Symposia ambrosia

It’s a hot September afternoon at the magically magnificent Descanso Gardens. I’d accepted the invitation to attend Shifting Soil: Sediment Management Policies in LA by the Council for Watershed Health. The council assembled a panel of experts. The top dogs in their fields gave a short presentation in the following order:

• Dr. Pete Wohlgemuth, US Forest Service

• Gary Hildebrand, LA County Department of Public Works

• L.B. Nye, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board

• Tomas Beauchamp, US Army Corps of Engineers

• Jeff Pratt, Ventura County Public Works Agency

• Greg Woodside, Orange County Ground Water Basin Management

• Tony Zampiello, Main San Gabriel Basin Water District

• Dr. Shelley Luce, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission

• Tim Brick, Arroyo Seco Foundation

• Dr. Cheryl Swift, Whittier College

• Lynette Kampe, Theodore Payne Foundation

The County of Los Angeles Flood Control District is updating its strategic sediment management plan for the long term. Tragic mistakes like the loss of the ancient oak grove in Arcadia are as a result of using outdated methods/plans for removal and placement of sediment. “Dumb engineering,” as one panelist put it.

It’s a whole new world, and the humans have just realized they are not invincible. Conquering nature is no longer a good plan. The mindless addiction to cementing everything and anything down, keeping “it” out, sterilization of nature–the idea that prediction equals control with no negative consequence is an illusion.

Here’s the rundown on the event that I attended:

Nancy Steele* welcomed everyone, and then introduced the first speaker. Dr. Pete Wohlgemuth, US Forest Service.  He’s “talking geology.” Dr. Pete cited the 6 factors of sediment dynamics with a graph: 1) The San Gabriel mountain ranges are too steep, 2) and getting too high (mountain ranges growing?)…3, 4, 5,  I thought I was going to die. When he mentioned a book, The Control of Nature by John McPhee that he liked, I perked up again. I’m always interested in a good book recommendation. Ever read Cadillac Desert?

This is Gary Hildebrand, Assistant Deputy Director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

Mr. Hildebrand is very knowledgeable about the history of the dams and waterways in the Los Angeles area. He said that the system needs to be revised to reflect what we know today– that Public Works has been using the same plans/methods since the 1920s.

It was good to hear Hildebrand acknowledge that sediment has commercial value and is not useless. Let that be a mitigating factor in costs intrinsic to developing a new approach, Mr. Hildebrand.

L.B. Nye, an environmental scientist and a representative from the only regulatory agency present at this symposium; the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. Regulations are nothing to be dicked around with, but “they can be misinterpreted sometimes” (Jeff Pratt interjected later). Just ask the “Arroyo Lover.” Thank you, I think I will: Isn’t the intent of enacting a regulation to protect something?

Ms. Nye tried to explain what a CRAM is… giggles. [C.R.A.M.] is a California Rapid Assessment Method. This new tool sounds expedient but dumb because it relies on only visual assessment on site of any wildlife present, etc. Tunneling arroyo toads are not going to be noticed, so many m a n y others overlooked. More like CRAM IT nature, and what is “compensatory mitigation?”

She mentioned a recent permit request from Vulcan Materials in Azusa to expand their rock mine on a wilderness parcel they own in the foothills. Just look at the website for SAVE OUR CANYON, and compare it to the Vulcan Materials site. Let your imagination run wild there for a minute, but don’t get lost.

This is Tomas Beachamp from the Army Corps of Engineers. The super dam builders.

Actually, the official tagline under the seal of a red castle is: BUILDING STRONG® And Taking Care Of People!

Tomas explained that under federal law, the corps will build the thing (whatever it is) but maintenance and operation of the “thing” has to be turned over to local authorities. Tomas is assigned to Inland Sediment Management. His colleague (not present) Monica Eichler is assigned to Coastal Sediment Management.

This is Jeff Pratt, Ventura County Public Works and he is highly technical and talks fast. He uses a special GIS (Geographic Information System) program add-on hydrology software in Ventura, and has created 3D models that include all possible scenario calculations specific to each individual project or problem. [ I don't think our city engineer Dan Rix used anything like that to calibrate the additional truck loads of sediment he threatened with the life of those lovely, sweet palms he planted in Hahamongna 25 years ago. How can he even entertain the thought of chainsawing down his own children? Please somebody, I need a nap.]

Mr. Pratt prefaced his comments by first conceding the completely different challenges he faces in Ventura as compared to Los Angeles. Here we have a ground water crisis due to extreme urbanization and massive amounts of loss due to impervious cement in watery areas…that were once earthen rivers and streams. In Ventura, his greatest problem is flash flooding in the four watersheds under his care and control. Pratt said, they made mistakes in sediment placement too before changing their old ways. They used to hire contractors to haul sediment away and dump it–only to find out later that the contractors dumped it on parcels they owned by streams.  TRANSLATOR: Sediment when dumped by heaping truckloads into watery areas makes land. New land to build on. And, that’s how Los Angeles was made, boys and girls.

