On Saturday, January 13, 2024, 29 participants set out with bags, clippers, and loppers to clear significant overgrowth along the little-known Meadow Trail within Eaton Canyon Natural Area. Among them was the We Explore Earth group, a non-profit organization that seeks to “build stewards through nature experiences.” The Meadow Trail is a small nature trail that parallels the main trail. It begins near the last set of trash cans across the wash and ends only 0.16 miles later under an oak tree beside the main trail. The trail traverses an oak woodland known to support many different species of plants, animals, mosses, lichens, and fungi.
The Meadow Trail’s origins can be traced to the 1940s when the California Institute of Technology used it as a dirt road during its weapons manufacturing era of World War II. It is unknown exactly how the road was used, but it is known that the U.S. military tested weapons in Eaton Canyon during this time. More on Eaton Canyon’s involvement during World War II can be read here.
In addition to clearing the trail for human access, the crew also removed enormous amounts of the invasive Castor Bean plant growing in the area.
