Sat, Dec. 6 – Visit One of Pasadena’s Few Remaining Open Spaces

In our built-up cities, there are only a few small spaces still in a natural state. Cottonwood Canyon, located near Devil’s Gate Dam in Pasadena, is one of these pockets, a small treasure with native oaks and sycamores and a year-round spring.

By Ginny Heringer

Although it is only 11 acres in size, it stretches from the ridge of the San Rafael Hills to the Arroyo Seco and serves as a corridor for wildlife to move freely between the Arroyo Seco, the San Rafael hills, and the Hahamongna area.

12/06/2014
2:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Cottonwood Canyon is still in private hands, but a local conservancy wants to purchase the property to prevent development. The mission of  The Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy is to “preserve land and restore habitat in and around the San Gabriel and Crescenta Valleys, thereby protecting natural areas for birds and wildlife and providing access and educational experiences for the community.

The Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy has already purchased properties in:

• Rubio Canyon and Millard Canyon, along Chaney Trail.
• Rosemont Preserve in La Crescenta.

They work with urgency to save these precious places before they are gone.

You can see Cottonwood Canyon for yourself during an Open House on Saturday, December 6, 2014, from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. The event includes a chance to look at maps of the property and take a short walk to see the springs, developed over a century ago as part of an early water supply. Refreshments will be provided by the Craftsman Brewing Company.

To visit the canyon and to learn more about the Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy, go to their website. There is a link to a map there, or you can use this address (of a house located across the street from the canyon entrance) for Google directions: 1950 Linda Vista Avenue. Watch for the balloons on the chain link fence. Donations for the permanent protection of Cottonwood Canyon are needed and appreciated. Your visit will show you the value of saving this beautiful natural land.

This article first appeared on the Arroyo View newsletter. The Pasadena Group has contributed $1,000 towards the purchase of this local property.