In the Palisades, Harnessing Nature’s Ability to Heal Itself
A year and a half after the devastation of the Palisades Fire, sparks of green are emerging from the ash thanks to Resilient Palisades, a group of resident-activists dedicated to helping the local community recover and thrive. The community group recently hosted a hands-on bioremediation workshop near Will Rogers Beach to teach fellow residents how they can play a role in critical soil restoration.
The event drew approximately 30 volunteers, who gathered to learn from leading environmental scientists about the use of fungal mycelium to prevent contaminants from moving off the site.
“As a result of the fire, multiple organic and inorganic contaminants may leach into the soil including PFAs, dioxins, lead, arsenic and asbestos,” said Maya Elson, a research scientist whose specialty in mycology—the study of fungi—has made her a sought-after authority on effective approaches to post-fire recovery. “Fungi can act as a biological filter, capturing these contaminants, as well as harmful bacteria, which can restore the soil and prevent toxic runoff into the water supply.”
Elson and her colleague Danielle Stevenson, executive and scientific director of the Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation (CAER), offered key insights into the scope of the ecological disaster facing the Palisades after the fire and highlighted bioremediation as an instrumental tool in mitigating the damage.
“The fire was a tragedy, but immediately after there was a secondary disaster, which was the movement of contaminants from ash into soil, water and through air,” Stevenson explained. “This expanded the area of contamination exponentially and made even more urgent our focus on how we can harness the power of nature to heal itself. Bioremediation is basically the planet’s immune response—a way to use living organisms like fungi and plants to degrade, detoxify or remove pollutants from the natural environment.”
With funding from the California Community Foundation (CCF) and in collaboration with its partners in the Fire-Resilient Bioremediation and Landscape Recovery Consortium, Resilient Palisades hosted the workshop to give community volunteers a crash course in the practical application of mycology for post-fire bioremediation.
Under Elson and Stevenson’s supervision, the volunteers gathered on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon Road to stuff tubes known as mycowattles, or filter socks, with fungi and straw. Donning gloves, masks and disposable shoe covers to protect themselves from exposure to any contaminants, the volunteers then carried the mycowattles up the hillside, placing them on the ground to erect barriers against soil erosion.
“The Palisades is part of the Santa Monica Bay Watershed: Our canyons, hillsides and stormwater systems ultimately drain into the ocean and contribute to the overall health of Santa Monica Bay. These mycowattles will help keep the bay safer and cleaner,” said Valeria Serna, a board member of Resilient Palisades and a co-lead of the group’s bioremediation efforts. “By encouraging Palisades residents of all ages to have a positive impact on our waterways and soil health, we’re fostering their connection to nature and engaging everyone—from the grandchild to the grandparent—in making our community stronger.”
Among the volunteers at the workshop were Palisades resident Kate Santoro and two of her five children,whose house sustained serious damage during the fire.
“We moved here from Boston in 2022, and I immediately felt drawn to the land; it gave me so much joy to learn about things like composting and using organic materials in the garden,” Santoro said. “Being displaced from our property by the fire, and seeing how badly scarred the landscape became, was incredibly traumatic, so doing things like this—literally planting the seeds that will create new growth—has been healing and inspiring.”
Sara Marti, a board member of Resilient Palisades and the group’s communications director, was also displaced by the fire. She and her husband, Jordan Corral, another Resilient Palisades volunteer and an expert in fire risk reduction through the removal of invasive plants, helped staff the workshop, answering volunteers’ questions about Resilient Palisades and its ongoing initiatives to rebuild the fabric of the Palisades community.
“The organization was actually founded in 2019, but we pivoted after the fire to meet the immediate needs of our community,” Marti said. “There’s so much that has to be done for the Palisades to flourish again, and workshops like this one are instrumental in making it happen.”
Corral has spearheaded efforts to pull up non-native invasive vegetation like black mustard, English ivy and pampas grass—efforts that are essential for bioremediation to be successful.
“Many invasive plants outcompete native species, reduce biodiversity, contribute to erosion and create dense fuel loads that can increase wildfire risk,” he said. “Removing them gives native ecosystems a chance to recover while creating better conditions for long-term soil restoration.
Investment from CCF supports Korrin Davis, Resilient Palisades’ bioremediation program coordinator. She planned the workshop and serves as a key liaison to other members of the Fire-Resilient Bioremediation and Landscape Recovery Consortium including CAER, the Rotary Club of Pacific Palisades, Palisades Forestry Committee and Eaton Fire Residents United.
“Whether we’re putting on workshops, leading webinars or fielding community surveys, I feel privileged to be part of bringing people together to do good and important work,” Davis said. “It’s wonderful to know that we’re making a difference, and CCF is making it possible.”
– Jeremy Deutchman
