A Bit of History on South Pas Nature Park

I have heard some South Pasadeneans express surprise when they learn that we have our very own little piece of habitat in a special park right here in South Pasadena. Officially titled the Arroyo Seco-South Pasadena Woodland and Wildlife Park, the is a special place.

A Very Brief History

The three-acre site east of the York Boulevard Bridge on Pasadena Avenue was slated for sale and development back in the mid-1990s. Through citizen activism the land was preserved as open space with the emphasis on creating good habitat for birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including people.

This followed a tradition in South Pasadena of preservation along the Arroyo Seco that began in 1912 with a movement by the Women's Improvement Association to have the city purchase land along the Arroyo Seco for parkland, accourding to South Pasadena, 1888-1988: A Centennial History by Jane Apostol.

It was not until 1922 that voters passed a $100,000 Arroyo Seco bond for the purpose of purchasing 100 acres in the Arroyo Seco for parkland. The land purchased became the Arroyo Seco Park (73.9 acres) that includes athletic fields, a golf course, tennis and racquet ball facilities, stables and an equestrian/hiking trail. The southwestern tip of the land is the three-acre Nature Park, dedicated to wildlife and nature.

When the City agreed in the late 1990s to preserve this small piece of land, citizens followed up with a letter-writing campaign to then-Senator Adam Schiff, resulting in a $250,000 appropriation for the development of the park. In October 2004, the Arroyo Seco-South Pasadena Woodland and Wildlife Park was officially opened.

Today and Into the Future

Today many people stroll, walk their dogs, and ride horses in the park. Ever month, a group of volunteers, Friends of the Nature Park, gathers to remove weeds and litter. It has been a long and slow healing process for this small park, located on the extreme boarder of the City, but we are beginning to see the spread of local native plants and the control of non-native invasives. Click here for details on how to partake in the next clean-up event. 

Future prospects include the continuation of a trail along the Arroyo Seco on the western side of the golf course, improving connectivity with the Lower Arroyo Seco Park in Pasadena. This is being discussed as part of the National Park Service San Gabriel Watershed and Mountains Special Resource Study.

An article on the park's recent history can be found in Fremontia, the California Native Plant Society Journal, Native by Design: Community Involvement in the Creation and Stewardship of a Nature Park.

Getting Involved

If you are interested in participating in Nature Park activities, please contact, Barbara Eisenstein, Friends of the Nature Park. There is going to be a in the Nature Park from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. Come down for the whole day, part of the day, or just stop by to say hello and see what we are up to.