The Christmas Eve Tree Slaughter - 2015

Christmas Eve 2015 was a sad day in the Arroyo Seco. The City of Pasadena chopped down seven ancient oaks in Hahamogna Watershed Park as part of a program to remove hundreds of trees especially in the natural lands of the Arroyo Seco. Pasadena Public Works officials call it necessary maintenance, but their actions are destroying the character of the rare oak grove in Hahamongna and of the Arroyo Seco itself.

In our lifetimes Hahamongna Oak Grove will never look as good as it looked before Pasadena brought out the chain saws on the day before Christmas, 2015.

Witness the Devastation Wrought by the Christmas Eve Oak Grove Slaughter:

Nick Hummingbird's Photos | Marnie Gaede's Photos | Star-News Article

The Local Tree Crisis

The trees in our region have been under extraordinary stress in recent years. Five long years of drought have weakened many of trees and made them more susceptible to persistent pests like the Polyfaguous Shot Hole Bore that is spreading rapidly and threatening new trees. But is the solution to simply cut down threatened trees and hope for the best? Pasadena, chopped down seven ancient oaks in Hahamogna Watershed Park on Christmas Eve and has plans to remove hundreds of trees especially in the natural lands of the Arroyo Seco. Pasadena Public Works officials call it necessary maintenance, but their actions are destroying the character of the rare oak grove in Hahamongna and of the Arroyo Seco itself.

We call on the City of Pasadena to:

  1. Conduct a public forum on habitat and tree preservation,
  2. Begin a program of removing invasive species that are fostering the pests and endangering the trees, and
  3. Develop a plan to restore invaluable habitat in the Arroyo after five long years of drought.