Instead of a Christmas gift list, I have a thank you list to show gratitude for the gifts I have received all year round. I would like to thank every person in 2021 who gave me the gift of clean trails and town hallways so I could have a better outdoor experience. I guess you have also enjoyed their good deeds.
Let’s start with the Echo Park Trash Club, which Erin Fein started by inviting neighbors to a cleanup on the Nextdoor app. It’s a pretty simple model if you want to start your own cleanup team. “We were limited in the amount of waste we could pick up because I put it all in my car and moved it back to my apartment container,” Fein told the Washington Post. Now the city takes care of pickup. Thanks also to Silverlake Trash Bandits, who collect things we others leave behind; climate activist Edgar mcgregor, which I wrote about in March for his diligent work in cleaning up Eaton Canyon in Pasadena; and organizers at the Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter, who took me on a cleanup to a place I had never visited: South Los Angeles Wetlands Park. There are many other organizations and clubs that host beach, river, trail and other cleanups and I thank you.
In 2022, I will do a better job of not being a part of the problem. (You can join me.) In April, I wrote about the overwhelming amount of waste left in the Angeles National Forest. Forest officials always ask visitors to “unpack” their waste, but some of us do not understand the message. That means you take your lunch boxes and trash, water bottles and whatever else is home and throw them in your own trash can or recycling bin. Which brings me to a cave in Griffith Park (see photo above). A friend who was collecting trash along the path found a surprise inside a hole in the cave: Santa Claus. She left him there for others to discover. I hope whoever is spreading this Christmas cheer will return later to remove Santa Claus. Happy holidays to all!
4 things to do this week
Santas came to the slopes at the Mountain High ski resort near Wrightwood to raise $ 21,800 for an organization called Christmas Cheer All Year, which helps underserved youth.
(Mountain High)
Finally, ski resorts from SoCal to Lake Tahoe have opened. Here’s what you can expect. The first big storm of the season brought enough snow to justify a trip to the slopes, and there is more snow on the way. As of Monday, the Big Bear Mountain Resort (Bear Mountain and Snow Summit) in Big Bear Lake reported a base of 25 to 38 inches, and Mountain High near Wrightwood reported a peak depth of 18 inches. So what’s new at resorts this year? You can hop on a free trolley from Big Bear Lake to the ski resort, and the Snow Valley Mountain Resort in Running Springs expanded its snow play area, adding a 100-foot moving surface lift to the resort’s children’s learning center. Learn more about what’s new and how to drive safely on the slopes. Also, be sure to check out corona restrictions before heading to your favorite resort.
Seaside Reef at Cardiff State Beach in Encinitas.
(KC Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Get a jump on hikes in 2022 with these free guided first-day hikes. Forget the planning of New Year’s Eve and make it all for New Year’s Day. First-day hikes on January 1 take place in state parks throughout California and around the country. They are a great way to start a new activity (beginners are welcome) and / or learn about a new place. Bring layered clothing as well as snacks and water in your backpack, and put on sturdy shoes. Here are four to try in state parks. (See the full list of free hikes in California State Parks here.)
– Panorama Overlook Trail in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Northern San Diego and Riverside counties. The two-mile hike climbs about 200 feet uphill to enjoy scenic views of the Borrego Valley and Fonts Point. Good for children 7 and older, with an adult. Parking costs $ 9 to $ 10. 14.30-16.00
– Beach walk at Cardiff State Beach, Encinitas. Sign up for a 45-minute brisk walk that goes from Lifeguard Tower # 11 and continues to Cardiff Reef and ends at tidal pools. Children are welcome with an adult. 11 in the morning
– Upper Aliso Canyon hike in Chino Hills State Park, Chino Hills. Spend your first day of the new year on an easy to moderate gorge hike that can be a great place to look for early shoots of wildflowers. Meet at Rolling M Ranch Campground; children are welcome with an adult. 9 in the morning
– Trails in Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, west of Chatsworth. Four hikes are offered, from “slow and gentle” to difficult, and distances range from one and a half to three miles. Meet on Andora Avenue in Chatsworth; children are welcome with an adult. 11 in the morning
Justin Rimon from “Just Trek Podcast.”
