altadenablog

Coffee Gallery to hold rummage sale for parking permit

by Timothy Rutt

The Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake, is renewing its permits with the county this month, and is looking to raise funds to do it (you need to sell a lot of cups of coffee to raise $20,000).  There's already a benefit concert scheduled for Feb. 8, and this Saturday, there will be a rummage sale at the Gallery.

The "Got Parking" sale hopes to raise the $8,270 needed to pay for the parking variance on Lake Avenue.  Coffee Gallery coffee shop owner Julie Sandoval is looking for lots of donations and some volunteers to help out with the sale, which will be from 7 AM-4 PM.

The Gallery is accepting items for the sale (drop 'em off and they'll handle them).  To volunteer or donate items please contact Julie  at (626)831-8285.

 

Altadena Trails to discuss La Vina, gates, bike plan, and horse falling tonight

The Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Working Group meeting tonight sounds ambitious and serious.

Among the topics scheduled to be discussed;

• LA Vina litigation update
• Update on locked Pinecrest Gate
• Hahamangna EIR scoping meetings: what effect will proposed sediment removal options have on trail access and wildlife?
• Proposal being floated to construct a gate at the Cobb Estate, with possible closure at night
• County master bike plan
• Safety issues around the current detour that connects the Altadena Crest Trail to Hahamongna Watershed Park (it's where the horse fell into the hole last week).

The working group meets at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Drive.

Geology hike of Rubio Canyon this Saturday

The Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy continues its hiking series this Saturday, Oct. 22.   Learn about the 1,200-million-year geologic history of Rubio Canyon in the Altadena foothills with docent John Wros. Tucked away at the foot of one of the fastest-rising mountain ranges in the United States, the canyon holds a number of clues to that range's development. Meet at the base of Camp Huntington Road, where it intersects with E. Loma Alta Drive, at 9 AM. The trail is moderate -- about one mile each way, with a 500-foot elevation gain.

Arroyo Seco Foundation releases Hahmongna EIR toolkit

The next scoping meeting for the Devil's Gate (Hahamongna watershed) cleanout environmental impact report will be Sat., Oct. 15, at 9 AM at the La Canada High School Cafeteria, 443 Oak Grove Dr., La Canada.  Written comments are due by Nov. 11, 2011.

The Arroyo Seco Foundation has prepared a "Devil's Gate EIR Toolkit" with important documents and history of the site for anyone who is interested in the issue.  The downloadable docments are availabe at their website here.

After the fire: weeding the Angeles National Forest, one plant at a time

Check out the story at the Pasadena Sun.

 

Altadena Crest Trails looks at Brown Mountain access, Millard Canyon pipeline

The Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Working Group (ACTRWG) meets tonight at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

Two major items on the agenda, according to ACTRWG's Robert Staehle:

1.  Maintenance (or lack thereof) of Brown Mt. Fire Road, including portion of road that is emergency escape and Fire Dept. access linking Chaney Trail to Millard Canyon campground and Upper Risinghill Road (evacuation route for the Chaney Trail Neighborhood, The Meadows and Upper El Prieto Canyon residents). Trail / road maintenance and grading, including repair to the Millard Creek crossing.

-- First hand reports, photos of the fire road (before the Station Fire and current conditions), and images of the stream crossing in Millard Cyn Campground would be helpful. 

2.  “Lincoln Avenue Water Company Project” Environmental Assessment (EA), public comment due 30 September to USFS re:  permit USFS renewals / agency permit acquisitiom and pipeline replacement and reroute along Mount Lowe Fire Road.

 

The Lincoln Avenue Water Company is planning to replace about 1,400 feet of century-old pipeline in Millard Canyon.

Three rescued in Eaton Canyon Sunday night

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department rescued three hikers from a cliff face at Eaton Canyon Sunday night, according to a statement from the office.

At about 5 PM a call came in that three hikers were "clinging to a cliff 100 feet above the canyon floor and unable to move," according to the report.  Rescue workers were lowered to each victim from the Air 5 helicopter to pluck them from the cliff face. 

All three hikers were uninjured and released at the scene, the report said.

 

Fire danger up for Labor Day Weekend

by Bill Kisliuk
Pasadena Sun

Fire danger at Angeles National Forest is increasing from “high” to “very high” as of Thurs., Sept. 1, when extreme heat is expected to return to the region.

“Very high” is the fourth-highest warning in an alert system that ranges from “low” to “critical.”

Despite the change, the U.S. Forest Service is imposing  no new campfire restrictions. Open wood and charcoal fires will still be permitted in developed campgrounds and picnic areas. Visitors must get permits to operate gas and propane-powered stoves and grills in non-developed areas.

More at the Pasadena Sun.

The Hahamongna question

By Sue Horton
Pasadena Sun

As nature goes, the Hahamongna basin is not pristine.

