As the new year begins, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden invites community members to make native plant conservation a part of their 2025 New Year resolutions with the launch of a new video series.
Focusing on the Elings Park Transformation project taking place in collaboration with Channel Islands Restoration, the series highlights how individual actions contribute to a more sustainable future by supporting biodiversity and restoring local ecosystems.
Set against the backdrop of Elings Park, the largest privately-funded park in America, the four-part series explores the vital role of native plants in promoting biodiversity and how collective efforts are key to creating change in our communities.
Viewers gain insight into the science behind native plant conservation, including experimental approaches to building climate resilience, invasive plant control, and the cultivation of native plant species essential for maintaining local biodiversity.
“Elings Park’s transformation serves as a powerful example of how native plants restore ecological health and inspire communities to come together and work toward a shared future,” said Denise Knapp, director of Conservation and Research at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
“Through our video series, we hope to ignite a sense of urgency and hope —showing that by embracing native plant conservation, we can help mitigate the impact of climate change and foster vibrant ecosystems for generations to come,” she said.
The first episode, “Recovering Nature: A Story of Biodiversity and Community,” premieres Jan. 7 on the Garden’s YouTube channel, with new episodes releasing weekly through Jan. 28.
Running about 12 minutes, each episode covers a unique perspective on conserving native plants and habitats and aims to inform and inspire action.
• Episode One, Available Now: “Restoring Nature: A Story of Biodiversity and Community at Elings Park” examines the importance of native plants, emphasizing the intersection of biodiversity and community engagement as the garden’s transformation site transforms from invasive weeds into a thriving habitat supporting people and the planet. To watch, visit https://youtu.be/QpVxu01XA7M.
• Episode Two, premieres Tuesday, Jan. 14
“Invaders of the Wild: Understanding the Threat of Invasive Plants” unravels the historical and modern-day impacts of invasive plants, focusing on their devastating effects on local ecosystems and ways in which the community can combat these threats.
• Episode Three | Premieres Thursday, January 23 (shift due to inauguration)
“Adapting to our Changing Climate: The Science of Native Plant Conservation” offers a deep dive into the scientific methods guiding the Garden’s restoration work at its site in Elings Park. This episode highlights groundbreaking research that can inform climate resilience efforts across the region.
• Episode Four | Premieres Tuesday, Jan. 28
“Planting Seeds of Change: How Community Action is Growing a Brighter Future” celebrates grassroots activism and the power of community engagement, showing how volunteers and partners are supporting the garden’s transformation efforts and spreading awareness about the importance of native plant conservation to grow a movement of more beneficial landscape practices.
With a portfolio that includes Emmy-nominated productions such as “Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like;” and multi-camera PBS specials like “Liza’s at the Palace,” Santa Barbara-based film producer Sven Nebelung of Pioneer Pictures Productions led the garden’s video series.
“Through our landscape transformation projects, we’re bringing the Garden’s horticultural and conservation know-how directly into our community to make an impact,” said Jaime Eschette, the garden’s Gerry Rubin Director of marketing and communications.
“With these videos, we’re able to bring the message of conservation and the importance of native plants to life in a way that words alone cannot – inspiring everyone to get involved and grow more native plants,” Eschette said.
Beginning with its work at Elings Park, the garden’s landscape transformation efforts aim to transform thirsty and barren invasive landscapes into native habitats supporting both people and the planet in open spaces across Santa Barbara County.
Including Elings Park, transformations are also underway at Alice Keck Memorial Gardens and in Cuyama Valley, thanks to the support of funders and donors including the USDA National Resource Conservation Service, Amon Foundation, John S. Kiewit Memorial Foundation, Edison International, Walter J. and Holly O. Thomson Foundation, Santa Barbara Foundation, Manitou Fund, and the Smart Foundation.