1:08 PM, May 15th update: Following repairs, the gift store has reopened.
Last week, volunteers working at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center had a rude awakening when they discovered water pooling on the gift shop’s floor. A water leak in the walls of the nature center had soaked through onto the carpet and was threatening to damage merchandise. Quick acting by both county staff and official volunteers prevented any merchandise from being damaged. However, the gift shop will remain closed for the time being until repairs are made.
Earlier this year, the gift shop got an upgrade with a brand new countertop, new merchandise, and an improved set-up. The new countertop has not been damaged by the water leak.
In recent weeks, the California Conservation Corp has been working tirelessly to remove and replace a significant majority of Eaton Canyon’s signs between the Nature Center and the Chuck Ballard Memorial Bridge. The project has already successfully removed random blocks of concrete, sun-bleached signs that were beyond cleaning, and the set of signs by Walnut Canyon that had been an eye-sore for several years. The goal of the project was to help park visitors be better aware of the rules, learn more about the science of the natural area, and learn the proper route to Eaton Canyon Falls. Unfortunately, vandals have already hit the new signs with graffiti before the project can even be completed.
A new sign getting cleaned of graffiti
Included in the signage project is a set of new mile marker signs designed to help visitors know their location in the event of an emergency. Each sign has a specific number on them to communicate to authorities where you are. One of these signs placed within Coyote Canyon’s wash had already been pulled out of the ground by vandals.
Eaton Canyon, like many of Southern California’s hiking trails, has had problems with graffiti for years. It costs upwards of $100 per month to keep the the graffiti at bay, and this figure does not include official National Forest Service volunteers cleaning graffiti between the Chuck Ballard Memorial Bridge and the waterfall. With all the new signage in the park, it is likely the monthly cost of graffiti abatement will rise. In early February, a single vandal caused $200 worth of damage to the Eaton Canyon Natural Area. An article on the story was written here.
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument has been expanded by 105,919 acres, including 86% of the land area in Eaton Canyon. This declaration comes 10 years after President Obama designated much of the northern and eastern San Gabriel Mountains as a National Monument. The designation gives the area additional protections from extractive businesses that the Forest Service would otherwise have more difficulty refusing such as mining, logging, and commercial development. Although the immedient Eaton Canyon area was not facing any of these issues at the moment, the designation prevents those issues from arising in the distant future.
This designation does not impact the County of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation area or Pasadena Water and Power section of Eaton Canyon.
A map by the Forest Service showing the current National Monument boundary with the 2024 expansion highlighted in green.
The plan, as claimed by the White House, was a move to help further protect lands most accessible to low-income communities in Southern California. As outlined in this prior MyEatonCanyon.com article, Eaton Canyon is one of the most accessible waterfall hiking trails to millions of Angelinos.
Despite this being a step in the right direction, many issues the Angeles National Forest face are not directly being addressed in the National Monument expansion. The East Fork of the San Gabriel River is still one of the most polluted natural riverbeds located within a National Monument in the United States with obscene levels of litter plaguing the area. The Los Angeles Times has written extensively about the issue here.
An old water mining bunker in Eaton Canyon, now part of the National Monument, gets frequently trashed by visitors
The National Monument expansion designation, at least for the moment, does not result in any additional funding for a National Forest that sees higher vistation than either Yosemite or Yellowstone. Millions of Angelinos visit the Angeles National Forest every year, and the high visitation has taken a toll on the natural wilderness. Invasive plant species, climate change, explosive wildfires, litter, and graffiti all negatively impact the forest. It takes jobs and physical labor to protect natural lands, not just designations.
Nearly all of upper Eaton Canyon, as defined as the drainage basin for the mouth of the canyon, has been added to the National Monument.
