December 2014
Arroyo Seco Foundation and Pasadena Audubon Society File Lawsuit Against LA County Flood Control DistrictDecember 11, 2014 — The Arroyo Seco Foundation and Pasadena Audubon Society have filed a lawsuit challenging LA County Flood Control District's (LACFCD) project to scour the basin behind Devil's Gate Dam in Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena. 
The lawsuit will challenge the environmental impacts of the Flood Control District's Big Dig program, which would involve 150,000 diesel trucks removing more than 2.4 million cubic yards of sand and sediment from the basin behind Devil's Gate Dam over a five-year period and permanently degrading more than 50 acres of streamzone habitat there. The massive nature of the excavation and sediment trucking program has raised serious community concerns over air pollution, traffic and public health. Both the Arroyo Seco Foundation and Pasadena Audubon Society have worked to develop and support alternatives that could provide adequate flood protection while protecting the habitat, wildlife, recreational opportunities and the neighborhoods surrounding Hahamongna Watershed Park in the Arroyo Seco, and the Pasadena City Council unanimously adopted similar recommendation. LACFCD, however, has refused to consider any alternatives other than a massive mining and trucking operation. | |
2014 Arroyo Verde Awards and Holiday PartyOn December 16 at 6:30 pm, the Council of Arroyo Seco Organizations will host the 2014 Arroyo Verde Awards ceremony and holiday party. Join us in honoring this year's awardees for their outstanding dedication to the Arroyo Seco! Holiday refreshments will be served, including (of course!) tamales. Come on out with your family and friends!
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L.A. County Fire Camp 2
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The Rain Finally Arrives... but we're not out of the drought yet.
With the recent storm and weather cooling off, some people think we are finally at the end of a long drought. One storm, however, doesn't break a drought. It will take years for our water supplies to recover, even with El Niño storms.
But as a recent New York Times article recently pointed out, our region is taking huge steps toward a more sustainable water future. Help us move closer to that goal!
- Now is the best time to plant California native plants! Look for local varieties that are adapted to our climate.
- How much water is running off of your property into the street? Rain barrels and rain gardens can help you capture some of that water, put it to use, and get it into the ground.
- 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.
Water restrictions remain in place, and some communities, such as Los Angeles, have increased the penalty for wasteful use. We urge you to take a few simple steps to help use water more efficiently. Los Angeles' Mayor Garcetti has issued a Executive Directive outlining an Emergency Drought Response for Los Angeles which includes some good action steps.
Visit our conservation page to learn more about how you can help.
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, December 14 |
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No Big Dig! Fundraiser Party 4 – 5:30pm 895 Arwin Street, Pasadena 91103 'Tis the season for coming together and celebrating our community! Join us for refreshments, entertainment, and community-building. We need your help and financial support if we are going to take on the county of Los Angeles. Please come with your advice, contacts, and checkbook. |
| Tue, December 16 |
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2014 Arroyo Verde Awards Holiday Party 6:30 – 9:30pm LA County Fire Camp 2, 4810 Oak Grove Drive, La Cañada Flintridge 91011 The Arroyo Verde Awards recognize those who have made a valuable contribution to protecting and improving the Arroyo Seco watershed during the past year. |
| Sat, December 20 |
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Sycamore Grove Walking Tour 10am – 12:15pm Sycamore Grove Park, Los Angeles 90065 This tour explores the rich and varied architectural and social history of the Sycamore Grove area of Highland Park, one of Los Angeles' oldest neighborhoods. Located along the Arroyo Seco, Highland Park was created in 1870 by developers who purchased the territory from Spanish and Mexican landowners. Incorporated into Los Angeles in 1895, it quickly became a thriving part of the city, and was once home to both Occidental College and USC's School of Fine Arts. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Arroyo Seco was a center of the nation's emerging Arts and Crafts movement, and was home to one of Los Angeles' first great preservationists, naturalist Charles Fletcher Lummis. |
| Sat, January 10 |
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Lush and Low Water Garden Design 11am – 12:30pm Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge 91011 Landscape designer Cassy Aoyagi gives an inside look at the design process in creating the Lush & Low Water garden display in the Center Circle. She is founder of FormLA Landscaping and president of the Theodore Payne Foundation. She will share the vision and design story behind the soon-to-open garden display, and share ideas on how you can put a vision together for your own garden. Free with admission. |
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.
| San Gabriel Mountains National Monument designation has added new managers, funding to Angeles Forest | December 10, 2014 — Officials speaking at a San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments meeting at the San Gabriel Hilton said the presidential visit and signing has awakened the U.S. Department of Agriculture, particularly the arm that manages the Angeles National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service, of the need for more resources in an area described as L.A.'s backyard. |
| Environmentalists to sue county over Devil's Gate Dam sediment | December 9, 2014 — Environmental groups are planning to file a lawsuit against Los Angeles County on Wednesday over its plans to remove sediment behind the Devil's Gate Dam in Pasadena. |
| Los Angeles, City of Water | December 6, 2014 — Recently Los Angeles has reduced its reliance on outside sources of water to become a leader in sustainable water management, a pioneer in big-city use of cost-effective, environmentally beneficial water conservation, collection and reuse technologies. |
| Wrong call on hauling Devil's Gate detritus: Editorial | November 19, 2014 — We're loath to go along with most threats of legal action after an elected body has made its decision, right or wrong. In this case, the county's plan is so contrary to reason, so expensive, so ruinous to neighborhood tranquility for so many neighbors for a period of years, that we say: "See you in court!" |
| Depleting the Water | November 16, 2014 — It's been said that the wars of the 21st century may well be fought over water. The Earth's population has more than doubled over the last 50 years and the demand for fresh water - to drink and to grow food - has surged along with it. But sources of water like rainfall, rivers, streams, reservoirs, certainly haven't doubled. So where is all that extra water coming from? More and more, it's being pumped out of the ground. |
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
