Changes in land use following Euro-American colonization resulted in the severe reduction of the endemic Southern California black walnut (Juglans californica) and much of its woodland habitat in Southern California. I will share our research findings on the importance of these woodlands to the larger ecosystem and discuss how ecological research can be intersectional by addressing both conservation and social justice issues. We quantified the availability of trees and large shrubs and the feeding behavior of birds in eight patches of California walnut woodland in Los Angeles County during the spring, summer, and fall periods of 2023. We related habitat features within and adjacent to the eight patches to bird foraging behavior and compared bird feeding patterns relative to tree and shrub availability, documenting 49 species of trees and shrubs (17,904 plant observations) and 49 species of birds (1,009 foraging observations. Total counts of native tree and shrubs (R2kl = 0.30; p <0.10), and native tree and shrub richness (R2kl = 0.64; p <0.001) were positive predictors of the counts of feeding birds. Conversely, building density adjacent to the woodland patches (R2kl = 0.77; p <0.001) and non-native tree and shrub counts (R2kl = 0.71; p <0.001) were negative predictors of the counts of feeding birds. Birds foraged on the western sycamore (Platanus racemosa), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), and blue elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) in higher proportion to their availability in the woodlands (ranging from 14% to 68% higher use relative to a plant’s availability). This research was directly inspired by the anti-gentrification efforts of community groups affiliated with Takaape' Washuut Black Walnut Day in Northeast Los Angeles.