So. Pas Nature Park-Lessons Learned @ CNPS – SGM

Barbara Eisenstein will speak about the South Pasadena Nature Park at the next California Native Plant Society (San Gabriel Mts. Chapter) program meeting. Open to all. Held at Eaton Canyon Nature Center. 

Cities love to cut ribbons at park openings; however, it is what happens next that determines the success or failure of urban habitat parks. Without proper care, even beautifully designed and installed landscapes will fail.

For twelve years volunteers have been caring for a nature park in the city of South Pasadena to prevent it from reverting to its formerly degraded state. Prior to the creation of the park, the site along the Arroyo Seco Flood Control Channel was used for illegal dumping, homeless encampments and passive recreation including walking and horseback riding. Within six months of the opening in 2004 the recently extirpated weeds were making an impressive comeback on the three-acre parcel. In response, we initiated a volunteer park stewardship program, Friends of South Pasadena Nature Park.

Over the years the group has developed strategies for replacing noxious weeds with locally appropriate native plants. Many of these practices would work in other newly designated urban habitat parks. Though it has taken years – and there is still much work to do – a small team of volunteers, with city support, is gradually improving conditions in the park.