The California State University Northridge Botanic Garden or CSUN Botanic Garden is located in the northern San Fernando Valley, in the southeast section ("quadrant") of the California State University, Northridge campus in the community of Northridge in Los Angeles, California.
The site includes a botanical garden and approximately of nursery, shadehouse, and greenhouse zones. The botanic gardens were established shortly after the campus was established in 1959, as a Valley branch of California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA). It has grown through the administrations of succeeding San Fernando Valley State College and the present day CSUN Biology Department.
History
The botanical garden was first created in 1959, over 40 years old and originally planted with only California native plants but has since expanded to a collection of over 1,200 plant species. The garden also offers a native food garden over an acre of land. There are four greenhouses in the garden: “a living library of diverse plant specimens, an outdoor classroom for students of all ages and interests, a beautiful refuge for quiet study or strolling, an ever-changing setting to paint or sketch, and a valued community asset”.
The garden is community run and funded through fundraising events. Students of California State University tend to the garden through course focused botany courses. The public also has access to these courses from horticultural experts. The garden itself operates on a water-conserving landscape. California State University Northridge students use these plant species for research projects that include “biological principles, plant biology, plant ecology, plant morphology, plant physiology, and entomology”.
The overall goals for the garden are:
Plants that are attainable and usable for local sustainability landscapes that feature sustainable gardening techniques, water conservation, and saving endangered plants and species, including the bees. Student accessibility for education and on hands practice for ‘planting ethnobotany insights’.
One of the few remaining historic (circa the 1920s) orange groves is thriving on the southeastern campus quad. The citrus industry was formerly had groves covering much of the San Fernando Valley. The rows of large eucalyptus trees, historic windbreaks for agricultural fields from the late 19th century, are found towering over the perimeters of the campus, surviving planners developing campus expansions with valor.
California State University has the recognition of the Bee Campus USA certification. This fostered a great opportunity for pollinator-focused efforts throughout the gardens that allows students, volunteers and facility to improve the health of the vital pollinator populations. In November 2018, California State University Northridge was certified as a Bee Campus USA affiliate.
California State University Northridge has an official Sustainability Day every year on October 24, which is recognized throughout the campus, school and faculty. In 2019 the university focused on the topic of biodiversity loss. They highlighted prime examples of the different impacts and losses on ecosystems, populations and cultures. California State University Northridge’s Dr. Rachel Mackelprang, biology professor, discussed the possible threats of the honey bee populations that are a worldwide threat. She highlighted the importance of these pollinators and discusses their vital role in pollinating a myriad of food products.
Dr. Mackelpang also discussed the research and work done on the honey bees in California State University Northridge’s own orange grove and the impacts and role that the university plays in creating an improvement for the community and world.
In 2020 California State University Northridge and community partners turned the unused corners of CSUN’s garden into a safe haven for pollinators, such as the hummingbirds and bees. These species are critical to growing the planet’s food supply.
These areas created learning opportunities for students from numerous colleges, not just the California State University of Northridge. They provided learning outcomes from majors of science, social services, humanities, history, and urban studies. These areas gave the community room to explore, grow and learn about the city’s history. Organizers included local children in the building expansion, which fostered learning for these endangered pollinators.
CSUN and a team of community partners are turning unused corners of the city into safe havens for bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators that are critical to growing the planet’s food supply.