Meet Jonathan Stalvey, Design Principal for TerraWorks Studio

Good things happen when old college friends reunite to follow their dreams. The partners at TerraWorks Studio joined forces years after leaving Cal Poly Pomona to combine their skills in landscape design, irrigation and maintenance, and are creating thoughtful and sustainable landscapes throughout Southern California.

Dream designs Q&A

What’s the best way to get started on a landscape transformation?

Jonathan Stalvey: Just start, make that first mark and start generating ideas. Write down what you’re thinking, and if you ever get brain fog or designer’s block, you can always go back to those first marks to stay on track. Some of the best ideas have started with napkins at a restaurant or bar. 

What key design elements do you recommend to homeowners?

Stalvey: Keep it simple. Avoid the urge to complicate your design, and focus on elements that make sense for what they do. Don’t put a bioswale at the top of a slope where it won’t collect water. Design your planted areas based on available sunlight, and give your plantings the room they need to grow to maturity.

Any other words of advice?

Stalvey: Maintaining your landscape is important for the success of your new landscape. Make sure you have a good maintenance manual that includes details like when to mulch, or the types of fertilizers to use on which plants, and when. You can do the research yourself, or have a landscape designer like TerraWorks prepare it for you.

This content originally appeared in The Dirt, IRWD's quarterly gardening newsletter. See the full issue at IRWD.com/thedirt. 

IRWD hosts workshops and events throughout the year, and attends community events whenever possible. Here's what's coming up in September:

Watershed Cleanup
Saturday, Sept. 21, 9 a.m. @ San Joaquin Marsh entrance 

Join us for our annual Watershed Cleanup, and be a part of this year’s statewide tally for California Coastal Cleanup Day. Volunteers are needed to clear trash from San Diego Creek before it reaches the ocean. SIGN UP

Check for Leaks, Prep Your Landscape
Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. @ IRWD headquarters 

In this free workshop, you'll learn how to check your home for leaks indoors and outdoors, then get ready for the fall planting season. Our experts at IRWD, with help from our partners at Cool Irvine, will show you how! SIGN UP

Looking ahead

We've got a busy October planned as well! Here's what's coming next month: 

Tustin Tiller Days
Oct. 4-6 @ Columbus Tustin Park (Tustin)

Tustin Tiller Days is a free annual event featuring vendors, carnival rides, food and more. IRWD staff members will host a booth featuring a prize wheel and water-saving information. MORE INFO

Landscape Design Workshop
Oct. 5, 9 a.m. @ IRWD headquarters

Learn all about landscape design at this free workshop co-hosted by UC Master Gardeners of Orange County. SIGN UP

Irvine Global Village Festival
Oct. 5 @ Great Park

The annual Irvine Global Village Festival returns to the Great Park this year for a full day of food, art, music, and a celebration of Irvine's diverse community. IRWD staff members will host a booth featuring a prize wheel, water-saving information, and more. MORE INFO

Smart Irrigation Event
Oct. 12, 8 a.m. @ The Home Depot (East Irvine)

IRWD landscape guru Juan Garcia is coming to your neighborhood with the Shed Show Road Show! Meet and chat with Juan at the event about ways to make your yard more water friendly, and get help with your rebate application. MORE INFO

H2O for HOAs
Oct. 17, 8 a.m. @ Norman P Murray Community Center (Mission Viejo)

In partnership with over a dozen water agencies and cities, Moulton Niguel Water District led the initiative to bring together the HOA community — including board members, property managers, professional landscapers and residents — to provide education and inspire conversation and collaboration on water management topics. IRWD is a partner of this event. MORE INFO

H2O Show & Tell
Oct. 19. 9 a.m. @ IRWD headquarters

In conjunction with Water Professionals Appreciation Week, IRWD is hosting its second annual free and family-friendly open house event to celebrate the work we do with the communities we serve. SIGN UP

Take this regional survey to help identify potential disaster concerns.

Irvine Ranch Water District is working with the Municipal Water District of Orange County and participating agencies on updates to a Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan to help assess our community’s vulnerabilities to disaster, and identify appropriate action to guard against it.

You can help!

Let your voice be heard as we plan for a safer future! Take this quick and anonymous survey on hazards and emergency preparations. Your responses will help in the preparation of the plan.

A draft of the completed MJHMP plan will be made available in the fall.

Why have an MJHMP?

