In the Heart of Conservation: Laurence’s Internship Experience with Ojai Valley Land Conservancy

Laurence: Growing from Nursery Novice to Native Plant Enthusiast

The Green Valley Project offers passionate young people the chance to intern with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, assisting in the management of their native plant nursery. This year, the OVLC’s internship welcomed two very talented and passionate interns: Laurence (Kali) Cockrell and Celeste Ayala. As part of their internship, they were asked to write a reflection detailing their experience, the lessons they learned, and the skills they acquired.

Read Laurence’s reflection on her internship with OVLC, where she shares what she learned and gained from her experience in native plant nursery management.

Laurence’s Reflection:

“Ever since I have started working as a part of the OVLC team as an intern for the nursery, I

have learned so much. I very much enjoyed the various activities, the kindness of my

coworkers, and so much more! Some examples are:

One event I remember that I personally enjoyed a lot were the hikes. The reason why is

because usually I don’t get to have a chance to just take in nature, and learn more of it as

the hike continues. I know we sadly did not go on much, but every time we did one, it was

such a joy. I remember how I’d also have a game with myself to count how many plants I

could recognize in the hiking trail.

Some daily tasks I loved doing were transplanting and seed cleaning! I absolutely loved

being able to take care of the plants and help them get into the bigger pots they need. For

me personally, it was also therapeutic. There would be times where I am stressed or upset,

but transplanting would really help take my mind off of it! For seed cleaning, it was really

fun to do! Even though I didn’t have the easiest time doing it, it was still fun and honestly,

pretty relaxing.

Laurence's Staff Pick for a Native Plant: Laurence thoughtfully chose Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea) as her native plant to highlight for its unique beauty and ecological benefits. This vibrant plant attracts various pollinators, making it a valuable addition to any garden.

For seed collection, I only got to do one day of it, which was for my project, but I had a

really great time doing it! It was super fun learning about the different parts of the plants

and being able to actually use my knowledge to tell if the seeds were ready or not. I am

really sad honestly that I was unable to come to more of the seed collection days.

Even though I have only experienced one seed seminar, it was very informational! I really

enjoyed the vibe there, and it was super nice hearing everyone talk about the seed process,

and asking questions! I also loved how there were actual visuals too about the seeds and

how some look! This is more biased because I am more of a physical and visual learner.

Plant sales were something! I had a great time at these, it was super fun helping people

with the plants! However, this is something I had a difficult time with. I do still tend to

struggle socially, so it's hard for me sometimes to offer help, especially when I am not as

well versed in recognizing the plant’s latin name, and just being able to be a great help.

For the field trips, I’d definitely say that the Oxnard Native Plant Festival was a really great

one! There was just so much to see and learn! I particularly loved the movie about the

white sage! It was really sad to learn about how so much people disrespect the amazing

plant even purely for profit. I do still think about it a lot and it did change my perspective of

some things such as burning sage.

Even though I won’t be here next year, I do still plan to imply this knowledge to my own

learning at Ventura college, and hopefully all of the way to marine biology! I had such a

great time, and I have been inspired to work in an organization to help with Marine life and

help take care of it!”