September 2014

Beetle | River Parks | Nursery | Coastal Cleanup | Drought | News | Calendar

KPCC AIRTALK: Next huge Los Angeles restoration: The Arroyo Seco watershed?

AUGUST 29TH, 2014, 10:36AM | AIRTALK

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Pasadena City Council action previously scheduled for September 15 has been deferred to an uncertain date.

Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer

Beetle Threatens Arroyo Woodlands

It's a tiny beetle, but it can have devastating impacts on Arroyo trees. The polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) burrows into numerous trees species and can spread a life-threatening fungus. It's impact seems to have been aggravated by the dry conditions of the past few years.

The Arroyo Seco Foundation is working with the City of Pasadena to develop a plan to deal with this pest. The first step is to determine the extent of the infestation. We need dedicated volunteers to survey Arroyo trees. With your help, we can determine the extent of its local presence and stop it before it spreads to the rest of our woodlands.

Contact Scott Cher at (323) 405-7326 or scott@arroyoseco.org for more information or to sign up. You can learn more at our Stream Team meeting this Tuesday, September 9th. The City of Pasadena will be holding a training workshop on Tuesday, September 23 that will cover identification of infested trees and how to survey them.

Learn more about the polyphagous shot hole borer here: Borer

Let the River Live!

Arroyo River Parks Workshops

How can we restore a living river in as much of the Arroyo Seco as is safe and possible? That's the topic two ASF workshops will explore this Fall. Arroyo River Parks is a planning approach for a new era of integrated, sustainable managemennt of the Arroyo Seco River and Watershed, and we want your input! Come learn about the Army Corps of Engineers' plans for Arroyo Seco restoration and its promise. The first workshop will cover the Arroyo Seco from Hahamongna to the Lower Arroyo Park in Pasadena. The second will look at the Arroyo in South Pasadena and Los Angeles. You can find more information about the workshop below.

Hahamongna Nursery Now Open for Business

Oaks and sycamores, cottonwoods and willow — the Arroyo needs thousands of local native plants to enhance local habitat. Together with Pasadena Water & Power, ASF is developing a native plant nursery for the Arroyo Canyon Project. Now that nursery is open. This month we will begin training core volunteers to become nursery leaders. Please contact Rebecca Shields Moose for details about how you can get involved at 323-426-1156 or rebecca@arroyoseco.org.

Coastal Cleanup Day Coastal Cleanup Day comes to the Arroyo in a big way

ASF is supporting two cleanup sites in for Coastal Cleanup Day 2014. Join us at either one!

  • The Confluence of the LA River and the Arroyo Seco
  • The Central Arroyo in Brookside Park

As part of a global effort, tens of thousands of concerned citizens in Los Angeles County will come together to remove harmful and unsightly trash and debris from more than 50 coastal and inland sites, a total area of close to 100 square miles. Join us on this day to clean up our special Arroyo — linking our space to this worldwide event! Please contact Scott David Cher at 323-7405-7326 or scott@arroyoseco.org if you would like to bring out your school, company, church, sports team, or other organization.

Do Your Share — Know Your Water Restrictions!

Even if your community doesn't have restrictions in place, we urge you to take a few simple steps to help use water more efficiently. With 58% of California in "exceptional drought" and mandatory water use restrictions in place, the importance of water conservation can't be overstated. However, it may surprise many people how much water they actually consume. Check out Change the Course's Water Footprint Calculator and discover some new ways that you can help ensure our water future.

Visit our conservation page also to learn more about how you can help, and 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.

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.

Sun, September 7
Happy Hour at Cottonwood Canyon
3 – 5pm
Cottonwood Canyon, 1951 Linda Vista Ave, Pasadena
Cooking with Corn, hosted by Tim Martinez - Outreach Coordinator of the Arroyo Seco Foundation and Board member of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy. This 2 hour cooking demonstration will help you learn to prepare quick, healthy and delicious meals using corn, the native grain of the Americas. Cost: $35 per person. Register at UrbanHomestead.org/events. Register by 8/10 & save $5.
Tue, September 9
Arroyo Seco Stream Team
7pm-9pm
Pasadena Humane Society, 361 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena
This is the regular meeting of volunteers who are working to improve the Arroyo Seco. this month the meeting will include presentations on the dangerous polyfagous shot hole borer, how to get involved in the Hahamongna nursery, and the Arroyo River Parks. Don't miss it!
Sun, September 14
Rain Barrel and Drought-Tolerant Landscape Event at Descanso Gardens
10 – 2pm
1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge 91011
Get a special deal on rain barrels and learn how you can conserve water in your garden! Follow the link for more details.
Sat, September 20
Coastal Cleanup Day comes to the Arroyo
9am – noon
Arroyo Seco Confluence & Brookside Park
This is an exciting time. We are entering a new phase in what determines the future of the Southwest Museum and Casa de Adobe. Haven't visited in a while or never visited? Now's the time. And bring your friends and neighbors. Experience one of Los Angeles's greatest treasures. Let's fill the Southwest Museum to the rafters on August 16th. Let 'em know we care...I Heart the Southwest Museum!

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.

Title
Summary
In good news about L.A. River, what about Arroyo Seco?: Guest commentaryAugust 20, 2014 — There's good news and even better news for Arroyo lovers about the US Army Corps of Engineer's Arroyo Seco restoration study. Tim Brick evokes President Roosevelt's views on the unique qualities of the Arroyo Seco.
L.A. takes gentle approach to conserving water during droughtAugust 18, 2014 — For all the tough talk about cracking down on water wasters, Los Angeles and other California cities are choosing gentle coaxing over costly fines. Los Angeles officials announced Monday that they are beefing up their water-wasting patrols but will keep their policy of educating and warning violators rather than fining them.
County to remove sediment from Devil's Gate Dam as interim measureAugust 22, 2014 — While the public anxiously awaits LA County's Big Dig Plan for sediment accumulated behind Devil's Gate Dam in Hahamngna Watershed Parks, the County announces small-scale sediment removal plan for October.
These 9 before and after photos show the impact of California's droughtAugust 25, 2014 — In these before-and-after images, full water levels are visible around Lake Oroville in Oroville, California and Folsom Lake in El Folsom, California on July 20, 2011 and low water levels are visible on August 19, 2014.
Arroyo Seco homeless encampment clean up to extend into next weekAugust 29, 2014 — L.A. sanitation officials say they're working on a major clean-up effort along the dry Arroyo Seco riverbed in South Pasadena, where a number of homeless encampments have sprung up in recent years, some with their own kitchens and bathroom structures.
Drought-Stricken California Makes Historic Move To Regulate Underground Water For The First TimeAugust 30, 2014 — At least one in four Californians get their water from underground aquifers, and up until now, use of this water has been totally unregulated, with disputes about overuse settled in court. California is one of the few where it’s “pump as you please” with groundwater. That is about to change.

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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