Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden will have its historic buildings upgraded and a new 5-year strategic plan is being drafted for the first time in many years. Among items to be improved are the roof replacement and stabilization of the Hugo Reid Adobe (aka Baldwin Adobe), the rehabilitation of the library, as well as roof replacements for the 126-year-old Queen Anne Cottage of "Fantasy Island" fame, and the Coach Barn. Mitchell Bishop, curator of the historic collections, said he plans to rehabilitate Baldwin Lake.
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Baldwin family push to revive Baldwin Lake. The 4-acre lake in the middle of the Arboretum stands polluted, filled with tons of mud and filth from years of urban runoff. Tony Zampiello, executive officer of the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster, along with the county's Department of Parks and Recreation, have formed a task force with goal of dredging the old lake built by Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin in the late 19th century. Margaux Viera, Baldwin's great-great-great granddaughter, a member of the "Save Baldwin Lake" task force, says the shoreline around the lake is collapsing and eroding. See hard copy in VF "Arboretum."
Arcadia’s Baldwin Lake makes history. A “History Lives Here” historical marker was dedicated at Baldwin Lake at the Los Angeles County Arboretum last Thursday. The marker was donated by Arcadia Historical Society.
Forest bathing is the latest thing to do at the Arboretum in Arcadia. It is a new program for people to immerse themselves among trees and leave the mind, body and soul at ease.
Why are fewer migratory birds visiting Arcadia’s Baldwin Lake at the Arboretum? The lake could see great benefit from Proposition 3 and Measure W. Audobon Society birders say there used to be approximately 330 species of migratory birds landing each winter at Baldwin Lake. In recent years that number has dwindled to about 200 species, such that the lake, which is in dire need of dredging and major ecological rehabilitation, is the focus of much debate. The lake has a low algae problem in the winter, not enough oxygen, and lots of sediment. The silt and organic matter has contributed to the shallow levels.
Summer temperatures in Southern California have been lower than usual. The average temperature in July was 79 degrees, which was 5 degrees below normal. Jill Morganelli, horticulture curator at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden says she is enjoying the lower than normal temperatures and is more productive because of them. She discusses how colder night temperatures have affected plants.
TV's Mario Lopez to host Lucky Baldwin Poker Tournament on June 10. It is a fundraiser to preserve the 1880s architecture of Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin's home at the site of Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
Los Angeles County Arboretum. $8 million cleanup and restoration of Baldwin Lake sought. Flood control district assigns funding; expense to go before supervisors in July. Baldwin Lake is severely polluted centerpiece of the county Arboretum, visited by 400,000 people annually. The 144-year-old lake, dug out by 19th century real estate pioneer Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin on his estate, has been dying a slow death because of the accumulation of street runoff laced with heavy metals, automobile brake fragments and other chemicals that create algae blooms and strong odors. Supervisor Kathryn Barger is championing the project.
Debbie Turner, former Arcadia resident and child star, who played Marta in the 1965 film "The Sound of Music," along with 2 of her 7 Sound of Music siblings, Angela Cartwright (Brigitta) and Kym Karath (Gretl), will greet attendees atTaste of Arcadia, on September 24 at Los Angeles County Arboretum.
Pasadena Symphony Association and its Pasadena Pops Orchestra, will take over the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden's 2012 summer concerts, which had featured the California Philharmonic Orchestra and its music director Victor Vener for 14 years.
Martial arts champion, Hollywood actress, and stunt woman, Jing Li, is a martial arts instructor at Washu Action Star Academy in Temple City. She will be a guest at the Arcadia Branch of the American Association of University Women on Monday, November 12. She will present a program about Washu, an exhibition, and full contact sport, and view the documentary film "Autumn Gem," in which Jing Li has a starring role. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 12, November 1, 2012.
Breeders' Cup Classic's controversy was an extremely hot topic. The three-member panel of Scott Chaney, Tom Ward, and Kim Sawyer looked at the start of Saturday's $5 million race immediately afterward, saw eventual winner Bayern veer in sharply at the start, severely impeding Shared Belief and Moreno, and determined the incident did not warrant a disqualification.