Friends of Moon Canyon

Peter McNulty, engineer and history enthusiast put together a history of Mt. Washington for a presentation hosted by Friends of Moon Canyon. Below is a summary. Read more about that night here .       The earliest humans to live in this region are believed to be the Tongva, who trace their history back at least 7,000 years. There were approximately 5,000 people living in the Los Angeles area when the Spanish soldiers and missionaries arrived in 1769. They subjugated the local Tongva population.      Spain claimed all of California as part of its empire in 1542, but didn’t establish a permanent presence in Southern California until 1771 when they built the Catholic Mission San Gabriel a few kilometers east of here. The City of Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by a group of 44 people of indigenous, European, and African heritage traveling north from Mexico. It was located near the L.A. River at the site of the Tongva village of Yaanga. Remnants of this c...

Last week Friends of Moon Canyon hosted not one but two events!  On Thursday, around 25 people gathered in Michele's beautiful home to learn about the history of Mt. Washington. Guests filed in, sharing warm introductions and enjoying a beautiful spread of cold drinks and charcuterie graciously procured by Michele. The night would have been perfect with the beautiful view of the sunset and wonderful feeling of getting to know your neighbors, but this evening's events were just getting started! This large group of neighbors crowded into the TV room, some on chairs and couches, some on the floor and one on an exercise bike. All had their attention on the guest speaker. Peter McNulty, engineer by day and historian by night, shared an in-depth and eloquent history of Mt. Washington. McNulty told his historical account starting millions of years ago, before Mt. Washington was even above water. He expertly transported us to the period when only Native Americans lived in Mt. Washingto...

What a day. Volunteers of all ages turned out to get dozens of new natives into the ground — digging holes, hauling buckets of mulch, running hose lines up and down the hillside, and staking out tree guards as the light went gold over the canyon. It was also Jessie Lucey's birthday, and there was no better way to celebrate than surrounded by the community she's helped build out here. Happy birthday, Jessie! Thank you to everyone who showed up with shovels, gloves, and good energy. The hillside is looking greener already.

Art by Brianna Amore. Join us Friday, September 11, 8PM in Moon Canyon for the annual Planting Party. There’ll be free tacos and aguas frescas, live DJ sets from Selektra & Kiya K, and plenty of planting to do — bring gloves, and we’ll provide the tools. All are welcome — neighbors, families, first-timers. Hope to see you in the canyon.

Join us on Sept. 10th at 7:30PM at 4093 San Rafael Ave to celebrate the history of Mt. Washington. Presented by Don Gaspard, Peter McNulty, and Friends of Moon Canyon.

You may have spotted this plant on a recent walk: it's Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), one of the most aggressive invasive trees in California. You can usually tell it apart from our native trees by its long compound leaves, each with a dozen or more smooth-edged leaflets, and by the strong, unpleasant smell the crushed leaves give off (some people compare it to rancid peanut butter).