Verdugo Wash

Historically, runoff water from rain, snow and several springs in the Los Angeles River watershed [link] made its way to the riverbed just north of the Verdugo Mountains. From time to time it carried tremendous amounts of water to the Los Angeles River. The County of Los Angeles concretized this wash in the 1930s to mitigate extreme flooding in the Crescenta Valley. A consequence was loss of critical riparian habitat and associated biodiversity.

AFC’s vision is for the Verdugo Wash to continue to safely harness storm waters, but also provide selective opportunities for its water to be used in service of nature, including wildlife passage out of neighborhoods and into the wild lands of the Verdugo Mountains, San Rafael Hills and even the San Gabriel Mountains.

The Verdugos, San Rafaels and Griffith Park have become isolated habitat islands. This is leading to inbreeding, loss of genetic diversity and potential extinction. Studies have found that some bird species isolated in areas of habitat go extinct. They also point to the extinction of mountain lion populations within 50 years, without intervention. The solution is a network of inviting wildlife corridors for animals and plants to move safely among fragmented areas of natural habitat and to and from the richly biodiverse San Gabriel Mountains. Then they can mix and mate with the wider population of their species, hunt and forage in larger landscapes, and their young can establish their own ranges.

The Verdugo Wash can act as the spine with ribs for passage from one side to the other. AFC’s Verdugo Wash Project places nature first in the planning hierarchy.