The wide, sandy arroyo, bounded by oak woodlands, sits just north of Devil's Gate Dam on the border of Pasadena, Altadena and La Cañada Flintridge. A gravel operation there, closed decades ago, has left scars on the landscape, and a Frisbee golf course threads in and out of the oaks. Noise from the 210 Freeway on the south end and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the north is ever-present. And if all that weren't enough, the Environmental Protection Agency has declared this part of the Arroyo Seco a Superfund site because of groundwater contamination by JPL, which once dumped solvents and rocket fuel in the area.

But what I love about the place is that nature has stubbornly refused to give up. The arroyo provides crucial habitat for stressed flora and fauna struggling to survive along the border between urban land and open space, and every time I go there I see something remarkable. A dense forest of willows has grown up along the seasonal stream bed, and it has drawn an amazing array of wildlife. Once, while walking among the trees, I came upon a fox slowly making its way down the path in front of me. I have seen a bobcat in the stream bed and regularly see deer, coyotes and rattlesnakes. A couple of years ago, workers at JPL were surprised to see a mountain lion sunning itself on a rock near the bridge from their parking lot.

More at the Pasadena Sun.

One reported dead in Eaton Canyon fall

Pictured: Rescue workers gather at the gate at Pinecrest this morning as two hikers have fallen near Eaton Falls.

by Timothy Rutt

As we write, there are two rescues going on simultaneously in Eaton Canyon and the Angeles National Forest.

According to Sgt. Gary Ogurek of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station, a male and female had fallen off a cliff near Eaton Falls this morning.  The man died but the woman was rescued, Ogurek said.

Meanwhile, near Gould Mesa, a horse and rider have fallen about 6-8 feet according to reports, and rescue is presently underway.

 Pictured: Forest Service rescue vehicle goes down the trail at Pinecrest Gate.

"This is the people's bid": the nail-biting drama of the Cobb Estate

Bob Barnes told the dramatic story of the purchase of the Cobb Estate  Monday night -- and has a surprise reunion with the student who made it possible.

by Laura Monteros

Maggie Stratton has impeccable timing and a flair for the dramatic.

She had it on Oct. 1, 1971, when she led a band of students in claiming the Cobb Estate for the people in an eleventh-hour nail biter of an auction. She had it on Monday night when she stood up at the end of Bob Barnes’ presentation and announced, “I am Maggie Stratton.”


Pictured: "I am Maggie Stratton."

Barnes, a social studies teacher at John Muir High School who was instrumental in organizing students and raising money to purchase the 107-acre estate to keep it out of the hands of developers, had lost track of the girl he had worked with so closely for eight days in 1971.  He had no clue that she was sitting in the middle of the audience, listening to make sure the story was told correctly.

And what a story it is.

The call to action
Barnes was the speaker last night at the Altadena Historical Society's presentation on the acquisition of the Cobb Estate, the hiking area behind the gates at the top of Lake Avenue.  As Barnes told it, it was a story full of suspense and game-changing events, and at the last minute good prevailed in a way as corny as the ending of a Frank Capra film.  But it really happened.

Back in 1971, Barnes was only filling in for a colleague who was the faculty advisor of the Muir Conservation Club when he drove Maggie, the president of the club, to a conservation meeting on a September evening.  The topic of the meeting was the impending sale of the Cobb Estate, a former grand estate that had sunk to dereliction and finally disappearance, as the land changed hands many times over the years.  Formerly owned by the Marx Brothers, among others, a developer was now eyeing the estate for a housing development, which raised the alarms of the Audobon Club and other conservationists.

“We need help from the community and the young people here tonight,” Barnes remembers the leaders of the Audubon Society saying.  He slunk lower in his seat as Maggie sat taller in hers.

“Barnes, we need to do this,” she told him.

Friends of the Angeles "sensing meetings" in June

Looking to form a Friends of the Angeles organization, the  National Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation will hold a series of "sensing meetings" in June.

According to a press release, initial meetings were held in April "as almost 100 community members with a variety of interests in the Angeles National Forest convened to discuss current and long-term needs of the forest and forest community, and what roles a Friends of the Angeles organization could take on to address those needs. Community members at all three meetings expressed interest in the formation of a Friends group and we have scheduled a second series of meetings to continue the conversation."

The meetings are:

San Gabriel River Ranger District Sensing Meeting: Tues., June 21, 6:30-8:30 PM at San Gabriel Canyon Gateway Center, 1990 North San Gabriel Canyon Road (Hwy 39), Azusa, CA 91702

Los Angeles River Ranger District Sensing Meeting:  Thurs. June 23,  6:30-8:30 PM at Lake View Terrace Recreation Center, 11075 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace, CA 91342

Santa Clara/Mojave Rivers Ranger District Sensing Meeting: time and place to be determined.

Updates to sensing meeting info will be posted to the Friends of the Angeles online forum. To join the forum, please go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/friendsoftheangeles/join. 

