Welcome to the Crescenta Valley Group of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club. If you live in or near the communities of Sunland, Tujunga, Montrose, La Crescenta, or La Canada-Flintridge, and want to become more active with the Sierra Club, contact us or join us on an outing. New Members are always welcome!
We are looking for outing leaders too! If you are a Sierra Club leader and would like to lead outings with us, please contact outdoorsygal@sbcglobal.net. If you would like to become a leader, check https://www.sierraclub.org/angeles/leadership-outings/angeles-chapter-leadership-training-program for further details.
New to Sierra Club? Click here for the newcomer information events
The Crescenta Valley Group Oct- Dec 2025 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group July - Sept 2025 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group April - June Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Jan-Mar Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Oct-Dec Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group July-Aug Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group May-June Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group March-Apr. Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Jan-Feb, 2024 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Nov.-Dec 2023 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Aug-Sept 2023 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group June-July 2023 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Mar-Apr 2023 Newsletterr
The Crescenta Valley Group Jan-Feb 2023 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Nov-Dec 2022 Newletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Aug-Sept 2022 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group June-July 2022 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valleiy Group April-May 2022 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Feb.-March, 2022 Newsletter.
The Crescenta Valley Group Nov.-Dec., 2021 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Sept.-Oct., 2021 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group June-July, 2021 Newsletter
The Crescenta Valley Group Februrary, 2020 Newsletter
Crescenta Valley Group News
Remembering CV Member and Webmaster:
Chuck Gooley
Chuck Gooley will be fondly remembered for his unwavering dedication to the Sierra Club and the Crescenta Valley Group. As a longtime member and the group's Webmaster, Chuck played a pivotal role in keeping members connected and informed. His tireless efforts in maintaining the group’s online presence ensured that the mission of the Sierra Club reached a broader audience, fostering a vibrant community of environmental stewards. Chuck's legacy lives on through the countless lives he touched and the causes he championed with passion and commitment. Chuck was an invaluable member of our community. As the first caretaker of both the original and current SoCalWaterSierraClub.org websites, he exemplified dedication and innovation. Chuck’s work as Vice Chair of the Water Committee was nothing short of extraordinary, as he consistently went above and beyond, embracing challenges and volunteering for additional tasks with enthusiasm. Whether he was crafting customized maps, supporting presentations and graphics, or maintaining websites, Chuck brought not only expertise but also humility and passion to every project he touched. His legacy continues to inspire us all.
Other News:
Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy Land Manager & Community Liaison Tim Martinez will tell us about their stewardship of the land in our area and their efforts to preserve wildlife habitats (monarchs, bees & butterflies among others), create wildlife corridors, and protect natural areas from development through education and advocacy.
Formed in 2000, Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy works with urgency to identify, conserve, enhance and steward critical natural habitats and wildlife corridors of the San Rafael Hills, Verdugo Mountains and foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains between Tujunga Wash and Altadena, and to link them to the Santa Monica Mountains at Griffith Park. Our overarching goal is to restore biodiversity throughout our Los Angeles region.
O: Tree mulching / tree care
Date and Time:
Sun, Aug 3, 2025; 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM (Pacific)
Organized By: Crescenta Valley Group
Location: Howard Finn Park, 7747 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga, CA 91042, USA
Event Organizers:
Pat Kramer
pat@writerpatkramer.com
(818) 468-7278
I'm scheduling our next tree care event for Sunday, August 3rd at 7:30 a.m. behind CD7, 7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga. We will be taking buckets of mulch to the trees along Foothill Blvd. that need it.
Natalie and I are going to inventory the trees to see which ones, specifically, need the mulch. The mulch helps retain moisture and keeps the tree cooler during the excessive heat of summer. It also supports beneficial insects and helps us with watering. When there's enough mulch, you can build a berm (a circular 3" - 4" barrier) around the tree and it keeps the water inside that berm so it can slowly be absorbed.
