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.

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.

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.

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.

On Saturday, April 20th, 2024, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center hosted it’s 2024 Earth Day event with multiple conservation events, nature-themed booths, and games for kids. Over 500 visitors had the chance to make arts and crafts, learn about the native plants and animals in Eaton Canyon, and give back to the canyon itself.

Eleven volunteers and three staff members helped sort all of the recycling Eaton Canyon had been building up since last Christmas. Over twenty 75-gallon bags of either plastic, aluminum, or glass were filled and made ready to take to the local recycling center. Once turned in for cash, the Nature Center uses the money to purchase food and supplies for the animal ambassadors on site.

While these volunteers sorted recycling, the WeExploreEarth hiking group conducted a trash pickup along the main trail from the Nature Center all the way to the Eaton Canyon Falls within the Angeles National Forest. Volunteers said the entire trail was fairly clean, but the waterfall itself within the National Forest boundary had quite a bit of trash. Once finished with the recycling, some volunteers continued to give back to the canyon by helping to clear invasive plant species from the service road along the lower Eaton Wash.

At approximately 11:30am, the park had to be shut down after multiple cars began parking on a steep slope in the overflow lot that contained tall grasses. This action is highly dangerous as the exhaust pipe of vehicles can reach 2,800°F and ignite the grasses underneath. Vehicles driving or parking over dry grasses is a common way wildfires start in California. Fuel loads statewide are at record highs after 2 straight years of wetter than average conditions. All gates were closed for about an hour to allow the parking lots to empty out. This is the third time Eaton Canyon has had to be shut down in 2024 due to excessive visitation.