Here is Greg Woodside, Orange County Ground Water Basin Management. He talked  a little about the history of Prado Dam, and the challenges his team faces servicing the dam among surrounding protected wildlife habitat. Woodside described the contents of sediment removed from Prado as clay, sand, and silt with an “armoring” and/or  “coarsening.” He did mention taking out non-natives and managing natives with a bit of dryness or “coarsening” in his delivery. Everyone’s a critic. You’ll have to listen to the entire recording and judge for yourself (see Audio Links below).

Tony Zampiello serves on the San Gabriel Valley and central basin of Whittier Narrows Watermaster board. The Watermaster was created as a result of a lawsuit in 1973 to comply with the judgement. There are only a few water basins in California that operate under a Watermaster. Mr. Zampiello works closely with the San Gabriel Protective Association, and the Metropolitan Water District. He mentioned in his comments that critical habitat designations are to be respected, and that sediment buildup in the “river” occurs because concrete steps were installed long ago to slow the water down. What river?

 

It wouldn’t be a symposium about dams, water, habitat, and sediment without Tim Brick. He wanted to inject us with positivity by pointing out: “We used to burn our trash!” “We used to have 7.5 gallon flush toilets!” “We recycle storm water!” He mentioned stream restoration projects as being important fr the future. Tim calls for a re-evaluation of how we live with water and the nature of where it comes from. New eyes for a new era.

This is a bad photo of Dr. Cheryl Swift of Whittier College (right) and Lynette Kampe of the Theodore Payne Foundation.

Dr. Swift described how native and non-native species co-exist and adapt in habitat areas. Willows, for example, need to sprout on their own. Planting willow trees is not a very successful proposition. It is these woody dominant species that create habitat for wildlife in sediment basins. She mentioned how the Arroyo toad likes to burrow into the sediment near willows, and that there was a bumper crop of the endangered toad in the Tujunga River this year. She is particularly knowledgeable about the plants and animals that adapt in watershed habitats. When Alder trees fall over in floods, that is how they reproduce. Their roots become shoots. Nature evolves. It learns to thrive in adversity.

Dr. Swift said, Hahamongna (as it is today) is not natural. It exists only because of the Devil’s Gate Dam. “People forget, this is a river.” We need to learn from watching what nature does to solve problems.

Lynette Kampe of the Theodore Payne Foundation gave a very uplifting speech. Her defining moment was when she remarked that people who love wildlife habitat she calls, “Charismatic Mega-Flora” and then as if we were all butterflies she said, “I may have caught you!”  She wove together the beautiful words and visions of the famous botanist, Theodore Payne. She storied the reasons for his foundations interest to participate in solving the problems of preserving open space, wildlife, and wilderness areas while balancing the needs of human engineers to solve the problem of sediment. Ms. Kampe made a proposal to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works to take all of the woodland areas off of the sediment placement list, and rededicate that land to remain as it is for people and animals to enjoy in its natural state.

AUDIO FILES (I have the crappiest audio equipment)

Symposium-9-20-2011 part 1 of 6

Symposium 9-20-2011 Part 2 of 6

Symposium 9-20-2011 Part 3 of 6

Symposium 9-20-2011 Part 4 of 6

Symposium 9-20-2011 Part 5 of 6

Symposium 9-20-2011 Part 6 of 6

My brain is like Jello™, at this point. Not only that, it hurts me. The family business used to be in quarries and cement in the foothills. One of my cousins almost had to name her firstborn Roxanne Gravel but thankfully, she had a boy. I kid you not!  Can somebody please save me? The only charismatic mega-flora superhero I know is Princess Hahamongna, and she is r e a l l y out there. Catch her Friday nights at 9 on the Poobah Record Store podcast with the weekly Ecology Report.

I took a lot of notes.

[In ancient Greek mythology, ambrosia (Greek: ἀμβροσία) is sometimes the food or drink of the Greek gods (or demigods), often depicted as conferring ageless immortality upon whoever consumes it.It was brought to the gods in Olympus by doves, so it may have been thought of in the Homeric tradition as a kind of divine exhalation of the Earth.]

[The Council for Watershed Health was founded in 1995 by leading environmental activist Dorothy Green. Nancy Steele is now its executive director.]

Gonna take a sedimental journey…

Hit it, Benny!

PREFACE: The writer of this blog is possibly insane from traveling so much this summer.

SEDIMENT REMOVAL/DUMPAGE What is that? Is that anything I should care about? I mean, is it about FASHION, darling?

A strong and firm inner NO was sounded…. it swirled around the ears, caressing the lips of L.A. County Public Workhorses.

Wednesday afternoon, between 2pm and 4pm, at quite possibly the tallest building in Alhambra, my eyes opened. My ears opened.  SMAAAAH! And, my heart opened up so big. Have you ever seen the Headquarters at 900 S. Fremont? Big. BIG. And photo ID with security check is required.

People are making a difference.

Cam Stone, and others sent around emails and Twitters, FaceBochs, YouTubes, spoke at gatherings, Flckr’rererd, Picasa su casa about La Tuna Canyon’s impending doom replicating the Arcadia Woodlands Disaster. It worked.

There is power in consciousness. The Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Flood Control District is listening.

And, responding.

