Chatsworth Trails Park 2010

This year, Chatsworth Hills Academy School once again volunteered two days of community service to help clear weeds and clean up trash in Chatsworth Trails Park. Due to our past years’ efforts, the park meadow contained very little mustard and more native plants sprung up than ever before.

Our next proposed collaboration with Chatsworth Hills Academy School is a mural project on a large retaining wall that has been repeatedly tagged with graffiti. The wall is quite visible from the 118 freeway between De Soto and Topanga Canyon, and when tagged, stands as a real blight on the community. The property owner has made repeated efforts to keep it cleaned up, and has wholeheartedly given Save Chatsworth permission to pursue the idea of a mural. Chatsworth Hills Academy School plans to make the mural a year-long project for the 2010-2011 school year. The mural will depict familiar scenes and elements of the Chatsworth community. Save Chatsworth will embark on a fund-raising effort this summer to finance the painting of the mural.

In 2009. . .

Save Chatsworth repaired all the damage in the park caused by the Sesnon Fire of October 2008, thanks to generous contributions from the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works, Office of Community Beautification, Los Angeles City Councilmember Greig Smith's Office, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's Office, and the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council.

On Wednesday, March 18, a group of middle school students from Chatsworth Hills Academy School gathered to help us clear charred tree limbs from the park entrance.

2008 - Phase III of the Restoration Project

Our grant project for 2008, the installation of two informational kiosks at the park entrance featuring seven rotating display boards, has been completed!

Please click here for a photo slideshow.


For the third year in a row, Save Chatsworth, Inc. was awarded a matching grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works, Office of Community Beautification. This matching grant was utilized to fund the third phase of our Chatsworth Trails Park Restoration Project - the installation of informational kiosks with rotating displays about the trails, plant life, and wildlife in the park, as well as the history of the surrounding areas and a documentation of our restoration work.

We matched our 2007-2008 grant largely with our participation in the Mayor's Day of Service for the West Valley - "Big Sunday" - held on May 3, 2008. We had over 75 volunteers at the park that worked to clear weeds and trim brush, and pick up trash.

We have now finished the planned phases of our restoration project in Chatsworth Trails Park, spread out over three years. Our maintenance work continues, as we continue to water the trees and plants that we have installed, keep trash at a minimum, and clear out invasive plant species.

October 13, 2008 – Damage from the Sesnon Fire

2007 - Phase II Progress

THE WORK IN CHATSWORTH TRAILS PARK CONTINUES FOR 2007 . . .

On May 3, 2007, Chatsworth Hills Academy School volunteered in Chatsworth Trails Park, bringing out about 200 students, parents and teachers for a reprise of the “Our Own Backyard” event they conducted in 2006. 

Once again, students cleared weeds, spread mulch and removed trash, making a huge difference in just about three hours of time!  Thanks to everyone at Chatsworth Hills Academy – we appreciate your on-going support of our project!

To view more great photos of our May 3 workday,
please click here for a slideshow presentation!

Spring 2007 Newsletter

Download form to volunteer for watering trees in the park, click here.

CHATSWORTH TRAILS PARK DEDICATION

On December 11, 2006, Save Chatsworth, Inc. hosted the official dedication for Chatsworth Trails Park.  As well as our honorary guest, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who presented scrolls commending various community organizations, schools and individuals for their service, in attendance were State Assembly Member Lloyd Levine, Paul Edelman and Rorie Skei from the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, Millie Jones from the County Supervisor’s office, Virginia Watson, founder of the Chatsworth Historical Society and curator of the Chatsworth Museum, Betty Sommers, curator of the Homestead Acre Grounds and Hill-Palmer Cottage, Hans Giraud, Presidio Chatsworth, LLC, Linda Johnson from State Senator George Runner’s office, John Bwarie from Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith’s office, and Michael Espinosa and Rosa Benavides from the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works, Office of Community Beautification.

This dedication ceremony marked the end of our first year of work in Chatsworth Trails Park, work funded by a grant from the City of Los Angeles.  We are proud of all the improvements to natural park and sincerely thank all of those who have helped us in our efforts.  We hope to continue with more improvements this year, so please check back for upcoming events!

The following groups or individuals were presented scrolls on December 11, in recognition for their contributions:

Save Chatsworth, Inc.
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy           
Presidio Chatsworth, LLC 
The City of Los Angeles, 12th District Council Office, Councilman Greig Smith           
The Chatsworth Neighborhood Council           
The Santa Susana Mountain Park Association                       
Chatsworth Hills Academy School           
Sierra Canyon School           
JDK Railroad Materials, LLC
L.A. Native Design, Madena Asbell                       
Matilija Nursery, Bob Sussman
Chaminade College Preparatory School
Larry McCoy, Light Equipment Operator, City of Los Angeles
Dr. Jeffrey Burkhart, Fletcher Jones Professor of Biology, University of La Verne
Twin Lakes Property Owners Association
Kathleen and Ernest Misko
Bob Oliver, Light Equipment Operator, City of Los Angeles

Over the past year, Save Chatsworth, Inc. has:

Filled 5 dumpster loads of trash
Filled 5 20-foot green waste roll-off bins
Cleaned out abandoned homeless campsites
Cleared non-native weeds and brush
Removed graffiti from rocks, removed a large and very active bee’s nest
Repaired portions of the trail, removed concrete dumping
Purchased a water tank and trailer
Planted oak trees, native shrubs and wildflowers
Installed additional fencing and installed a brand new sign for the park

Please scroll down for more park dedication photos, photo highlights from our first year of work, and detail as to the history of this park!

2006 in Review

Chatsworth Hills Academy - December 4th, 2006

Sierra Canyon School - November 16, 2006

Chatsworth Hills Academy - October 6, 2006

CTP Community Work Days

CTP Walkthrough - February 26, 2006

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Save Chatsworth's grant funding for the Chatsworth Trails Park Restoration Project, Phase I, has been used to restore and revitalize the 13-Acre Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Park at Canoga and the 118 Freeway, commonly known as “Horner Park”.

Save Chatsworth’s vision for this natural park area, which is widely used by equestrians and hikers, includes the removal of invasive, non-native plants, tree trimming and brush clearance, trash clean-up, graffiti removal, the planting of new native plants and trees, and the establishment of a central rest area on the flat mesa, including rocks for seating, trash receptacles and hitching posts, and also informative and educational signage about the wildlife and birds that frequent the park. Our goal is to accomplish these improvements in several stages.

This first year’s phase involved trash clean up, brush clearance and trimming and non-native plant and weed removal, fencing and tree planting.  Our second phase will include additional fencing and other enhancements.  The third phase plans will incorporate the educational enhancements.

Many community organizations have given us letters of endorsement, pledged funding to match our grant request, and volunteered labor, including the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council, the Santa Susana Mountain Park Association, Twin Lakes Property Owners Association, the Chatsworth Historical Society, and the Chatsworth Coordinating Council. We are very grateful for that support!

If you would like to get involved in this project, and would like more information, please e-mail Vanessa Watters at info@savechatsworth.org.

Preliminary Restoration Plans

Brush Clearance in Medow	Chatsworth Trails Park map	Central Flat Mesa	Main Trails Entrance
Typical Rock Formation	Brush Clearance	Graffiti Removal	Flat Mesa Conceptual
Entrance at Canoga and 118	Information Kiosk Conceptual	Entrance Conceptual