 

Beautiful but deadly: poodle dog bush

We've been getting warnings from several quarters about the Poodle Dog Bush, also called Sticky Nama (Turricula parryi).  It's a fire-follower plant that lives in granatic soils and can form thickets.  It's pretty, but you neither want to touch it or breathe too close to it if you encounter it in the hills.

The poodledog has highly-irritating glandular hairs to discourage herbivores.  The sticky hairs -- which can dislodge easily -- can be passed on to hikers who touch it or brush up against it, causing an itching dermititis that can last for two weeks.  Even shaking the plant and inhaling close to it can cause a serious reaction.

Wikipedia says: "Chemicals exuded by the glandular trichomes (prenylated phenolics) result in severe contact dermatitis and an inflammation response similar to that caused by poison oak. The scientific name of the plant's genus, Turricula, means "little tower" in reference to the stalk of deep blue, deceptively lovely flowers that rises over the plant in the spring. At other times of year the poodle dog bush can appear to be a droopy collection of brownish stems topped by green pom-poms of narrow leaves, shaped a bit like a clipped poodle."  Orange County Register has a short article.

Rescue team extracting lost hikers on El Prieto

The Altadena Sheriff's station tells us (at 9:30 PM) that rescue teams have located some lost hikers up on El Prieto Trail/Brown Mountain area.  According to the watch commander, the hikers went up without flashlights and couldn't get down before dark.  Unknown at this time how they were reported as missing.  Per scanner traffic, the hikers have been approximately located, and  two teams are heading up to meet them and escort them out.  In the event they can't be escorted down, a chopper will be sent up at first light.

 

Conservancy acquires Rubio parcel, seeks donations for more

The Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy shares this good news:

Dear AFC Friend,

You did it! With your help, and with a big boost from the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, we bought the first of the remaining private parcels in historic Rubio Canyon today.

Thanks to you, we are now closer to completing the preservation of the entire canyon, located in the foothills above Altadena. As you know, we acquired 20 acres in the canyon in 2009, and the owner offered us the remaining 21 acres earlier this year, in two parcels - the ~3 acre parcel, which we bought today, was to have been turned into a five home development. With the land we acquired today – the land that was most vulnerable to development – we have only 18 acres to go.

To complete this purchase, we plan to rely primarily on grants, but we need to raise about $50,000 from you, our supporters, by the end of the year to push us over the top – allowing us to save the land for substantially less than the appraised value.

This is a goal we can reach, though it will take all of us to get there. I personally have doubled my contribution to AFC, and I hope you will consider increasing your contribution before the end of 2010.

Visit www.arroyosfoothills.org to make an online donation or send a check to: Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy / P.O. Box 3 / Altadena, CA 91003-0003.

Thanks for all your help. And congratulations on reaching this milestone!

Nancy Steele

President, Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy

UPDATE: Nancy Steele sent out the following addendum:

[W]e need to give proper thanks to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority which awarded the funds that allowed us to purchase this land, in a deal that involves MRCA and SMMC working together with us. The details are a bit complex, but the results are not - we purchased the land at a steep discount because the agencies were able to work quickly, cutting through paperwork in record time. It has been an amazing collaboration. I also need to call out our new [Executive Director], John Howell, who has worked tirelessly to get this done and meet the deadline. Working together, we can do it!

Critterdena: appetites

Reader Doris Finch shares this picture and story:

Here is a curiosity;  I noticed a struggling hummingbird [turned out to be an adult female Allen's] in a backyard Lantana.  On trying to free it, the "branch" it was stuck on came off with it.  Oops!  A mantis, which had apparently struck out at the bird.  Looking for a hearty lunch?  A couple of tiny feathers were stuck in the mandible.  Not a high quality shot, but the best I could manage with my free right hand.  I didn't want to keep the birdlet in that stressful situation too long.  End of story, bird was fine, she buzzed off.  The mantis was set down in a fuchsia in another location.

Actually, in the higher-res version (which we don't think makes it online) you can distinctly see a couple of feathers in the mantis' mandible.  That's one ambitious (and hungry) insect!

 

Conservancy still looking for funds for Rubio Canyon land purchase

A reminder that the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy is trying to raise $250,000 by Sept. 30 to purchase the remaining 21 acres in the mouth of Rubio Canyon (see our earlier story here).  You can donate directly at this site.

Looking for Rubio Canyon history

Trail guy Paul Ayers is looking for your help:

I am doing research on pre-1972 public access to Rubio Canyon using the trailhead located at the Pleasant Ridge Dr. and Rubio Vista Road.  If you or someone you know visited Rubio Canyon prior to 1972, please let me know and I will set up an interview.  Please forward message to interested parties.

Thanks

Paul

ayerspaul@sbcglobal.net

Photos: Hikers on the Mount Lowe Railway R/W, Rubio Canyon...Circa 1900, Paul Ayers Collection

Altadena Crest Trails group looks at Cobb Estate tonight, 7 PM

This message from the Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Group:

Neighbors & Trail Folks--

USFS staff will present a Cobb Estate Update, including proposed trail revisions, at the Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Working Group (ACTRWG) meeting
. 

