Mendolonium

One our favorite outdoor excursions these days is a trip to Washington Park.  Washington Park has the typical park amenities:  a playground, a baseball field, and picnic tables.  It also has something special – a dry wash.  Much to my surprise, I recently learned that the wash is really the bed of a small river – Woodbury Creek, now sadly relegated to the storm drain system.  Every time we visit the park now I think, “What if?”  What if the creek hadn’t been shut up underground?  What if there was a real riparian habitat located less than two miles from our house?  What if urban areas could find a way to coexist with natural ones?

Woodbury creek might be lost and gone forever, but there is a place not too far from us that is one of the last examples in Southern California of where water meets the city and survives:  the Hahahamonga basin.   The Hahanmongna basin is where the Arroyo Seco river emerges from the San Gabriel mountains and spreads out onto the urban plain.  As the Save Hahamongna website so bluntly states, “Most sites like this in Southern California have been destroyed.”  Seven years ago [2003], the Pasadena City Council approved a plan to build athletic fields, roads, and expanded parking lots in the middle of the Hahamongna basin.  Recently there has been some movement towards implementing this plan.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist from nearby JPL to realize that the plans to build such facilities would irreversibly destroy the environment of Hahamongna.   I am vehemently opposed to the plan and have signed Save Hahamongna’s petition to urge the Pasadena City Council to reconsider it’s plans for Hahamonga.  I have also written my city councilman, Vitor Gordo; below is the text of my message to him:

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Mr. Gordo,

I am writing to voice my strong opposition to the City of Pasadena’s plans to construct athletic fields, roads, and additional parking lots in the Hahamongna basin.  Destroying a unique, irreplaceable, natural location to build athletic fields is a terrible, short-sighted idea for the city of Pasadena. It may well be that Pasadena should invest in the construction of new athletic fields. I certainly support city funded recreation opportunities, however, Hahamongna is not an appropriate place to do so. The environmental impact of placing athletic fields in the watershed would be devastating. Furthermore, the environmental impact and potential usage of the fields is negatively impacted by Hahamongna’s location. Hahamongna is not easily accessible – except by car. Placing new facilities in a car-dependent location will result in additional pollution from automobiles and excludes persons (particularly youth) that do not have access to personal cars. Pasadena is justifiably proud of of its efforts to create a more environmentally friendly, sustainable city – locating athletic fields in the Hahamongna basin would be a huge step backwards.  Surely the city of Pasadena can find a less environmentally sensitive, more easily accessible location for new fields.

I have two young sons and we love to spend time outside enjoying the fabulous Pasadena weather.  There are many locations in Pasadena that I can take them to participate in outdoor athletics.  Hahamongna is one of the only locations in Pasadena where we can go to see this area as it once was.  If part of Hahamonga is filled in, covered with turf, and paved it will be gone forever for current and future generations to enjoy.  I urge you to oppose the conversion of Hahamongna basin to athletic fields.  Thank you.

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Please take the time to sign the petition (you do not have to live in Pasadena to do so) and write or call the city council and voice your opposition to the conversion of Hahamongna to athletic fields.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 11:35 am and is filed under A Piece of My Mind, The Place Where We Live. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.