Walk About the Hahamongna This Saturday

It's been quite a week for Pasadena's Hahamongna Watershed Park.  Long a nature getaway for hikers, walkers, dog lovers, equestrians and birders far and wide, Hahamongna has recently been at the center of controversy relative to Los Angeles County's plan to remove 1.6 million cubic feet of sediment from behind Devil's Gate Dam at the south end of the natureland, which would cause irreparable damage to sensitive willow habitat.

Earlier this week, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich sponsored a motion, approved by the Board of Supervisors, to conduct a full environmental impact report on the sediment management program at Devil's Gate Dam and Hahamongna in the Arroyo Seco. The motion included a provision that Public Works staff report back to the Supervisors within 30 days on short-term measures that might be needed to ensure the functioning and safety of the Devil's Gate Dam.

Now you can personally see what the fuss is all about.

Tomorrow, March 5th, The Save Hahamongna Coalition and the Arroyo Seco Foundation are hosting a FREE 3 hour 'walkabout' of the Hahamongna Watershed Park where visitors can stop at a number of 'learning stations' and discover more about the habitat, wildlife, birds and water resources in this unique flood basin at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

You will also learn about new threats to the natural character of Hahamongna and what you can do to help protect this precious spot. Tours will leave each half hour from 9:00 am to 10:30 am, so reserve your place by going to http://www.savehahamongna.org/walkaboutrsvp.htm.

A Tale of Two Rivers ~ A Tale of Two Cities

It was a week of big decisions for the Los Angeles and Arroyo Seco Rivers.

First, the City of Los Angeles, which has encased its beautiful Los Angeles River in concrete for decades, received word from US EPA that the River and its tributaries have been declared 'traditionally navigable' waterways. This means both federal funds for restoration and revitalization under the Clean Water Act, as well as regulatory support to improving ecosystem and drinking water quality.

In contrast, the City of Pasadena, which has prided itself on its 'Arroyo Culture' and 'Arroyo Seco Master Plan,' saw its City Council refuse to reconsider its 7-year-old decision to construct new athletic fields in the sensitive Hahamongna riparian basin, groundwater source of drinking water to hundreds of thousands in the region and home to one of Southern California's most sensitive urban interface ecosystems. (In fairness, the Council did reject one of two proposed 'soccer' fields which would be located in a part of the Basin currently inundated as a small lake with ducks swimming in it.)

The irony? While Los Angeles continues to move forward in removing concrete and debris from the Los Angeles River, Pasadena moves forward with building an artificial turf athletic field and parking lot within its natural Arroyo Seco riverine corridor.

These actions beg the question: which city is truly more committed to natural resource sustainability and local water supply reliability?