Happy Holidays from the Nature Park (next clean up: Saturday, 1/10, 9 AM)

Tinsel on coyote brush (Photo by Lizzie Eisenstein)




Today I went to the Nature Park for the first time since last month and was very surprised to find it lovingly decorated for the holidays. Red, white and silver tinsel adorned the native shrubs and trees.

There was not much litter around and the weeds are still fairly well under control. TruGreen must be keeping after the Ailanthus because it isn't really coming back. I saw a few germinated seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum). If any of you go to the park, please look for these and either pull them out or just kick at them with your foot. This noxious, annual weed is easy to remove at this stage but is a real bear later. The picture below the seedling is a stand of milk thistle in the Nature Park in spring 2005. The prickly plants stand about 5 -6 ft. tall. Boyscouts assisted in it removal.




Remember park clean-ups are informally scheduled for the second Saturday of the month and I do expect to be at the Park on January 10th at 9 AM.

As always:

Meet at the park info sign on Pasadena Ave and then head down into the park. The group will pull weeds, pick up litter, and enjoy the park. Come for the whole time, for an hour, or just stop by to say hello.

Remember to:
- wear sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
- bring water- bring gardening gloves and tools (weeders, trowels, whatever you use in your own garden)- comfortable work clothes, including work shoes (sneakers or boots)
- binoculars for bird watching (optional)

Children are welcome but must be under adult supervision at all times. There is poison oak in the park, which we will point out before we start.

Please pass this info along to anyone else you think might be interested in the park. If you know of anyone who doesn't use the internet, let me know so we can be sure they are kept in the loop.

For more information email me at: barbara.eisenstein@gmail.com.

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR!

Barbara

November 8, 2008 Park Cleanup

This Saturday I was joined at the park by a dad and his two daughters, and my husband. Together we picked up a little trash - there was very little in evidence, and we sowed some poppy seeds and planted deer weed (Lotus scoparius).

Dad and daughter water new deer weed plants

Big sister draws a picture in her field notebook of the new plants and a watering can

When I arrived at the park I was greeted by a gentleman who was carrying out a trash bag full of garbage. It is evident that many people are taking care of the park when they visit. My husband, who hadn't seen it since September, was very impressed with how much better it is looking. Graffiti is under control and the sycamore circle is fairly clean.

Below is a picture of a toyon in full berry with a flowering coyote brush behind it. Come and enjoy the park. You will be surprised by how pretty and peaceful it is.

Park Cleanup - Saturday Nov. 8, 2008, 9 - 12

Trail in South Pasadena Nature Park

Meet at the park info sign on Pasadena Ave and then head down into the park. The group will pull weeds, pick up litter, and enjoy the park. Come for the whole time, for an hour, or just stop by to say hello.

Remember to:
- wear sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
- bring water- bring gardening gloves and tools (weeders, trowels, whatever you use in your own garden)- comfortable work clothes, including work shoes (sneakers or boots)
- binoculars for bird watching (optional)

Children are welcome but must be under adult supervision at all times. There is poison oak in the park, which we will point out before we start.

Please pass this info along to anyone else you think might be interested in the park. If you know of anyone who doesn't use the internet, let me know so we can be sure they are kept in the loop.

For more information email me at: barbara.eisenstein@gmail.com.

Dorothy Green, CA Activist Passes Away

Having been one of the many fortunate people to have known Dorothy Green, I would like to direct you all to the LA Times obituary and the piece by Steve Lopez. Dorothy was direct, clear, committed and unwavering in her efforts to do what was right for the state she loved. In addition to writing books, starting non-profits and educating the public on water and environmental issues, she taught many of us how to live our lives. She will missed, but we should celebrate her life, as she would have wanted.

Read her last plea for a sensible water policy, written October, 8, 2008.

October 12, 2008 Park Cleanup

The park is looking really good. Great thanks go to the city, Jesse Barajas, and TruGreen. The tree of heaven (Ailanthus) has been removed, as has the tree tobacco and castor bean. The graffiti on the rocks and signs has been removed . There was little litter, and people are walking dogs, jogging, running and enjoying the park.

Rick Schneider and I picked up a bit more litter and removed the few castor bean plants we could find. The day was sunny (as usual -- I love California!) and the park peaceful. The rose hips (above) added some red color and food for the birds.

The California fuchsia continues to bloom, a few seedlings of buckwheat have appeared, the sugar bush is setting flower (see above), and the coyote bush is in full bloom and alive with bees.

I know it is hard for people to join us for these clean-up events on the second Saturday of the month. I can tell, though, that many of you are going down to the park and picking up litter on your own. It seems to me that the park has really "turned a corner" and though we cannot stop working to keep it moving in the right direction, it will be fun to see new native plants settling in and attracting birds, lizards, butterflies and other natural fauna.

September 13, 2008 Park Clean-up

It was a lovely day in the Nature Park this Saturday as our small group of volunteers met to weed and pick up litter. The park continues to look good.

In this picture, the buckwheat is turning deep rust color and the California fuchsia, barely visible in the center-right half of the image, is still in bloom.

