Puente Hills Preserve News, June 2025 | | |
Join Us - Fireworks Static Patrol
We are accepting volunteers to help keep the hills safe from fireworks this July 4th. Volunteers’ eyes and ears can help to alert emergency responders if there is a fire, and to discourage late night entrance into the hills.
This is very important and helps the regional multi-agency effort to keep the hills safe from fires. If you are interested in helping out – join us:
What: Safety pre-meeting, and location assignment for July 4th
Where: Sycamore Canyon barn, 5040 Workman Mill Road, Whittier
When: 3 pm on Sunday, June 29
Static patrol: July 4th, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. (assignment details provided on June 29)
*You and your family/friends can sign up here: I WANT TO HELP
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The Habitat Authority takes wildfire safety very seriously and is committed to conducting annual defensible space vegetation clearance. Our contractors have recently completed approximately 135 acres of clearance along the urban wildland interface and along emergency access routes throughout the Preserve. This year’s spring/early summer clearance was made possible thanks to state funding secured by Assemblymember Calderon and Senator Archuleta.
Other fire safety measures we have we have implemented include:
- Developed emergency access maps in collaboration with Los Angeles County Fire Department.
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Conducted 321 acres of habitat restoration to eliminate flashy/fine fuels, replacing them with native vegetation that retains higher-moisture content.
- Contracted with rangers and park workers from the Mountanis Recreation and Conservation Authority who are trained wildland fire fighters:
- Maintain a local 24-hour response presence. The public can contact dispatch at (562) 698-1446.
- Patrol using Type 6 fire engines.
- Rangers reside within the Preserve for faster emergency response times.
- Routinely search off trail areas for any homeless or illegal activity.
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Monitor local weather for extreme fire predictions and adjust patrol accordingly.
- An air-operated, open-top heli-tank is located on the Preserve for regional emergency use.
- Take extra precautions during red flag (extreme fire hazard) days.
- Currently embarking on additional planning activities for wildfire preparation.
- And more ongoing efforts to enhance fire safety across the Preserve.
To learn more about what we do to keep you and the Preserve safe, and for fire safety resources, please visit our website page Wildfire Preparedness.
| | That's a Wrap! Wildfire Grants Completed | | |
This spring we completed two multi-year wildfire safety grants. We are very thankful to the granting agencies for investing in our communities for wildfire safety. See below for the highlights:
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Three-year $275,600 grant from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. The grant focused on extra vegetation clearance along the urban-wildland interface and along emergency access routes above and beyond annual efforts, habitat enhancement of Hellman Park’s Peppergrass Trail, and two years of goat grazing in La Habra Heights. For details, please visit our social post: RMC Grant Completion.
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Three- and one-half year $615,000+ grant from CalFire for vegetation clearing along the urban-wildland interface and along emergency access routes, dead/hazardous tree removals, and two years of goat grazing in Turnbull Canyon. For details, please visit our social post: CalFire Grant Completion.
Stay tuned for future updates on our upcoming wildfire preparedness projects!
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On June 23rd, the Habitat Authority Board of Directors adopted a resolution affirming June as Pride month. It aims to make clear that its policies support building an outdoor space where everyone feels welcome and can enjoy the trails, including members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community. The trails of the beautiful Puente Hills Preserve are open to all, offering a safe respite from urban life, a place to connect with nature, enjoy recreation, create memories and strengthen social bonds. The full resolution can be found at this link:
Resolution Declaring June as Pride Month.
| | Restoration Success in Powder Canyon! | | |
After nearly a decade of planning, planting, weeding, and care, two restoration projects totaling 75 acres of native habitat in beautiful Powder Canyon are officially completed! The process involved careful site selection guided by the agency’s Resource Management Plan; development of project-specific Habitat Restoration Plans detailing the restoration process, quantifiable project success objectives, and identifying the plant palettes; followed by removal of all non-native materials. The sites, which had previously been comprised of flammable non-native weeds and grasses, were slowly restored back to their pre-disturbance habitats of Coastal Sage Scrub, oak woodland, and walnut woodland which have higher moisture content, are drought tolerant, and will support a plethora of wildlife. This was achieved via planting and seeding the site with seeds that had been collected from the Preserve. After years of rigorous maintenance, data collection, and annual reports, the projects passed final evaluations by regulatory agencies who confirmed all project goals had been met in early 2025. Next up? Long-term care to keep these spaces wild and beautiful for years to come. This work was completely funded by outside sources. We wish to convey a huge thank-you to our partners and team who made this possible!
See our social post about one of these fantastic projects: Restoration Completion.
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Plant spotlight: Blue elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea)
| The Blue Elderberry stands out not only for its beauty and resilience, but also for the vital role it plays in supporting wildlife during the lean summer months, when other natural food sources are scarce. In spring, this California native is a magnet for pollinators, thanks to its large clusters of creamy white flowers that draw in bees and butterflies. By summer, it produces abundant blue berries (pictured) that feed a variety of birds and animals. Though the berries start out black they develop a waxy white bloom when fully mature, making the fruit appear blue (hence the name!). While wildlife love them, raw berries are poisonous to humans. | | | | |
On behalf of our feathered neighbors, here’s a friendly reminder: nesting bird season is still going strong through the end of August. During this time birds may continue to build nests and raise young. If you are planning and tree trimming or landscape maintenance, please keep this sensitive season in mind to help protect nesting birds.
Spot a young hawk or owl on the ground?
You may be witnessing its first attempts at flight! Before stepping in, check out our social media post for helpful tips on what to do in these situations. Your care and awareness make a big difference—thank you for helping protect local wildlife!
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