DebsPAB

4235 Monterey Road
Los Angeles, CA 90032

 

AREA 2 - FAMILY PICNIC & GATHERING AREA
Located in the south-central portion of the park, this area includes the main entrance from Monterey Road; main parking lot; park offices and maintenance yard; and day-use recreational facilities. Here, both large and small groups gather to celebrate holidays or a sunny afternoon. There are restrooms, picnic tables, barbecue grills, play areas, and lighting. Visitor attractions are convenient and easily accessible.Picnic Pavilion The main picnic area is located on manicured grounds surrounded by shade trees, and there is a smaller area south of the main picnic area, accessible by a partially paved walking trail. The smaller area reflects a pastoral setting with its limited access. It is a quiet little area with several trees, barbecues, and benches, although, there are no picnic tables in this area. Currently, many of the benches and barbecue grills suffer from graffiti or knife carvings. The entire area is also heavily used four months of the year (two months in spring and two months in fall) by Green Meadows Farm, a petting zoo program. The activity extends over the majority of the main and secondary areas, and a chain-link fence blocks public use and access to this portion of the park during that time. Currently, portions of the main entrance road are experiencing a small amount of erosion and undercutting, as fill placed in the canyon bottoms is shifting.

The primary activity area of lawns and extensive plantings of exotic trees sits atop earthen fill deposited in the easterly draining canyons. Many species of non-native, exotic trees are present along the roadways and lawn areas. Among the prevalent species are Eucalyptus, Pine, Deodar cedar, white alder, Liquidambar, Jacaranda, toyon, strawberry-tree, Brazilian pepper, silk-tree, and sycamore.

The rather steep fill slope that forms the division between the northern portion of Area 1 and the southern part of Area 2, has concrete terrace drains. The drains are partly Picnic Pavilionobscured by exotic trees and shrubs, as well as by local areas of the native mule fat, a native shrub that is characteristic of moist soils, and hoary nettle. Both thrive here because of additional water from the lawns on the top of the fill. Along the eastern margin of the park, where residences are adjacent, extensive clearing of the herbaceous vegetation among the trees and shrubs occurs, as elsewhere, and substantial castor bean infestation (mostly seedlings) is present.

At the lower (east) edges of the slopes, exotic trees prevail, these becoming less prevalent upslope, and replaced by walnut woodland species components of black walnut woodland including toyon and holly-leaf redberry. Extensive discing of the vegetation on the upper slopes is regularly undertaken to control black mustard infestation and provide fire protection, but perhaps inadvertently aiding in the spread of castor bean.

Area 2 Land Use Recommendations:
  • Remove all graffiti.
  • Repair entrance road in areas experiencing erosion, undercutting, and settlement.
  • Install additional security features.
  • Add new, additional barbecues in the main picnic area .
  • Ensure the picnic areas remain available for public use, primarily picnicking.
  • Allow public access from the parking lot to the smaller, south picnic area when long-term permitees are operating.
  • If the additional parking is not required, in area of the existing unpaved parking lot, other recreational resources such as volley ball, basketball, shuffleboard, or horseshoes, may be permitted.
  • Avoid the construction of new roads.
  • Provide dog waste bins and pick-up bags.

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