I have not been up to those San Gabriel mountains in several years, I grew up in the foothills in Ontario California and spent lots of time going camping, picnicking, fishing, and hiking in places like Mt Baldy, Big Bear, Arrowhead, a small little lake not sure if it was called Arrow Bear or that was the town but caught many rainbow trout there. I remember one place we found on the backside of Big Bear we camped at that was amazingly beautiful.
We moved to Ontario when I was in 6th grade way back in the late 60's. You can only imagine what the mountains looked like so beautifully green until winter when they became white from the winter snow, until one day when someone being careless started a fire that so fast got out of control.
I can't remember now how long it took for hundreds of foresters and many huge machines and water planes it took before you didn't see the reddish orange glow at night and the sky filled with smoke during the day but I remember having to keep not only the yard sprinklers on all day and night but we also had to keep our roofing wet as the were the wooden shake and living in the foothills the huge embers fell almost like rain for days, it was so bad that school was cancelled for days for I'm sure safety from both the hot embers but also the thick smoke that never seemed to lift
Because this fire burned so many of hundreds of acres down to the ground it was a high concern that come the winter rains before the heavy snows there could be landslides as the tree roots that once held the hillside together had been destroyed as not only did the trees burn but many roots too
So what was done to help hold the dirt somewhat back from sliding down the hillside the planted some sort of a grass.
I remember us kids on our block spent many days watching planes dropping the seed, something not many ever get to see, almost like watching the crop duster planes in my home town of El Centro California dust the thousands of acres of fruit and vegetable fields. The one difference with this grass planting from the air is they also came back with the water drop planes as the seed need water to get going if this grass planting was going to work
The grass planting did work however California should have taken note from Oregon. Grass couldn't replace the beauty of the beautiful pine trees which not only were beautiful but they made the air smell of that clean crisp fresh pine scent, provide shade not only for those having a picnic on a warm sunny day but to those new little seedlings just sprouting that need protection from the hot sun till the are a wee bit bigger, what about all the squirrels and birds and let's not forget about all those creepy crawly critters that all find food and a home in those trees.
It's not too late to plant trees and it would put people to work for sure, but it's one of those things that the people of California are going to have to fight to get it on some type of ballot and I'm not so sure they care or have the money, course I'm sure there is some sort of research fund they are funding like counting the hairs on a tarantulas legs, lol, that they could fund the planting with Maybe they can get the Sierra Club involved.
Oh, thank God I live now in Oregon and even though some get upset about not only clear-cutting in places they come back in and always replant anywhere they cut. Here about 12 years ago a hill not far from my house where I can see from my kitchen window they clear cut but it didn't take long before it was back all pretty and green, sure the trees aren't huge yet but it's still pretty.
So I wish good luck and hope one day someone will get people together and fight for keeping the whole range of Sierra Nevada mountains beautiful and planted with trees so children for thousands of years to come will be able to see, feel, breathe and learn about all the many things trees do for not only the many animals but humans and our world.
Thanks for sharing Denise! I used to live in Oregon too. I’ve been staying off Live for my own safety. The swatting is very dangerous. We have to take care of our natural environment.
💛 endangered Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs 🐸
BOOM! True story! 🐸💛
Hey where have you been? Haven't seen you for awhile.
I have not been up to those San Gabriel mountains in several years, I grew up in the foothills in Ontario California and spent lots of time going camping, picnicking, fishing, and hiking in places like Mt Baldy, Big Bear, Arrowhead, a small little lake not sure if it was called Arrow Bear or that was the town but caught many rainbow trout there. I remember one place we found on the backside of Big Bear we camped at that was amazingly beautiful.
We moved to Ontario when I was in 6th grade way back in the late 60's. You can only imagine what the mountains looked like so beautifully green until winter when they became white from the winter snow, until one day when someone being careless started a fire that so fast got out of control.
I can't remember now how long it took for hundreds of foresters and many huge machines and water planes it took before you didn't see the reddish orange glow at night and the sky filled with smoke during the day but I remember having to keep not only the yard sprinklers on all day and night but we also had to keep our roofing wet as the were the wooden shake and living in the foothills the huge embers fell almost like rain for days, it was so bad that school was cancelled for days for I'm sure safety from both the hot embers but also the thick smoke that never seemed to lift
Because this fire burned so many of hundreds of acres down to the ground it was a high concern that come the winter rains before the heavy snows there could be landslides as the tree roots that once held the hillside together had been destroyed as not only did the trees burn but many roots too
So what was done to help hold the dirt somewhat back from sliding down the hillside the planted some sort of a grass.
I remember us kids on our block spent many days watching planes dropping the seed, something not many ever get to see, almost like watching the crop duster planes in my home town of El Centro California dust the thousands of acres of fruit and vegetable fields. The one difference with this grass planting from the air is they also came back with the water drop planes as the seed need water to get going if this grass planting was going to work
The grass planting did work however California should have taken note from Oregon. Grass couldn't replace the beauty of the beautiful pine trees which not only were beautiful but they made the air smell of that clean crisp fresh pine scent, provide shade not only for those having a picnic on a warm sunny day but to those new little seedlings just sprouting that need protection from the hot sun till the are a wee bit bigger, what about all the squirrels and birds and let's not forget about all those creepy crawly critters that all find food and a home in those trees.
It's not too late to plant trees and it would put people to work for sure, but it's one of those things that the people of California are going to have to fight to get it on some type of ballot and I'm not so sure they care or have the money, course I'm sure there is some sort of research fund they are funding like counting the hairs on a tarantulas legs, lol, that they could fund the planting with Maybe they can get the Sierra Club involved.
Oh, thank God I live now in Oregon and even though some get upset about not only clear-cutting in places they come back in and always replant anywhere they cut. Here about 12 years ago a hill not far from my house where I can see from my kitchen window they clear cut but it didn't take long before it was back all pretty and green, sure the trees aren't huge yet but it's still pretty.
So I wish good luck and hope one day someone will get people together and fight for keeping the whole range of Sierra Nevada mountains beautiful and planted with trees so children for thousands of years to come will be able to see, feel, breathe and learn about all the many things trees do for not only the many animals but humans and our world.
Thanks for sharing Denise! I used to live in Oregon too. I’ve been staying off Live for my own safety. The swatting is very dangerous. We have to take care of our natural environment.
Solomon is the only one who gets swatted and I think he's calling his self