Growing up in Gardena, California, an incorporated city in Los Angeles County south of downtown, we would refer to this "wildlife" area around Artesia Boulevard as the "swamps." Older siblings of my peers would romantically recall the "swamp wars" of days past when rowdy teenagers would participate in minor gang wars in this urban wilderness.
Photographs in this video were taken on Sunday, October 14, 2018 while on a tour hosted by the Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc. The skies were overcast that day, allowing for soft lighting without harsh shadows or blinding sunshine.
Wikipedia describes the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve as:
"The Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve occupies 13.6 acres (55,000 m2) of land owned by the City of Gardena, in Los Angeles County, California. The preserve is the last intact remnant of the former Dominguez Slough, an important vernal marsh and riparian forest with riparian zones that once covered as much as 400 acres (1,600,000 m2) of this area, known as the South Bay region. The preserve has 9.4 acres (38,000 m2) of wetland and 4.2 acres (17,000 m2) of upland. The wetlands have a natural depression where water remains for such a significant time that plants and animals not adapted to water and saturated soils cannot survive. The upland, which remains dry outside of the rainy season, supports plants which thrive with these drier conditions. The slough is a part of the Dominguez Watershed, 96% of which is now covered with concrete and man-made structures. Located on the traditional lands of the Tongva, it is believed that these indigenous people were able to commute by canoe around much of the area. Tongva villages were located throughout much of what is now Los Angeles and Orange Counties as well as three southern Channel Islands (San Nicolas, San Clemente, Santa Catalina) as distant as 60 miles (97 km) from the coast of Los Angeles County.
The upland area which surrounds the wetland includes the Perimeter Trail, about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) long, from which the public can view the upland, wetlands and wildlife. From the Trail, the public can access the Overlook Deck and ZigZag Bridge, both of which afford closer views, without disturbing wildlife. This basic infrastructure was built around 2001.
From then until 2006, occasional volunteer work days were organized at the preserve. Dedicated management of the preserve began in 2007 with the formation of the non-profit corporation, Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc., a 501(c)(3) California tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. The preserve has no fixed revenue stream and no staff members. The preserve is closed to the public except for monthly events. The Board sponsors a variety of activities to attract both children and adults into the preserve.
When open, the public are welcome to walk through the Preserve or take one of the themed self-guided tours. All of these regularly scheduled events are offered free of charge, though donations are welcome. They are held with the stated goal of educating the public on the importance of the Preserve, how it fits into the larger environmental picture and how each person can contribute to the viability and health of this wetland preserve, a vestige of a once-great watershed."
Please consider becoming a member of the Friends of Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve, Inc. and/or volunteering to help this wetland preserve.
For further info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardena_Willows_Wetland_Preserve
https://www.gardenawillows.org/
Photographs and slideshow editing by Brian Aldrich
(Gardena High School Class of 1973)
.jpg)
.png.jpg)
.jpg)
.png.jpg)
.jpg)
.png.jpg)
.png.jpg)
.png.jpg)
.png.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.webp)
.jpg)
.jpg)
