On Monday, March 27th, clean-up crews set out to clear an abandoned homeless encampment located ~80 yards up the east trailhead of the Altadena Crest Trail in Eaton Canyon. The encampment belonged to a homeless person found dead of hypothermia in a ditch about 20 yards below the Pinecrest Gate a month prior. No personal items aside from an iPhone were found during the clean-up.

The trash found there included copious amounts of plastic, electronic waste, half-buried bedding, cans of butane, batteries, lighters, and broken bicycles. In all, twenty 50-gallon bags were filled totaling over 1,000 lbs. of municipal waste. Much of the small canyon that the encampment was located in experienced mud flows when heavy rains fell, and some trash may still be buried under the mud. Clean-up crews will return to the location periodically to check for any trash that resurfaces. To the park staff’s knowledge, this is the only encampment in the upper half of the wash. 

In October 1993 during a northerly Santa Ana wind event, a campfire started by a transient along the Mount Wilson Toll Road spread to nearby brush, setting it on fire. While fire officials were busy with several other fires burning throughout Southern California, the fire descended the San Gabriel Mountains and ultimately burned over 100 homes lining the canyon. Homelessness is a continuing issue within the canyon, with over a dozen abandoned encampments having been cleared so far this decade. The county is aware of three other encampments located near the Nature Center that are also abandoned. 

Before photograph by Mitch Marich, after photograph by Edgar McGregor 

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Common name (Binominal nomenclature)	Known variously in Mexico
California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)	Alforfon, Flor de borrego
Cochineal (Dactylopius)	Cochinilla, Cochinilla grana
California Quail (Callipepla californica)	Cordoniz, Codorniz Californiana, Codorniz de California
Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)	Encino de la costa, Encino de California, Encino verde
California Dodder (Cuscuta californica)	Grenas, Fideo, Cabellos de ángel
Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon crassifolium)	Hierba santa, Hierba santa de hoja gruesa
Mule Fat (Baccharis salcifolia)	Huatamote, Jarrillas, Azumiate, Chilca, Batamote
Laurel Sumac (Malosma laurina)	Lentisco
Shortpod Mustard (Hirschfeldia incana)	Mostazilla, Rabaniza amarilla
Poison Oak (Toxiodendron diversolobum)	Roble venemoso del Pacifico
Sugarbush (Rhus ovata)	Saladitos, Arbusto de azúcar
Black Sage (Salvia melifera)	Salvia de miel
White Sage (Salvia apiana)	Salvia real, Salvia blanca
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)	Tollon
Chaparral Yucca (Hesperroyucca whipplei)	Yuca de chaparral
Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)	Sicomoro, Aliso
Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia)	Nopal, Cactus de higo, Xoconostles

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After a hike have you ever noticed seeds or burrs clinging to your socks, your clothes or to the laces of your trail shoes? Or, have you brought along a bouquet of flowers to add spot color to a romantic Eaton Canyon photo shoot? If so, odds are you have unintentionally become a plant dispersal agent.

As a natural area that also includes some of the most popular hiking trails in Southern California, Eaton Canyon can be a haven for non-native invasive plants that visitors intentionally or unwittingly scatter. Some of these species include Castor Bean, Shortpod Mustard, Fountain Grass, Giant Reed, White Horehound, Spanish Broom, Dwarf Nettle and Milk Thistle. None of these belong in the canyon and were most likely introduced by wind, critters or people.

In particular, invasive grasses contribute to the risk of wildfires during the summer and fall months, and can make fires more intense when they occur.

Here are five easy methods to reduce the number of invasive plants found along the canyon’s hiking trails:

• Arrive with clean gear. Thoroughly wash off shoes, launder clothing and brush out all day packs and other recreational equipment like picnic baskets and coolers prior to arrival;
• Choose trail clothing carefully. Pants with cuffs or open pockets provide opportunities for seed disbursement in Eaton Canyon and elsewhere. Also, exposed shoelaces, socks and Velcro closures can all snag ride-along seeds. Be sure to examine these items with special care before and after hikes. Remember to check your car’s floor mats and cargo area for loose seeds, too;
• Avoid bringing outside flowers or flowering plants into the canyon. And never take flowers or plants from Eaton Canyon home with you;
• Stick to established trails to avoid dispersing invasive plants into lightly visited areas; and
• Report invasive plants using your smartphone. A list of reporting apps for both Android and IOS phones is available at www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/type/smartphone-applications.

Cover: Non-native and invasive Smilo Grass (Stipa milliacea)
Photos: © Mickey Long

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