An MJHMP will help IRWD, MWDOC, and Participating Agencies better plan for future emergencies. Usually, after a disaster occurs, communities take steps to recover from the emergency and rebuild. An MJHMP is a way for IRWD to better prepare in advance for these disasters so less damage occurs, and recovery is easier. Our community can use MJHMP strategies to reduce instances of property damage, injury, and loss of life from disasters. Besides protecting public health and safety, this approach can save money. Studies estimate that every dollar spent on mitigation saves an average of four dollars on response and recovery costs. An MJHMP can also help strengthen the mission of public safety officers, such as police and fire department staff, providing them with clear roles and responsibilities to build a safer community.

Besides helping protect our assets and properties within the planning area, our MJHMP will make IRWD eligible for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that can be used to further improve safety and preparedness in the community. Having an adopted MJHMP can also provide eligibility to receive more financial assistance from the State when disasters occur.

What is in our MJHMP?

The MJHMP includes four main sections:

• · A summary of the natural and human-caused hazards that pose a risk to our community.
• · An assessment of the threat to IRWD, MWDOC and Participating Agencies, which will describe how our community is vulnerable to future disasters.
• · A hazard mitigation strategy, which will lay out specific policy recommendations to carry out over the next five years.
• · A section on maintaining the plan, which will help ensure that our MJHMP is kept up-to-date.

What hazards will our MJHMP help protect against?

The MJHMP plans to include the following natural and human-cause hazards:

• · Power Outage
• · Wildfire
• · Seismic Hazards – Ground Shaking
• · Seismic Hazards – Liquefaction
• · High Winds/Santa Ana Winds
• · Drought
• · Dam/Reservoir Failure
• · Flood
• · Earthquake Fault Rupture
• · Landslide/Mudflow
• · Contamination
• · Human-Cause Hazards – Terrorism
• · Human-Caused Hazards – Hazardous Materials
• · Urban Fire
• · Geologic Hazards – Land Subsidence
• · Geologic Hazards – Expansive Soils
• · Tsunami
• · Climate Change
• · Coastal Storms/Erosion

While many of these hazards may affect our specific agency, for those that are not relevant, the plan will provide an explanation regarding its exclusion.

How is our MJHMP being prepared?

MWDOC and Participating Agencies have assembled a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee (HMPC), which includes representatives from Agency Departments and is supported by key stakeholders and technical consultants. Together, these participants form the project team are responsible for guiding the overall development of our MJHMP.

When will our MJHMP be done?

The project team plans to release a Public Review Draft MJHMP in Fall 2024. After members of the public provide comments and feedback, IRWD will work with MWDOC and Participating Agencies to revise the plan and send it to the California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA for review and approval. Once approved by these agencies, IRWD’s Board of Directors will adopt the final MJHMP.

How can I get involved?

You can get involved in preparing our MJHMP in different ways.

• · IRWD will have public engagement opportunities to share information about our MJHMP and obtain community feedback. Stay tuned for these opportunities.
• · Please take our online survey https://forms.gle/RmJDAJddw4CfnrXC7, which is available through August 2024. Please share this link with your family and friends.
• · IRWD will release a draft of the completed MJHMP for public review. Please review and provide comments on this document, either at community engagement opportunities or in writing.
• · Encourage members of IRWD’s Board of Directors to adopt the plan and begin implementing it.
• · Reach out to info@IRWD.com for more ways to stay involved.

Outdoor living spaces are booming, with a growing variety of shapes and sizes to fit your lifestyle. Whether you’re looking for a lively gathering space for grilling, mingling or watching TV, or leaning more toward a tranquil and soothing retreat — there are limitless options available to turn your backyard into a valuable asset for entertaining, relaxing, or enjoying quality time with family in your own private oasis.

Take some time to think about how you’d like to use your backyard.

•  Consider areas with plenty of sunlight for plants and greenery
•  Position your outdoor space where it has a functional connection to the inside of your house
•  Think about hardscape features you’ll want to include, such as a grill island, a fireplace or water element.
•  Planters, pots, lighting and flooring can help to define areas
•  If you have room, a folding glass wall can provide an easy and inviting flow within your new indoor-outdoor haven.

Visit IRWD.com/landscape for helpful resources and ideas.

This content originally appeared in The Dirt, IRWD's quarterly gardening newsletter. See the full issue at IRWD.com/thedirt.