"We will be talking about the "trails" in the Cobb Estate and present the results of the mapping.  Discussion on some immediate and long-term projects and what the stakeholders can help with in management of the Cobb Estate."  -- Mike McIntyre, Angeles Nat'l Forest District Ranger

All are welcome to attend! 

Light refreshments will be served.

Location:

Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Working Group (ACTRWG) 

Tuesday, 14 September 2010, 7pm

Altadena Community Center

730 East Altadena Drive

Altadena, CA 91001

More adventure than they were counting on

NBC4's site carries the story of a mother and two young sons who went hiking in Eaton Canyon yesterday, and wound up taking an unexpected flight aboard Air 5, the sheriff's copter (stuck on a ledge, called the sheriff from her cellphone).

Eaton Wash design review meetings this week

From the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy President Nancy Steele:

Dear Friend of the AFC,
Please join us for the second round of meetings on the Eaton Wash to review the trail designs developed by our consultants. You have your choice of a Thursday evening meeting in Rosemead or a Saturday morning meeting in Altadena. We got a lot of really good input from the first round of workshops and I encourage you to attend one of these final two meetings to hear about the draft designs and provide your comments.

Workshop #3: Design Review
Thursday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Garvey Center
9108 Garvey Ave.
Rosemead, CA 91770

Workshop #4: Design Review
Saturday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Altadena Community Center
730 E. Altadena Drive
Altadena, CA 91001

If you missed the first set of workshops or want more information, please go to our website: http://www.arroyosfoothills.org/eaton-wash.html


See you there!

Nancy
President
Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy

National Parks Service to consider adding local mountains

A series of meetings to discuss whether to add the mountains encircling San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo Valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura counties to the National Park System will be held from mid-September into October.  Meetings will start Sept. 14, and include an Oct. 9 meeting at Davies Auditorium in Farnsworth Park.  National Parks Traveler has more details.

Eaton Wash trail meetings start July 29

Nancy Steele of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy writes:

There is a trail on Eaton Wash?  Well, not yet. But thanks to a grant from Southern California Edison, the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy is developing a plan for a continuous trail from the Eaton Canyon Nature Center to the Rio Hondo. Join us for a series of workshops to discuss recreational opportunities along Eaton Wash. Your ideas and opinions are a valuable part of the process. The success of the Eaton Wash Corridor Plan depends on your participation! Refreshments and Childcare Provided. Note that Workshops 1 & 2 will cover the same topics, as will Workshops 3 & 4. For more information, contact Holly Thompson at hollydthompson@hotmail.com.

We hope to see you there!
Nancy Steele

Workshop #1: Site Design
July 29, Thursday, 7:00-9:00 pm
ALTADENA COMMUNITY CENTER
730 EAST ALTADENA DRIVE
ALTADENA, CA 91001

Workshop #2: Site Design
July 31, Saturday,10:00 am -12:00 pm
ROSEMEAD COMMUNITY CENTER
3936 N. MUSCATEL AVENUE
ROSEMEAD, CA 91770

Workshop #3: Design Review
September 9, Thursday, 7:00-9:00 pm
GARVEY CENTER
9108 GARVEY AVENUE
ROSEMEAD, CA 91770

Workshop #4: Design Review
September 11, Saturday,10:00 am -12:00 pm
ALTADENA COMMUNITY CENTER
730 EAST ALTADENA DRIVE
ALTADENA, CA 91001

The Great Outdoors, Hahamongna, and stuff

PSN's Larry Wilson went to the Great Outdoors "listening session" at Occidental College last week -- and with all those politicos in one room, it sounded like Thorne Hall was making its own contribution to global warming.  It's a good read.

Also: the Pasadena City Council is scheduled to take comments on plans for Hahamongna Monday night (tomorrow), at their meeting scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM.  Somewhere in our files is the reminder (probably from Karin) that, altho' the watershed is in Pasadena, it entirely adjoins Altadena, so if you have something to say about it, tomorrow's the time.

The "forgotten" Camp Sierra Trail next Tues., 7 PM

Trail guy Paul Ayers sent this about a special presentation.:

Next Tues., July 13,  at 7 PM , I will be presenting a PowerPoint slideshow on the Camp Sierra Trail which runs from the Cobb Estate up the west ridge  above Las Flores Canyon and then to Camp Sierra.  The presentation will be made at the monthly Altadena Crest Trail Restoration Working Group (ACTRWG) meeting which is held at the Altadena Community Center located at 730 E. Altadena Drive.

The show was originally put together for a May 2010 presentation to the Forest Service as part of a pitch to have the trail restored.  It is my hope that restoration of the trail will be part of the master plan for the Cobb Estate.  It is also possible that a restored Camp Sierra Trail may serve to close the “Skylane Gap” in the Altadena Crest Trail.

