant expert Greg Ruben, as well as documents and planning prepared by local landscape architects, the Cabrillo project involves performing native habitat restoration and enhancement within 15 outdoor areas in the vicinity of the Cabrillo National Monument Visitor’s Center complex, comprising 5,990 square feet in total area. Of this amount, the project will completely restore 4,392 square feet of disturbed areas, and enhance 1,598 square feet of landscaped areas by introducing a selection of native plants conducive with the existing ornamental species to remain in these areas.
This project is a collaboration between the Cabrillo National Monument staff and volunteers from the Native Garden Committee of the California Native Plant Society, (CNPSSD) San Diego Chapter.
The purpose of the project is to provide native habitat enhancement/beautification of the grounds immediately associated with the Visitor’s Center complex that is both sustainable and educational. This fulfills simultaneous objectives of the U.S. National Park Service.
The CNPSSD Native Garden Committee includes certified landscape architects who will create working construction-level drawings of the native habitat restoration and enhancement areas, including planting plans and specifications. The actual work effort to implement the project will be performed by a combination of Cabrillo National Monument workers/contractors and CNPSSD volunteers.
The ASLA mission is to lead, educate, and participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning and artful design of the natural environment. The Community Grant is intended to enhance and to educate the community on landscape architecture, environmental issues and the value of Landscape Architecture and the use of licensed Landscape Architects. Each year the grant is supported by the proceeds of the Annual ASLA/Community Grant Golf Tournament.
