Environmental activists gathered at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration to demand an investigation into the county's destruction last week of oak woodland in Arcadia. Shown in photo are activists Camron Stone, John Quigley, Andrea Bowers and Julie Posin.
Environmental activists are calling for an independent investigation into a Los Angeles County flood control project--6 days after they failed to stop bulldozers from clearing 11.1 acres of native oak woodland for a dam sediment dump in Arcadia. The group calling for the probe includes Glen Owens, Camron Stone, and "tree-sitters" John Quigley, Andrea Bowers and Julia Posin. Los Angeles County supervisor Michael Antonovich's deputy Tony Bell said the three-year county public works planning process for the sediment project was completely open and the facts were available to the public.
Los Angeles County supervisor Mike Antonovich plans to set aside $650,000 of county funds to re-seed the oak woodland habitat in Arcadia that was demolished last week for flood control purposes, after mud and debris dredged from the Santa Anita Dam has been spread at the site. Bob Spencer, spokesman for Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, said there is much more debris poised to come down the hills and "We need to find a solution." Other county wilderness areas face destruction to make way for sediment. Officials are already considering the relocation of sediment from Devil's Gate Dam, which could end up on a 40-acre mature black willow woodland in the Hahamongna Watershed Park. Environmental activists won't let that happen without a fight.