Thursday, November 14, 2013

Hahamongna Needs to be Saved. Again.


I was going to quote a bunch of statistics.

I was going to tell you Los Angeles County Department of Public Works apparently doesn't have anyone on staff who can tell the difference between a dead tree and a dormant tree.

I was going to tell you about the County's draconian project to clear 4 million cubic yards of silt from Hahamongna Watershed Park by filling as many as 400 trucks a day and driving them out of the basin behind Devil's Gate Dam, kicking up dust and noise for the next 3-10 years, not to mention killing and displacing over 200 species of wildlife.

And, you know, property values.

I was going to tell you that Hahamongna is not a park in the manicured sense but a place for our wildness. But Karin already did that.

I was going to tell you that we have to clear the silt, but we have alternatives to the misery the County proposes.

Instead I will ask you to come to a meeting and listen, then make your public comment.

Thursday, November 14, 2013
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Jackson Elementary School Auditorium, 593 West Woodbury Road, Altadena

Saturday, November 16
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Community Center, 4469 Chevy Chase Drive,
La CaƱada Flintridge

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Swoon-worthy photos. And how ever did you capture a profile of that wascally wabbit?

Petrea Burchard said...

I guess he just trusted me.

John Sandel said...

Because we're powerful, we forget that the ecology which produced us can be fragile. Natural beauty is a side-effect of blind processes. Our ethics need not be.

Unknown said...

John, those processes are not blind. They are guided by energy and ruthlessly efficient. Oddly, I think that is what makes them beautiful.

TheChieftess said...

Kudos to you and Karin for keeping us informed!!!

Bellis said...

Thanks for posting this. If these plans go ahead, there won't be much point in visiting there any more. I go for the views, the beauty and the wildlife, and the latter two won't return if the basin is kept plant-free forever after. Public apathy is a big problem, yet it's important to attend the meetings, as heads are counted and noted. Have you been to any of them? I'm going to the one in La Canada tomorrow afternoon, even though I know it'll depress me.

Petrea Burchard said...

Yes, I'll be at the La Canada meeting. It's not depression these meetings make me feel, but actual fury. It's hard to contain myself.

-K- said...

Beautiful photos, I wish I was looking at them in a different context.

Patrizzi Intergarlictica said...

Another beautiful post, Petrea. Good point about the "dead trees" ...mentioned in a description in the Draft EIR. Unbelievable.



The meeting was intolerable last night. We were treated like kindergartners. I mentioned in a verbal comment with the "mic" about death in the arroyo, the past and future... the consultant/facilitator host made a joke after I spoke rephrasing my comment as "How do we deal with poltergeist in Hahamongna?" ASSHOLE!

Good thing Scauzillo was there and caught the whole thing. sheesh

Petrea Burchard said...

I have photos from Hahamongna and the dam from every season since 2008. They said the trees were dead. They lied. I gave those pics to Mary Barrie.

Patrizzi Intergarlictica said...

Excellent, PB.

Susan Campisi said...

Thank you, Petrea, for wise words and stunning photos of the fragile Hahamongna. The community is so lucky to have you, Karin, Dianne, Mary B, Bellis, PA, Lori, etc. constantly fighting for Haha.

I cannot believe the facilitator said that, Dianne! Well, I can believe it. So f**king disrespectful. Was the meeting recorded? I'll see you guys there tomorrow...

sonia a. mascaro said...

Beautiful photos of Hahamongna. Btw, an amazing name...
Good luck on your fighting.

Petrea Burchard said...

Sonia, there are many interesting names here that come from the early native Americans who lived here: Hahamongna, Azusa, Tujunga, Cahuenga, etc. These were early villages.

Ms M said...

Such wonderful photos. Good luck with the battle on this.

Katie said...

Having a patch of wilderness in a densely populated area is a real gem, and one worth fighting for. The County's de-silting plan sounds absolutely insane, so here's hoping a more reasonable project can be agreed to. Let us know what else we can do, especially for those of us too far away to attend meetings! Lovely photos.

Unknown said...

The top shot is just stunning! Please tell me the area is going to be preserved. We have similar situations here and they just make me sick. And it's always in the name of 'progress', which means someone is going to be rich! Revolting.

Petrea Burchard said...

JM, this area is called a "protected area" but apparently that designation is meaningless. I don't know what will happen. Something has to be done but Los Angeles County's proposal is too much. They are accepting public comments until January 6th at reservoircleanouts@dpw.lacounty.gov

You don't have to be a local to comment!

Petrea Burchard said...


Bonjour, Cath, et bienvenue! Merci de visiter mon blog. Votre blog est merveilleux. Je vais rejoindre ce soir, quand je vais travaillais sur un autre ordinateur.

Hi Cath, and welcome! Thanks for visiting my blog. Your blog is wonderful. I'll join tonight, when I'm working on a different computer.

LONDONLULU said...

My hat's off to you for spreading the word on this! It's just so sad and terrible that the phrase 'protected area' means so little nowadays. I know public comment can make a difference, thanks for sharing that link above. (Also, thank you for kindly checking in! That was very sweet of you:)