February 2015
No Big Dig - the Lawsuit to Save Hahamongna a Huge Success
Thank you to the 193-and-counting Hahamongna supporters who have made our Indiegogo campaign, No Big Dig - the Lawsuit to Save Hahamongna, an overwhelming success. At the end of the February 5 deadline, we exceeded our goal by 34%, with a total of $33,566 raised. You made this happen!
The Indiegogo campaign funds will help cover our legal expenses as the Arroyo Seco Foundation and Pasadena Audubon Society take on the County's horrendous plan for Hahamongna and our neighborhoods. Donations can also be made by check or PayPal; click here for details.
Click here to sign up for email updates on the lawsuit and other Hahamongna issues.
Pasadena Council Says Archers Only
We were disappointed by the Pasadena City Council vote to cede a large portion of the Lower Arroyo Park to Pasadena Roving Archers and other archers in a vote early in the morning of February 3, 2015. After a five hour public hearing and discussion, the council split 5-3.
The archers loudly proclaimed that the new agreement is not for "exclusive use" because anyone can still walk near the archery range, but in the future all other users will be warned by signs and barriers not to stray into the large archery range because in the judgment of the City Council it is too unsafe to allow the public to enjoy the area. All non-archers will be restricted to the dry, barren path lined by a chain link fence near the flood channel. No one, however, goes to the Lower Arroyo to walk near the flood channel.
As a conservation organization, ASF's vision is for a restored Arroyo Seco River flowing through a nature preservation area. Archers can fit into that vision, if proper safety restrictions are applied and if the public, at least at some times, has access to one of the most beautiful spots in the urban Arroyo Seco.
For more information, please read this statement of the Stewards of Public Land.
Upcoming Nursery Activies
Spring has sprung! Come on out and join our volunteers in the native plant nursery in Hahamongna Watershed Park as we gear up for our first full growing season. There are tasks for everyone; all skill levels are welcome and wanted. Contact Rebecca Shields Moose at rebecca@arroyoseco.org to join the weekly work days, or join us for a propagation workshop on Saturday, March 7 at 9:00 AM.
A recent expedition was unable to find trout in the upper Arroyo Seco Watershed.
Click here to read about it.
Another dry winter reminds us of the need to conserve water
February is supposed to be our wettest month, but the lack of preciptation so far is a harsh reminder that the drought is still here.
Exceptional drought conditions continue in our region, and most of California's water resources remain in a precarious state. The Sierras, which supply the large share of our water, are at only one quarter of their normal snowpack according to Metropolitan Water District's latest storage report—the need to conserve is as great as ever.
In anticipation of a dry 2015, we want to remind you that there is still this season time to plant California native plants, such as our hardy sages and buckwheats. The hummingbirds and butterflies will thank you, too!
Don't forget that there are many rebates available for conservation investments around your home or business. Visit socalwatersmart.com or contact your local water provider for more information. Many have gone up in value!
Visit our conservation page to learn more about how you can do your part.
How have you been conserving? Send your story and pictures to info@arroyoseco.org and you could be featured in the next Arroyo Currents!
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.
| Wed, February 18 |
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California Friendly Garden Class 6 – 9pm Upper San Gabriel Valley Muni Water District, 602 E. Huntington Dr, Suite B, Monrovia 91016 A super FREE class geared for residential landscaping needs! Covers holistic gardening, living soil sponge, rethinking your site, right place for your plants, rainwater as a resource, managing irrigation. Please RSVP to ruby@usgvmwd.org |
| Thu, February 19 |
|
Hahamongna Watershed Bike Tour 4:30 – 6:00pm Windsor Avenue & Ventura Street, Altadena 91001 Join Dot Wong for an informational tour.ride about upcoming projects in and around the Hahamongna Watershed in the Upper Arroyo Seco. We'll do a loop from Devil's Gate Dam to the check dam next to the forest service homes approx 4 mile loop so 8 miles round trip from the bike shop. Road bikes okay. Ride will be on paved and some dirt roads. |
|
San Gabriels to the Sea: How Hahamongna Fits In 7 – 9:00pm Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena 91001 Altadena Heritage is excited to offer this public forum that will put Hahamongna Watershed Park - and Los Angeles County's controversial sediment-removal plan for Devil's Gate Reservoir - into a larger context: its significance within the Arroyo Seco River System. Because of Hahamongna's location between the sediment-producing San Gabriel mountains and the lower Arroyo Seco and Los Angeles River, which flows to the Pacific, it plays a vital role in the continued well-being of our most important local river system. |
| Wed, March 4 |
|
Board of Zoning Appeals - Arroyo Seco Canyon Project 6:30 – 8:00pm City Hall Chambers, 100 N. Garfield Ave., Pasadena 91101 An appeal of the Arroyo Seco Canyon Project Mitigated Negative Declaration and Conditional Use Permit will be considered by the Pasadena Board of Zoning appeals. |
| Sat, March 7 |
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Native Nursery Propagation Workshop with Roger Klemm 9 – 10:30pm Hahamongna Nursery, Hahamongna Watershed Park, Foothill Blvd & Oak Grove Drive, 91011 Join Arroyo Seco Foundation and stalwart volunteer Roger Klemm at our nursery for a workshop on native plant propagation. Learn by doing! We will cover propagation by seed and cuttings. Bring water, sunscreen, and gloves. |
News of the Arroyo
An archive of news stories about and related to life in the Arroyo Seco.
Click on the title link to read the entire story.
| Conservationists Take to Crowdfunding to Fight Hahamongna Watershed Plan | February 2, 2015 — ASF and the Audubon have embarked on a grassroots campaign to fight the Los Angeles County Flood Control District's (LACFD) $100-million plan to scrape the growing sediment off the basin at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena as part of its Devil's Gate Reservoir Sediment Removal and Management Project. |
| Preparing for Native Plant Restoration on the L.A. River | January 29, 2015 — Ellen Mackey leads the Native Seed Resources Coalition (NSRC), a group of organizations working to ensure that there is an adequate supply of locally sourced plants for L.A. River projects and other public and private projects in the watershed. The group has been working toward this mission for about three years this March, but even longer individually. "We want to make sure that local native plants are available and used in these projects," says Mackey. |
| Group eyes lawsuit aimed at Devil's Gate sediment removal plan | January 14, 2015 — As the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works prepares to begin a five-year sediment haul at Devil's Gate Reservoir in the fall, some La Cañadans are rallying behind a lawsuit that aims to stop it in its tracks. |
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