This is a nice trail with strong historical documentation in the form of maps, aerial photographs, newspaper articles and trail site artifacts [see examples attached].  A restored trail would complete a nice loop from Cobb Estate up to Camp Sierra, over to Echo Mountain and down the Sam Merrill. 

 This will be the first in a series of presentations I plan to do on the major “Forgotten Trails of Altadena”.  These will not be nostalgia shows though history will play a role.  Rather it is my hope to see all these trails restored.

Graphic: 1958 vintage map of the Camp Sierra Trail.

 

Life continues in the forest

Jane Brackman shares this picture:

These photos were shot at 7:00 am this morning [July 2], about 1 mile north of the Chaney Trail gate.  I've been  hiking the trail for over 20 years and have never seen anything like this before.  Thought you're readers might enjoy the pictures, or better yet, hike up the mountain to see the display for themselves before it's gone.

We can affirm that.  We spent the holiday with a short afternoon hike at Buckhorn and dinner at Newcomb's Ranch, and the juxtposition of the charred trees and the riot of wildflowers is something to behold.  Get out there!

Great American Outdoors listening sessions @ Whittier Narrows, Oxy this week

Nancy Steele, president of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, is sending out this reminder:

Dear Friend of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy,

The President announced a Great American Outdoors initiative last April and his cabinet secretaries and department heads are cris-crossing the country for listening sessions. I have long been concerned that that conservation in urban areas does not receive enough attention and funding at the federal level. This is our chance to tell them that nature is not an option, it is a necessity for all people. We need to tell the feds that our Angeles National Forest needs more resources to cope with the pressures of our large urban population and to be able to continue serving as our watershed and sequestering greenhouse gases. We need to give them the message that our rivers are national treasures and need funding for revitalization to serve multiple purposes of cleaning water and providing habitat and recreation for our millions. We live in a biological hotspot (California Floristic Province) which has high level of plant endemism (found nowhere else) and has more birds breeding here than anywhere else in the United States.

Attending these listening sessions will be senior representatives of the US EPA, White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Departments of Agriculture and Interior and Defense. Your input is important, especially as we want to promote America's Great Outdoors right here in the urban environment. Nature is not an option for our youth and families; it is a necessity. We need to tell our federal representatives how important it is to support the Great Outdoors in Los Angeles.

1.   July 7, 6:00 to 8:30 pm, Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, 823 Lexington-Gallatin Road, South El Monte
2.   July 8, 3:00 to 7:00 pm, Thorne Hall, Occidental College, Los Angeles; RSVP to sun.nelly@epa.gov
THIS IS THE OFFICIAL LISTENING SESSION and will have all of the high level federal officials attending.

I hope to see you at one of these listening sessions.

Nancy

Corrected holiday weekend hours for Chaney Trail gate

This from Lt. Sheila Sanchez of the Altadena Sheriff's station:

Per the Forest Service the gate will not be closed for the entire weekend, but will be closing nightly at 6 PM, beginning Thursday, July 1st, through July 5th .  Normal hours (closing at 8 PM) will resume July 6th. 

I have confirmed that the Forest Service has posted Chaney Trail Gate with the  temporary time change signs.

 

Conservancy wants your input on Eaton Wash Corridor

Nancy Steele, president of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, wants us to know about these workshops coming up:

Please join us to help in planning for recreational opportunities along the Eaton Wash Corridor. The Eaton Wash starts in the foothills anchored by Eaton Canyon Natural Area and Nature Center and runs south along New York Drive, and then paralleling Rosemead Blvd through Temple City, Rosemead, San Gabriel, and El Monte as it connects with the Rio Hondo. We'd like to hear your ideas and opinions.

This plan is being developed by the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy thanks to a grant from Southern California Edison. Please help us get the word out by inviting your friends and distributing the attached flyer. I hope to see you at one or more of these workshops!

Chaney Trail gate closed for July 4 weekend

UPDATE:  Corrected info has been sent to us -- story above!

Via Alice Wessen of the Chaney Trail Firesafe Council, the Chaney Trail gate will be closed during the July 4 weekend, starting at 8 PM Thurs., July 1, and re-opening 6 AM Mon., July 5.

Parts of Angeles National Forest will open Wed.

Paul Ayers spotted this in the 818 Blog: the National Forest Service will re-open parts of the Angeles National Forest beginning tomorrow (Wed.), including Millard Campground.  Large parts of the forest will remain closed, however.  Details here.

Glendale News Press has more details here.

Pasadena City Council discusses Hahamongna sports fields tonight [UPDATED]

UPDATE 5/12: At the request of Pasadena councilmember Jacque Robinson, the  hearing has been postponed until June 7.

-----

For those of you tracking the potential for putting soccer fields in Hahamongna, the Pasadena City Council will be revisiting the issue tonight at the city council meeting, which begins at 6:30 PM in the council chamber, 100 N. Garfield Ave. Room S249.