Hummingbirds flit around the willow tree near the central information kiosk. They were enjoying the red tubular flowers of the California fuchia.

Baby lizards scamper around the mulched central part of the park. There are plenty of insects to feed them.

The tree of heaven continues to be the biggest threat to the park. In August when I walked around the park with Jesse Barajas, city arborist, and TruGreen we discussed removal of these invasive weeds. If they are not dealt with the park will quickly revert to its earlier, degraded condition.

Bags of garbage await pick-up by Athens.

A Walk Through the Park

On Sunday, August 10, I took a leisurely walk through the park. Birds were flitting from the trees and shrubs on the north edge of the park (along the Arroyo Seco flood control channel) into the water. I saw a few lizards and some squirrels. I know there were lots more - I'm not a good animal watcher.

The plants in bloom included virgin's bower (Clematis ligusticifolia), buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), mulefat (Baccharis salsifolia), alkali dropseed (Sporobolus airoides), deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens), a few poppies (Eschscholzia californica), and sugar bush (Rhus ovata).

Virgin's Bower (Clematis ligusticifolia) blooms at the Nature Park

Keeping up
I am very excited by what I see in the park. No, it is not perfect, but what we are trying to do is not easy. The basic structure of the park is good. For the next few years we will need to manage the invasive weeds. As these are better controlled I hope we will consider planting some low-growing shrubs in the central area (former grassland/weed patch). It would be nice to keep low-growing plants here because birds need low shrubs, along with trees and water. I hope we can plant wildflower seeds there again next winter, and possibly add some more buckwheat and sages. It will be best to go slowly so we can keep the invasive weeds under control.

Signage in the Park

Stonework entry to Nature Park

Each time I visit the Nature Park I enjoy the river rock entry on Pasadena Avenue. Occasional graffiti is quickly removed when the Graffiti Hotline (626) 403-7249 is called.

The Nature Park Information Sign, on the other hand, needs some work. It is not water-tight so the poster has warped. The wood stand is subject to graffiti and the plexiglass is scratched and doesn't fit within the frame.

Warped poster in information display


Back of sign is not water tight

Plexiglass is scratched and doesn't keep water out, wood is marred

I have been speaking with a boyscout about taking this project on for his Eagle Scout award. Hopefully we can improve this sign and then take on some of the signage in the park.

Park Cleanup: September 13, 2008, 9 - 12

Meet at the park info sign on Pasadena Ave and then head down into the park. The group will pull weeds, pick up litter, and enjoy the park. Come for the whole time, for an hour, or just stop by to say hello.

Nature Park entrance on Pasadena Ave., east of the York St. Bridge

Remember to:
- wear sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
- bring water
- bring gardening gloves and tools (weeders, trowels, whatever you use in your own garden)
- comfortable work clothes, including work shoes (sneakers or boots)
- binoculars for bird watching (optional)

Children must be under adult supervision at all times. There is poison oak in the park, which we will point out before we start.

Please pass this info along to anyone else you think might be interested in the park. If you know of anyone who doesn't use the internet, let me know so we can be sure they are kept in the loop.

For more information email me at: barbara.eisenstein@gmail.com.

Met with City Workers in the Park

Met with staff to discuss maintenance

On Thursday, August 7th, I met with the staff from So Pas Dept. of Public Works and TruGreen landscape maintenance at the Nature Park to discuss park maintenance. Overall, the park looks good. The sycamore circle is really looking better than ever. There is some graffiti, especially on the sign near the circle. We decided that for now it would be best to remove the sign since it is totally covered with graffiti, both painted and scratched, and can't be cleaned up anymore.
As Jesse Barajas of Public Works put it, "The greatest asset in the Nature Park are the trees." Many of the trees pre-date dedication of this land as a Nature Park in October 2004. The trees that were planted in 2004 by MRCA (Mts and Rivers Conservation Authority)and SMMC (Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy) with money from the state, are doing well.

Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)

Invasive weeds are biggest challenge
The biggest challenge in the park are invasive weeds. The land before its conversion to a nature park was a degraded, illegal dumpsite. Land like this is usually overgrown with exotic, invasive weeds. MRCA cleared out a castor bean forest and removed many other aggressive weeds. They regraded the land, put in a retention basin, paths, signage, and some appropriate native plants. Many of the trees are doing well, but many of the smaller shrubs and perennials have not made it. This is not a problem, though, because the park had a very nice collection of native plants to start with.

The problem are the weeds. If we do not keep them under control, the park will revert to its earlier condition. The city has been doing much to control castor bean, milk thistle and other weeds. Right now the worst problem is the tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissimo) above the circle (on the east side of the park, south of the sycamore). A large specimen of this aggressive weed was removed when the park was created. The root system continues to sprout new "tree-lets". If they aren't removed then they will take over this section of the park - no joke! TruGreen will be removing this problem plant, along with tree tobacco, Chinese elm, Russian thistle, and castor bean.

Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissimo) getting a foothold in the Nature Park