Today, that is September 7, 2011, a room of attendees were told that sediment dumpydumpage, ie. Arcadia Woodlands Disaster, will NOT BE HAPPENING AGAIN. That is, it is highly unlikely given the multitude of other options at their disposal, that LADPW will [not] dump sediment in La Tuna Canyon. It was a shame Camron Stone was not present to hear it. He’s no doubt looking around and seeing some things. Maybe. Achievement for any degree of protection for sage and scrub, old OLD trees is worth cheering about.

CAVEAT: In fairness, Dan Sparks, Project Manager of Long Term Sediment Removal did give the caveat, but doesn’t it sound positive?

Hip hip HOOOOOOray!

Now, on to the devil in Devil’s Gate Soap Opera, As the Buckthorn Burns…

Myra has just discovered that Devil’s Gate Dam temporary sediment removal project is complete.

MYRA:  Oh Larry, look at this. Petrea Burchard of Pasadena Daily Photo took pictures of that Johnson Field dump site!

LARRY: How fantastic!

MYRA: It looks like a soccer field to me.

LARRY: Don’t be ridiculous, Myra. (cough, cough, cough)

More later,

Dianne

Professor Weebles T. Frog didn’t want to go

About a month ago, I was invited to join a group of interesting and intelligent people from Pasadena on a tour of the Sacramento Delta region. The tour is an educational journey about water; where it comes from, how it is treated, what natural elements enhance its potability, and what things hinder it. It struck me, as I stood gazing up at the state capitol building, is how all of this hangs in the balance of politics.

Scientists, engineers, lawyers, lobbyists are employed privately and publicly to gather tons of data, exposition, example, experiment for the purpose of influencing a change in the worldview of elected officials. They/we must wake up to the challenging management and protection of finite water.  While NASA frantically zooms around the universe searching for water on other planets, we are stuck with the very same stuff Cleopatra bathed in, although the rose petals have long been reabsorbed.

A thousand modern Marcus Antonius snakes slither round to encapture some of that clear sensuousness percolated pure through centuries of stones and grasses to bottle under their particular plastic brands. It made me wonder what happens to all of the cases and cases of bottled water that have an expiration date. How long does it take the plastic to disintegrate so that the water can be free again to recirculated throughout our planet?

It gives me a headache. There are so many variables… and I don’t want to go down that plastic rabbit hole, right now. Instead, I want to consult with my very own naturally wise frog, Professor Weebles, about what is happening in Pasadena… to the watershed.

Professor Weebles lived with me for the first two years in a fish tank.  When he married, he moved out to a lusciously private pickle jar pad filled with lucky bamboo. Esmeralda, his wife of three years, died recently. I told him all about my trip in an attempt to distract him from his funk.

“Did you know that one of the big concerns for the delta is the dumping of aquarium contents into the river system?”

“Why is that?” he asked.

“Well, it introduces non-native plants and animals that compete with native species and clog up the natural purification system,” I told him boldly.

“Oooooohhh woe.” he muttered through the bubbles. “I came from a river in Thailand. We escaped there from a lab that used us for pregnancy tests, just like rabbits were used here in your country years ago. Dead was a Yes. Not dead was a No. We staked out our territory pretty fast and I suppose we were ruining everybodies lives multiplying like crazy in that river. No one was there to stop us until the pet shop boys caught us.”

Professor Weebles is full of weird stories. I don’t know if I believe that one. Just like I don’t know if I can believe the story about native toads being a concern for the Pasadena city council.

I do believe no one wants to kill frogs by dumping sediment on them, or use them to see if they’re knocked up. Among the wilds, I’m not yet convinced that the long term existence in their native home from which they are named the Arroyo Toad, or that the presently hopping Common Western Toad is important enough to them to establish permanent protection for their habitat in Hahamongna. Dan Rix, a Pasadena Public Works Department engineer said they’ll wait for the toads to leave town “on their own” before dumping sediment.

“Look at the bright side,” Professor Weebles flapped a long knobby front toe at me, “You’ve got some politicians on the council right now who must care tremendously about that watery piece of paradise.”

I nodded.

The wise frog went on… “Did you hear what Mr. Tornek said about how important the environment is to him?”

“And did you listen to what Margaret McAustin had to say? You should listen carefully to her,” he said.

“And mademoiselle,” Professor Weebles eyes widened and then narrowed. He spoke slowly, and deliberately now, “Have you taken the time to listen to our own district representative, Chris Holden?”

I shrugged. “All that was said over a year ago.”

Professor Weebles seemed a little exasperated, “Listen to me. I know more about how you humans foul things up for yourselves, me being a FROG and an educated member of the animal kingdom as well. I do know that if you humans go down you’ll take all of us with you.”

He gulped some air from the surface, “Everything Mr. Holden said is as relevant today as it was on July 12, 2010. The man speaks the truth!”

And with that he swam away to disappear under the roots of bamboo in his pickle jar condo.

I suppose he was right. It’s sad now that he’s gone. I found him stretched out on the kitchen floor yesterday, stiff as a board. I picked him up carefully and returned him to his jar. He recovered instantly and snapped back at me,

“I’m only playing dead.”

W.T.F.? I should have named him Basil Rathfrog, a perfect name for a toady actor.