Ballona Discovery Park is a museum without walls where visitors can learn the natural and cultural history of Ballona Wetlands. From the always-buzzing native plant demonstration gardens, including pollinator and medicinal garden, to the serene walk along the riparian corridor where coots and other birds can be spotted hidden in the waters below, there is plenty to explore. Children and parents can stroll through the interpretive Watershed Walk, following the movement of water through every habitat from the mountains to the ocean. Ballona Discovery Park is a gateway to the wetlands and helps connect visitors to the wonders of nature around them.
Known as a secret gem to nearby residents for over nine years since the Park opened in 2011, the Park recently became
Come learn how you too can make a difference in your home, work and school garden areas after taking an inspiring tour of the native plant gardens in Ballona Discovery Park.
Monuments in Ballona Discovery Park
Monument to the Ancestors, the Gabrielino-Tongva
“The three monuments are dedicated to our ancestors and future human life on earth in hopes that the healing process from the past will continue.” - Robert Dorame
Monument Artist and Most Likely Descendant of the people of Guashna
Discover the meaning behind each sculpture below:
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From the top, the geode represents the spiritual eye of the creator, facing the ancestors. Beneath the geode, there is a circular hole (horoope), which allows one to escape to earth’s purity, as cogstones, sunstick disks, and discoidals are pouring out to earth. All of these reflect a bygone era of rituals performed for ceremonial events by the Tongva people. The holes in the sunstick disks are left to place ceremonial sunsticks for summer and winter solstice ceremonies, carrying on the traditions of our culture. The passerby may see trails of ochre, shell, feathers, and dried flowers and leaves on the ground following Tongva ceremonies.
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From the top, there is a large hole allowing the light from the sun to pass from east to west. As the seasons change, the shadows reflect on nature’s evolving landscapes: the earth, water, animals, plants, birds, and sea life. The small, pecked holes around the large hole reflect the complexities of our mind, radiating our thoughts and dreams. The medium size holes outline our physical body (taaxaw), as ochre pours out from the holes, cleansing our mind, body, and spirit.
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The focus of this monument is the constellation of the Pleiades (taraxesho-t). The larger three blue glass holes beneath the geode reflect part of the constellation Orion, forming Orion’s belt, a winter constellation shining brightly in a southern direction of our sky. The Tongva term for this is (paahe-sheshi-iyot), “the three sisters.” The geode, with a small opening in its center, allows the sunlight to flow through, signifying a safe journey without obstruction for the ancestors who were displaced during Playa Vista’s development. The four small holes in which black stones with elongated tails are inserted honor our ancestors as they travel through the constellation and heavens (tokuupa). The two medium glass green holes represent Rigel and Betelgeuse, the final elements of Orion.
Monument to the Founders
This bronze relief monument depicts the Founders of Friends of Ballona Wetlands, the small group of activists that got together and stopped development in the Ballona Wetlands. Starting in Ruth Lansford’s living room back in the 70s, members of this cadre of professors and neighbors from the surrounding area joined forces to hire a pro-bono lawyer, Carlyle Hall, to stop the Summa Corporation, representing the interests of the heirs to the Howard Hughes estate. The estate consisted of the last remaining wetland habitat, 1,067 acres, that was left of the historically designated 2,000 acres of the Ballona Wetlands after Marina del Rey took up 900 of those 2,000 acres in back in the 60s.
Founding members, Ruth Lansford and Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, at the dedication ceremony held in 2021
Members listed on the plaque are the late Dr. Howard Towner, Professor of Biology at Loyola Marymount University; Willy Lansford, son of Ruth and Bill Lansford; the late Ed Tarvyd, Professor of Marine Biology and Zoology at Santa Monica College; the late Virginia Wilson, Neighbor; the late Jan Rader, Neighbor and Treasurer; the late Mary Thomson, the Mother of Dunes Restoration in the Wetlands; Councilwoman Ruth Galanter; Ruth Lansford, Founder of the Friends; the late Bill Lansford, husband to Ruth Lansford; and Matt Lansford, son of Ruth and Bill Lansford.
Ballona Discovery Park address: 13110 Bluff Creek Drive, Playa Vista, 90094. The park is open to the public every day from dawn to dusk.
Upcoming Events:
Ballona Discovery Park is a partnership between Friends of Ballona Wetlands, Loyola Marymount University, and Playa Vista Parks & Landscape Corporation. For inquiries about reservations, please contact info@ballonafriends.org
SPOTLIGHT: Language & Customs of the Gabrielino-Tongva
SPOTLIGHT: Native Plants
Ballona Discovery Park is landscaped with local native plants, indigenous to the area. These plants provide food, shelter, and other resources to local wildlife that non-native plants are not able to provide. Learn how to fight habitat loss with your own backyard, school garden, or balcony! Visit our Grow Native! page.