(Trek only)
3. While trapped inside in bad weather (or even if you are not), you can listen to my chat about it outdoors on “Just Trek Podcast”. Submit this under “Stealing Love Party.” Justin Rimon from “Just Trek Podcast” and I could not stop talking about our shared passion for hiking in Southern California. The latest episode of the podcast touched on a wide range of topics, including poop poses (for humans, not dogs), Mt. Baldy as a virtual Mount Everest, where you can get your leg sewn in Malibu and our favorite places to go. . Listen here and here.
(Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)
4. Dispose of used sleeping bags or blankets to donate to the homeless. Before you think about all the cool new equipment you get for Christmas, think about donating your old stuff to the homeless who are struggling to keep warm in the winter on the streets. LA Sanitet & Miljø collects new and easily used blankets, sleeping bags and socks that have been cleaned and / or washed. You can hand in donations from 9.00 to kl. 4pm to the end of the year at eight of the agency’s locations in Sun Valley, Northridge, San Pedro and elsewhere in the city of LA. Addresses for drop-off locations are here.
Wild things
A football fish washed up in Encinitas.
(Ben Frable / Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
The Pacific football fish looks like something “The Nightmare Before Christmas” creator Tim Burton has dreamed of. The black round fish with a pointed lower jaw washed up at Swami’s Beach in Encinitas. Only the 31st specimen has been collected worldwide. Yes, these fish are more than rare. However, three of these deep-sea residents have emerged in the past year. “It’s very strange, and it’s talking about the city among us California ichthyologists,” or zoologists studying fish, “Bill Ludt, assistant curator of ichthyology at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, told The Times. Read more about the fish that make scientists talk.
Thousands of birds live in the Farallon Islands, 30 miles from San Francisco.
(Josh Edelson / For The Times)
Mice may not move in the famous Christmas poem, but on the wild Farallon Islands – a rugged and remote cliff 30 miles from San Francisco – they are out in force. A 60,000-strong army of non-native mice has increased the lives of large birds, especially ash storm swallows, on the animal sanctuary, which is forbidden to humans. What to do? Rodenticides, poisons banned in California, appear to be the answer for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The plan to air drop 2,800 pounds of lethal pellets got a thumbs up from the California Coastal Commission. Times columnist Steve Lopez wrote about who likes this idea and who hates it – and how the problem is not as simple as it seems.
It must be read
A dead Joshua tree burned by the dome fire in August 2020.
(Nathan Solis / Los Angeles Times)
Planting Joshua trees is a bit of an act of faith. I say this because the pointed desert plant grows very slowly. Seeing a seedling grow to 4 feet would take at least two decades. Either way, volunteers planting Joshua seedlings in the Mojave Desert remain fearless. “Well, I’m a geologist,” Joe Landeros, 28, of Long Beach, told The Times. “Geologically, it’s not time at all.” About 1,500 seedlings will be planted in an area where a healthy population of the shaggy Joshua trees was burned down in the Dome fire in August 2020. There is no guarantee that all seedlings will thrive. “Although many survive, they will only replace a fraction of the damaged trees. But for the volunteers, nurturing new life in the desert is a way in which hope can triumph over grief, wrote Times staff writer Nathan Solis. Read the full story here.
What do you think?
(Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)
Readers who weighed on Bluetooth speakers that blew music on the track: I hear you, loud and clear. The 28 answers in my unscientific study all indicated a preference for the sounds of nature. Some saw explosive music as a sign of disrespect; others shared their love of birdsong and peace. It makes me wonder who is these people pumping out tunes on the track? I’ll have to stop and ask one of them in the future. Until then, thanks to everyone who responded and stopped by the quiet side of nature.
PS
Who will not squeeze some good news out of this year? The nonprofit news organization Sierra Nevada Ally in Northern California put these 2021 name changes in the winning column.
– Palisades Tahoe, the new name for the Squaw Valley ski resort, which finally dropped the offensive “squaw” from its name.
– Sue-meg (pronounced “soo-may” in the Yurok language) State Park became the new name for Patrick’s Point State Park, which reflected the name of a settler who killed Indians.
– Part of Highway 120 near the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park was named Chiura Obata Great Nature Memorial Highway after the California artist and Japanese-American leader.
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Click to view the web version of this newsletter and share it with others, and sign up to have it sent weekly to your inbox. I am Mary Forgione, and I write The Wild. I have been exploring trails and open areas in Southern California for four decades.
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