Cobb Estate updates

District Ranger Mike McIntyre sent the following update on Cobb Estate issues:

• Audubon Signs are removed and stored at the District Office awaiting the AS to repair, refurbish and improve the signs.
• Entrance gate has been improved to allow better and more open access.
• Field visit with Andrew Fish on May 22 at 8 AM at Cobb Estate.

Arroyo & Foothills hosts Chaney Trail brush clearance this Sunday

Dear Neighbors & Friends--

We're doing it again...clearing flammable brush growth off the Altadena Foothills Conservancy (now Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy) land along Chaney Trail that many of you helped purchase and protect. Growth has been modest, and progress from prior years has made the job easier, but we still need all your help to make the job go fast, and to make our neighborhood even safer. The oak saplings are growing, some poppies are blooming, and the bird life continues to be unusually dense for such a small area.  The native trees and plants are slowly displacing more flammable vegetation.

If you possibly can, please contribute two to four hours to help clear brush off AFC's land. Lunch will be served on-site when we are done, courtesy Big Sunday and their volunteers (see http://www.bigsunday.org.)  We are thrilled to be part of their operation over Southern California.

You'll meet new people who also care about our land. We need your help Sunday, May 2, 2010 doing County-mandated brush clearance near the road and the two houses opposite the land preserved by Altadena Foothills Conservancy on the west side of Chaney Trail. The Altadena Crest Trail (ACT) crosses the NW portion of this triangular parcel.  Start time is 8:30 AM; however, you can come later, if need be.  Meet on Chaney Trail just above Nuccio’s Nursery and the intersection with Alzada Road. You'll see me there, or down on the slope below.

Arroyo & Foothills holds May 1 fundraiser birthday party at the Bogaards

Dear Friends of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy,

2010 marks an exciting milestone for the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy (formerly the Altadena Foothills Conservancy). We’re inviting you to help us celebrate our 10^th year of protecting natural open spaces and watershed lands in the San Gabriel Mountains with a birthday party on Saturday at 6 p.m., May 1, 2010, at the home of Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard and Mrs. Claire Bogaard.

This gala event will serve both as a celebration and kick-off for our land trust fund campaign, where we seek to raise $250,000 to support vital open space acquisition and stewardship in the foothills and arroyos, wildlands and urban fringes of the San Gabriel Mountains.

We are excited that we have already received a $56,000 gift from the Dale Harbour Champion Fund to launch this important fund-raising endeavor.

Please join us for our ‘May Day’ Birthday Party and help us reach our goal!

Your leadership is an investment in our future, leveraging efforts by many to keep open spaces free for recreation, education, habitat, watershed protection, and as scenic vistas. See http://www.afc10th.myevent.com/  to RSVP or www.arroyosfoothills.org for more information.

In addition, we are looking for quality items for our silent auction. Please let us know if you can donate a gift certificate, art, jewelry, a weekend in a vacation home, or a unique item that we can auction off to raise more funds for protection of our natural open spaces.

Thank you for your past support of land conservation. We look forward to your participation in our 10^th Anniversary Celebration!

Nancy L.C. Steele, D.Env
President

Timothy Wendler
Board Member and Event Chairman

Mt. Wilson bikers hold pancake breakfast fundraiser

The Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association will holds its 21st annual "Save the Trails" fundraiser at the Cobb Estate, corner of Lake and Loma Alta, on Sun., April 25, starting at 8 AM.  Details in the flyer.

And for your NEXT batch of questions, we checked with USFS District Ranger Michael McIntyre, who said that MWBA has a special use permit for the event, which is in its fifth year at the Cobb Estate. (The event used to be held at Henninger Flats, until it became inaccessible after the slide). 

What not to give your sweetie on Valentine's Day: a helicopter rescue

Per the Altadena Mountain Rescue page, a couple of inexperienced hikers were trapped in a steep ravine on Sunday afternoon, necessitating the sheriff's Air 5 bird swooping in.  Donald Taylor, 46, and Yumiko Okuho, 38, were not lost or injured, but they couldn't get out of the ravine near Echo Mountain.

Hahamongna plan goes to Pasadena City Council

Mary Barrie of the Friends of Hahamongna has sent out the following email about the city of Pasadena's plans for our neighbor, Hahamongna Watershed Park:

Friends,

At long last it looks like the Hahamongna Annex Plan is finally going to the Pasadena City Council.  The hearing is scheduled for Monday, February 1, 2010 at 7:30 pm in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 100 N. Garfield St.
 
And what a plan it is!
 

Short takes

• LA Times' Julie Sheer writes about hiking in the Altadena foothills now.
• Reader David Datz alerts us that the state is looking for people to be on the independent redistricting commission, to redraw the district lines for state senate, assembly, and board of equalization.  Details are here.   Datz says: "I am applying.  Anyone can.  Altadena should seek representation, and the best way would be for lots of folks to apply."

