-
- On this plain of York Valley, the most immeasurable change of slope, noticeable to bikers only, indicates the shift from the Los Angeles River watershed to the Arroyo Seco watershed. I live on the cusp of two watersheds.
Subtle changes in temperature accompany the changes in topography. These things make me think about the historical landscape.
Many have looked at early photos of our area and remarked a virtually tree-less landscape. However, we know that the earliest settlers liked to build houses and fences out of wood, and they liked to burn fires. All it would take was a handful of settlers to completely change the character of a landscape.
The earliest photos we have of our area, as well as the Flora (lists of local plants) we refer to when researching what were locally “native” plants; were made decades after human impact was substantial. Generations of grazing animals preceded the photographers.
- photo by Chris Cob, courtesy pasadenaadjacent.com
Street names such as “Oak Grove Road” now hint that many currently treeless areas were once otherwise.
For this reason, remnants of the historical landscape are an incredible natural and cultural resource that our region should be protecting. In Southern California, we’ve already developed countless oak groves into housing developments. We can’t turn back the clock.
But we can try to celebrate the remnants of historical landscape that are left. In Arcadia, an 11-acre oak woodland is scheduled to be turned into a dumpground for sediment on Wednesday, January 12. Despite numerous phone calls to the office of Supervisor Antonovich, neither the original or supplemental agendas include the Arcadia Woodlands.
This post by Joshua Link is a beautiful description of the threatened site:
LA Creek Freak (description of site)
What Can I Do to Help Preserve this Oak Woodland?
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors will hold a meeting this upcoming Tuesday, January 11, 2011. Despite numerous phone calls to the office of Supervisor Antonovich, neither the original or supplemental agendas include the Arcadia Woodlands. This means that it will benefit our cause greatly if there is a large contingent of Woodland supporters at the meeting ready to speak! Meeting information can be found HERE.
Sign this petition to Supervisor Antonovich
CNPS Letter to Antonovich
Weeding Wild Suburbia letter to Antonovich
This post is made in solidarity with other local environmental bloggers:
L.A. Ecovillage Gardener’s Weblog
Pingback: We should save Arcadia woodland | Chance of Rain
Pingback: Poised at the Edge of a Blade « Pasadena Adjacent
Pingback: The Arcadia Oaks: tunnel vision and the dirt pile « L.A. Creek Freak
Pingback: Querqus catastrophicus ‘Arcadia’ « Echoes
Pingback: L.A. Creek Freak
Pingback: News and Events – 8 January 2011 « L.A. Creek Freak
Pingback: Bless Our Tree Sitters « Pasadena Adjacent