Francis Ching, 60, a native Hawaiian, is retiring after 20 years as supervisor of the Los Angeles County Dept. of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens, which includes the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia.
The south lake of the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum has dropped from three acres in surface area to about two acres. In 1958, the center depth was nine feet. Now it is two feet.