Conservancy says: take a hike at Rubio Canyon

Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy is announcing a series of hikes on their new property:

Dear Friends of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy:

HAPPY NEW YEAR! What better way to start off the new year than with guided hikes on our newly acquired historic Rubio Canyon parcel. Please join us for one or more of the following hikes. RSVPS ARE REQUIRED. SPACE IS LIMITED.

Saturday, January 16th: Hike the historic trails of Rubio Canyon with guide/interpreter Paul Ayres. See our new acquisition up close and personal with commentary by one of the foothills' leading trail experts.

Saturday, January 23th: Hike through AFC's Rubio Canyon parcel to the waterfalls with guide/interpreter Paul Ayres. Paul will point out important highlights of the parcel on the way to and from the Rubio Canyon waterfalls.

Saturday, February 13th (President's Day Weekend): Hike AFC's Rubio Canyon parcel with Altadena writer/historian Michele Zack. Learn about the history of the Mt. Lowe Railway and related cultural facts to understand why AFC's acquisition of this parcel is so vital to preserving Altadena's heritage.

All hikes start at 9am and finish by noon. Wear comfortable walking shoes and sunscreen. Bring water. Rain or snow cancels. All hikes are moderate in difficulty with sections of narrow uphill and downhill trailways.

YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED OF TRAILHEAD GATHERING LOCATION UPON YOUR RSVP.

We hope to see you on the trails with us!

Meredith McKenzie
Administrative & Development Coordinator

Cell: 323-230-9749

Nancy Steele
President

More on Monday's hiker rescue

Sheriff Lt. Jack W. Ewell sent us the following press release and pictures from yesterday's rescue:

Altadena Sheriff’s Station received information from Los Angeles Police Department personnel about a lone hiker stranded on a ledge in the Chaney Trail-Mount Lowe area of the Angeles National Forest. The hiker slipped off of a freshly-cut trail and fell 100 feet down the side of a cliff face, injuring his right leg during the descent. He landed in a dangerously precarious position and was unable to maneuver out of it. His cell phone only had intermittent coverage, but he was able to dial 911 and relayed his location to LAPD personnel. 

(Pictured: rescuer and hiker being airlifted into Sheriff Air 5 copter)

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department personnel from the Altadena and Montrose Search and Rescue Teams, the Special Enforcement Bureau/Emergency Services Detail, and Aero Bureau responded to the area and searched for the injured hiker. Approximately two hours later, the hiker used his cell phone to tell police he could see a Sheriff’s helicopter in the area above him. Personnel in the Air 8 helicopter located him on a rugged cliff area in Eaton Canyon; the Air Rescue 5 helicopter lowered a Sheriff’s Department paramedic to triage the hiker.

During triage, the paramedic discovered the hiker had fashioned an improvised splinting-device out of a hammer and boot laces, to secure his injured leg. The hiker was hoisted into the Air Rescue 5 helicopter, treated for his leg injury and abrasions, and airlifted to a local hospital for further treatment.

Wednesday night hikes starting up

Richard Nyerges tells us about this great nighttime outdoor activity:

“WEDNESDAY NIGHT HIKE” TO HENNINGER FLATS

Do you enjoy hiking in the local mountains??  Then come and join us every second & fourth Wednesday evening of each month @ 7 PM, for a leisurely hike/walk up to Henninger Flats.

We’ll walk up the Mt. Wilson Toll Road (5.7 miles round trip, with a 1,400’ gain & loss in elevation).

We will start out @ 7:05PM so try not to be late. I have to lock the gate behind us. If you’re late the gate may very well be locked!!!!

 

If there is enough interest, I will arrange to have the visitor’s center open for us. They have a little theatre up there and with enough notice, I can have them show one of their historic films on Mt. Echo & Mt. Lowe.

 

On July 3rd, Saturday Night Special, we’ll be able to enjoy the Fireworks from the Altadena Town & Country Club as we are walking back down.

 

Wear good hiking boots or walking shoes, bring water and if you like, something to snack on while we relax and enjoy the breathtaking view of the city lights at our feet.

 

Meet at the gate to the Mt. Wilson Toll Road in Altadena on Pinecrest Ave. (Thomas Guide page 536, D-5).

Questions?? Call Richard Nyerges @ 626-222-5600 or e-mail @ nyerges@sbcglobal.net

 

The old man and the mountain

Local mountain man Greg Sweet publishes a story in his blog from John Muir, remembering a jaunt up Eaton Canyon above Altadena.

Rain in forecast; be careful in burn areas

This memo out from District Ranger Mike Mcintyre of the National Forest Service:

Subject: Upcoming Storm Event

Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 10:30:01 -0800
From: Mike McIntyre <mmcintyre@fs.fed.us>
As we all know by now, there is a rain event forecasted to start as early as Sunday evening with the potential of rain over several days. We are not suspending any permits at this time but want you all to start to prepare for the potential of that occurring. We recommend, regardless of what the Forest Service does, that you seriously consider not to be in areas that burned during this rain event as from our last event, it is impossible to predict which areas will get rain and to what extent.

