04/16/2026
At a recent visit to the Green Ravine Test Plot at the Wrigley Marine Science Center, volunteers and University of Southern California students came together to tend the space. They checked in on plantings installed during the fall season, prepped the site for annual brush clearance, and improved irrigation systems to support long-term growth. 🌱
Part of Test Plot, a community land-care initiative developed in partnership with USC's Department of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism, the project is led by professor and landscape architect Alexander Robinson. Through his ARCH 546 course, students return to WMSC each year to help build and maintain the landscape as a living experiment. Students, staff, and volunteers from WMSC, the Catalina Island Conservancy, and the USC Environmental Studies Program are also helping to maintain the plot and track its health.
Now in its third year, the Green Ravine Test Plot aims to restore biodiversity on campus and help manage rainwater runoff flowing into the marine protected area at Big Fisherman Cove on Catalina Island.