March 2014

Hahamongna Walkabout: Go with the Flow!

Saturday, March 22, 2014, 9:00 AM in Hahamongna Watershed Park (meet in lower parking lot)

Come explore one of our region's great natural treasures! Spend a splendiforous Saturday morning in nature and learn about the rich habitat, wildlife and water resources in our backyard. Topics will include:

  • Devil's Gate sediment
  • Arroyo Canyon Project
  • History of Hahamongna
  • Gabrielino/Tongvas in the Arroyo
  • habitat, wildife and more!

Come See Hahamongna in its Glory

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Don't Let a Little Rain Deceive You

It was an intense storm over the first weekend of March, but it didn't last long. And it certainly didn't make up for the dry conditions that have plagued our region for the last three years. Downtown LA precipitation for the season reached 5.6 inches, but we're near the end of the season, which usually averages 15.6 inches. Pasadena is at about the same level but has a higher seasonal average at 21 inches. The allocation on the State Water Project for this year is 0. That's right. None. So redouble your conservation efforts please, and let your friends and neighbors know the drought isn't over.

Drought Map

ASF Hosts German Sediment Expert

Dietrich Bartelt of the German hydrology firm, DB Sediments visited Pasadena last week to look into the sediment issue in Hahamongna. Dr. Bartelt has been tracking the Devil's Gate sediment program from Europe. He submitted comments to the County's DEIR. He came specifically to research Devil's Gate and sediment issues in Southern California.

Dr. Bartelt has extensive experience in sediment management and transport and emphasizes a more environmental friendly approach to the topic, which views sediment as a key part of river dynamics and health. You can get a better idea of his approach from this slide presentation that he gave in Chicago last Fall: Sustainable Sediment Management

Dr. Bartelt has an important message about the value of sediment that he delivered to County and Pasadena officals and a group of local activists. It may be that some of the techniques he proposes could help shape a more sustainable and environmentally responsible sediment program for Devil's Gate and Hahamongna Watershed Park.

Welcome to the Arroyo Seco Calendar!

Your guide to special events related to the Arroyo Seco, the Los Angeles River,
the San Gabriel Mountains, and key environmental issues in our region.

Click on the date or title link for full details
Date
Start Time
Title
Event Summary
2014-03-198:00 pmWhen Rocks Roll: How Sediment Transport Shapes Planetary SurfacesDr. Michael Lamb, who has studied the hard-rock San Gabriel Mountains extensively, will wow you with fascinating insights about sediment's role locally and on distant planets.
2014-03-229:00 AMHahamongna Walkabout: Go with the FlowCome explore one of our region's great natural treasures! Spend the morning in nature and learn about innovative ways of managing natural rivers in urban areas. Topics will include the Devil's Gate sediment removal project, the Arroyo Seco Canyon Pro
2014-03-2910 AMThird Annual Climate Change Forum: The Local Effects of Climate Change and Actions to Minimize the ELearn more about climate change and what we can do to adapt to future climate conditions.
2014-04-05 & 2014-04-0610:00 AM11th Annual Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour: Westside and South BayFor more than a decade the Theodore Payne Foundation’s Native Plant Garden Tour has provided Southern California homeowners and plant enthusiasts with the opportunity to visit authentic California gardens in a variety of styles that showcase the uniq
2014-04-199:00 amGreywater WorkshopInterested in learning how to install your own simple greywater irrigation system? greywater corps will be teaching a greywater class and hands-on workshop where you will learn all about greywater and then participate in installing a laundry-to-lands

News of the Arroyo

An achive of news stories about and related to life in the Arroyo Seco.

Click on the title link to read the entire story

Title
Summary
For visitors to Pasadena, Calif., 5 great free things, from farmers markets to flea marketsFebruary 28, 2014 — Street-side viewing of the nationally televised annual New Year's Day Rose Parade isn't the only free thing to attract visitors to Pasadena, Calif., a mere 17 kilometres northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Crescenta Valley Water District offers rebates for water-saving effortsFebruary 27, 2014 — It's part of an annual rebate program that comps CVWD customers $1 per square foot, up to 800 square feet, to replace turf with drought-tolerant and California native plants. This is on top of a $1 per-square-foot rebate being offered through the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California, which has no cap.
Los Angeles City Council Unanimously Confirms Marcie Edwards as LADWP General ManagerFebruary 21, 2014 — Marcie Edwards will be the first woman to run the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.
When Los Angeles Abandoned its Mountain FrontierFebruary 20, 2014 — The perilous escape from Mount Lowe that night was part of a gradual abandonment of extraordinary recreational and commercial ventures that had sprung up in the mountains of Los Angeles since the 1880s. The zealous spirit that had initially inspired these exploits and fostered them for nearly five decades was rooted in the tantalizing national myth of the vanishing frontier.
Security Issues Hamper Public Opening of Ed P. Reyes River GreenwayFebruary 19, 2014 — Despite rumors that have alleged this project's unavailability to the public might be fallout from political rivalry between Council District 1 councilmember Gil Cedillo and his predecessor Ed Reyes, Deborah Deets from the Bureau of Sanitation's (BOS) Watershed Protection Division adamantly says this isn't true. Deets says the reason the greenway hasn't been open is because of a security issue.
Jay Famiglietti's mission: to rescue us from our bad water habitsFebruary 19, 2014 — Patt Morrison asks Jay Famiglietti about the future of water in California.
Water war boils down to farmers vs. fishermenFebruary 19, 2014 — George Skelton of the LA Times talks sense about the realities of a drought and the characterization of California's water wars as a fight between farmers and fish.
California Drought: Database shows big difference between water guzzlers and sippersFebruary 10, 2014 — The historic drought is making average residents think twice every time they turn on the tap, despite the weekend rain. But there is nothing average about the way Californians consume water: A little-known state database that measures water use in every community shows huge -- sometimes shocking -- differences between California's water sippers and guzzlers.
They're Getting It Right "Down Under" and the U.S. Should Follow Their LeadFebruary 7, 2014 — Lisa Novick talks about finding native plants at Australian big box nurseries and the country's embrace of its native landscapes.
Epic California Drought and Groundwater: Where Do We Go From Here?February 4, 2014 — UC Irvine professor Jay Familighetti presents some alarming analysis of groundwater levels in California based on satellite observation.

Arroyo Seco Foundation
Los Angeles River Center, 570 W. Avenue 26 #450, Los Angeles, CA 90065
PO Box 91622, Pasadena, CA 91109
(323) 405-7326 | info@arroyoseco.org

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