A Year of Growth and Gratitude at Debs Park: 2025 Reflections

2025 was a banner year for conservation and community at the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Together with our community, partners, volunteers, and passionate staff, we continued to build a more climate-resilient Los Angeles, one rooted in understanding native habitat, accessible education, and meaningful opportunities for people to connect with nature.  
 
Our vision has always been simple: protect and restore local habitats while empowering the communities who live alongside them. At the heart of our work is a small but mighty team: Audubon staff, youth leaders, interns, and community volunteers. We are driven by a holistic, people-centered approach because we believe that conservation in Los Angeles is not just about the land, but about the people who live here, learn here, and care for it. Our center bridges environmental justice, community science, and habitat restoration, making nature accessible and welcoming to all.  
 
In 2025, we launched a new version of our workforce-development program, Future Leaders Igniting Greater Habitat Transformation or FLIGHT. We also opened the gates of Los Nogales Nursery to the public, increasing access to California native plants for both neighborhood green spaces and backyard ecosystems.  
 
Seeing our interns grow this year has been remarkable. We’ve watched their understanding of ecology deepen and their confidence as emerging conservationists take shape. Even more inspiring has been seeing them put their new skills into practice. Several interns have already led bird walks and bird sits on their own campuses, supported by materials from Audubon’s lending library. Knowing they have access to these tools has empowered them to share their knowledge, inspire their peers, and help protect the places birds need.