Bottom line is that personal safety is your responsibility but that does not give you the final say on whether you decide to stay or not within your permitted area. The Forest hopes that you will exercise the sound judgment to not put yourself in harms way and make that decision prior to any threats materializing.

Michael J. McIntyre
District Ranger
Los Angeles River Ranger District
12371 North Little Tujunga Canyon Road
San Fernando, CA 91342
(818) 899-1900 ext. 223
(818) 896-6727 (FAX)

Twice-a-month hikes resume at Mt. Wilson Toll Road tomorrow night

UPDATE: In the preamble to the message (which didn't make it in here), it says hikes will resume Wed., Oct. 28.

Richard Nyerges (nyerges@sbcglobal.net)is leading hikes up Henninger Flats again along the newly-opened Mt. Wilson Toll Road, and sounds real happy about it:

Come and enjoy a mid-week evening hike up to Henninger Flats starting @ 7:00pm. This hike is 5.4 miles round trip. We will be following the Old Mt. Wilson Toll Road out of Altadena. Take an easy or quick pace. You decide. You can't get lost, there's only one road to follow. The view of the city from the overlook is truly breathtaking at night.

The hike generally takes between 50 - 60 minutes to get up to Henninger Flats. We stay up top for about 15 - 20 minutes then head back down.  Rattlesnakes have been seen on the road so always be alert. When its dark they do stand out on the dirt road, so keep your eyes open.

There is a visitors center on top but it is generally closed by the time we get up there. If there is enough interest in this hike bi-monthly, I can call up ahead and arrange to hopefully have the center opened at least once a month if not each time we hike up. They also have a little theater where they can show vintage footage of the Mt Echo Railway during its days of operation. To have a movie shown will require a few weeks notice but it's really worth the time there too.

Bring water and a snack to enjoy on top. Wear good hiking boots or walking shoes. Layered clothing. Dogs are o.k. but they MUST be kept on a leash at all times!!! You can bring a flashlight if you must, but we never use them while walking. The glow from the city lights up the road just fine.

In the event of rain, well bring some rain gear or an umbrella. We are still hiking even in the rain.
 
A Few Rules...
If you bring a dog, you will be required to clean up behind it!!
No Smoking
No Alcohol

We meet at the start of the Mt. Wilson Toll Road. (Thomas Bros. pg. 536, D-5)
Directions:
Driving into Pasadena on the 210 freeway exit @ Altadena Drive. Coming from the east, turn right, coming from the west, turn left towards the mountains. Follow Altadena Drive about 2 miles to New York Drive. ( There is an ARCO Gas Station on the S.W. Corner) Continue up Altadena Dr. for about another 1.5 miles to Crescent. Turn Right! (This will be the first street on your right after about 1.5 miles.) You will notice the street because there are many BOTS dots on the street to keep you from making a sharp right turn onto Crescent. Go about 200 yards to Pinecrest, turn right and go about 200 yards to the Mt. Wilson Toll Road. It will be on your right. Park where you can. Be sure to read the posted street signs! There is a large gate and fence there with many signs on it.

Try to be about 5-10 minutes early, we will get started @ 7:05pm. TRY NOT BE LATE!!! The gate might be locked!!

USGS looks at mudflows

US Geophysical Survey has put out a report on the danger of mud flows (links to summary, but a pdf is available at the site).  And, says reader Chip Ossman, who alerted us to this document and has been following this story:

Once again, the world has ignored Altadena, reducing us to "three basins east of the Arroyo" - assuming they are referring to Altadena and not points farther east.

UPDATE 11:30 PM: Chip has received a note from Susan Cannon of USGS, after the jump.

It's hiking time again!

Got this message from readers Bill & Kit Fisher:

I just called the Angeles Forest office and found out that our trails are open--Echo Mountain (to Inspiration Point, it seems), Henninger and several others.  It's hiking time again!

Just thought all the readers would like to know.

PHS senior remembers friend's Eaton Canyon death

Miguel Melendez @ PSN has a moving story about Jesse Hernandez, starting center at Pasadena High School, who was hiking in Eaton Canyon with Arturo Beristain last spring when the latter fell 200 feet to his death.

Eaton Canyon graffiti: improving, but still ...

Jeremiah Small at the Stonhill News blog gives a report on graffiti removal in Eaton Canyon.  But, judging by the group he met on the way up (who takes Krylon to a picnic?) it's a continuing problem.

Mt. Wilson toll road: accessible at last, just not open!

Simon Burrow has been tracking the progress on the re-opening of the Mt. Wilson Toll Road, which accelerated during the Station Fire, succinctly:

Five years of obstructionism, lack of will, bureaucracy and negative thinking were overcome in a week by the immediate need to fight a fire.

Great pictures and a story at Simons' Mt. Wilson Tollroad website.