Los Ange­les Coun­ty’s Puente Hills Region­al Park project has received a $15 mil­lion fed­er­al grant. The fund­ing comes from the Land and Water Con­ser­va­tion Fund’s Out­door Recre­ation Lega­cy Part­ner­ship Pro­gram, part of a larg­er $254.68 mil­lion ini­tia­tive sup­port­ing parks across 24 states. This project, which involves the trans­for­ma­tion of what was for­mer­ly the sec­ond-largest land­fill in the coun­try into a region­al park, will pro­vide much-need­ed space for recre­ation and respite for numer­ous park-poor com­mu­ni­ties, advanc­ing envi­ron­men­tal jus­tice and sus­tain­abil­i­ty.

Plans for the park include a range of fea­tures, such as a panoram­ic over­look, trails, an amphithe­ater, and a chil­dren’s nature play area, cre­at­ing a “com­mu­ni­ty core” in the West­ern Deck. Addi­tion­al­ly, the East­ern and West­ern Horn areas will be devel­oped to include cer­e­mo­ni­al spaces, gar­dens, mead­ows, and walk­ways hon­or­ing indige­nous and ear­ly inhab­i­tants. The park is set to enhance bio­di­ver­si­ty and pro­vide a sanc­tu­ary for wildlife, while offer­ing res­i­dents a vibrant space to con­nect with nature.

The restora­tion and regen­er­a­tion of the for­mer land­fill is also designed to pro­tect bio­di­ver­si­ty, restore wildlife habi­tats, and address the impacts of cli­mate change. By pro­vid­ing both recre­ation­al space and mul­ti­ple ben­e­fits, the Puente Hills Region­al Park will be a valu­able asset to com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers for gen­er­a­tions to come.