Please email me if you can help out. I'm thinking we will only be doing this from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. but I hope we can get 30 - 50 trees mulched.
Virtual Program: Wildfire Resilience for your Property: June 10, 2025, 7:15 p.m.
Coming up on June 10, 2025, the Crescenta Valley Group of the Sierra Club will feature a talk on Wildfire Resilience for your home by Molly Ross of the Santa Mountain Mountains Conservancy Resource Conservation District. We will hear about home hardening and defensible space, and how you can take important (and often easy and low-cost) actions to protect your home. This is also a good opportunity to learn about the free wildfire resilience services that the RCDSMM provides to homeowners.
Joining Molly will be Rick Halsey (nature@californiachaparral.org) of the California Chaparral Institute. Rick brings deep expertise and a powerful voice to conversations around wildfire, resilience, and native ecosystems.
Topic: Crescenta Valley Group’s Zoom Meeting
Time: Jun 10, 2025 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81862923237?pwd=UK5tnbgqolsPbzwYR0V5yhScgtLsjl.1
Meeting ID: 818 6292 3237 / Passcode: 236118
We really hope you saw the presentation, but if you didn't, here is a replay:
Passcode: vcj5.Tg4
April 26, 2025
Come meet members of the Crescenta Valley Group and Verdugo Hills Group of the Sierra Club at the Earth Day Fair!
Check out some programs you missed:
Trees: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, a Program Brought to You by the Crescenta Valley Group of the Sierra Club
On May 7, 2025, the Crescenta Valley Group of the Sierra Club heard an informative presentation by Master Gardener Kevin Altar on: Trees; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly! Which was held at the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Boulevard, La Crescenta, CA.
Kevin talked about various pruning techniques that are recommended and also those to avoid. He shared Best Practices on short and long-time tree maintenance and most importantly, he told us why topping trees hurts then. Kevin is an ISA Certified Arborist with over 45 years of experience in the landscape industry. He told many credentials including: UC Master Gardener, California Native Plant and Wildlife Trained Arborist.
Click here to watch the program, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItRG0q6C268 which unfortunately, cut off a few minutes before the end of Kevin’s presentation – but still lots of good information!
On April 16, 2025, the Crescenta Valley Group of the Sierra Club featured Master Gardener Joleen O’Brien speaking about how to Set Up Your Summer Garden. The program took place at the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Boulevard, La Crescenta, CA. Joleen taught us essential summer garden techniques and everything you need to know to get your garden started. Focusing on organic methods, topics included: what can grow in the warm summer season, when to plant, soil preparation, companion planting, pollination, fertilizing, critter and pest control, and watering. We also learned tips for busy lives and small urban locations to enjoy the reward of growing your own food.
Joleen grew up on a Midwest farm, tending, harvesting and preserving their 1-acre garden through her childhood. She has lived in Southern California for 30 years. During these past decades she has grown edibles in a wide range of locations and growing zones in southern California – from a Hollywood apartment balcony, open space behind her Sherman Oaks apartment complex to a Pasadena backyard with her children. She’s lived in La Canada the past 13 years with her family, cats, dog and desert tortoise. She finds time to volunteer as a Master Gardener and tend her 10, raised vegetable garden beds (that her husband calls her ‘farm’) while working full-time.
On March 19,, 2025, the Crescenta Valley Group of the Sierra Club featured Charles Miller who is the Chair of the Los Angeles Climate Reality Project speaking about “Why Artificial Turf Is Not Sustainable Or Healthy To Have In Our Environment.” Charles Miller is the Chair of the Los Angeles Climate Reality Project and has over two decades in environmental advocacy. He is a LEED Green Associate as well as certified native plant and wildfire defense landscaper, and his training includes a sustainability education from UCLA. He created the advocacy and consulting organization, LA Native Plants, which promotes biodiversity through native landscaping. To watch it, please use this link and password. Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/fz55tU0oOBBciVDKHDyikF7r637rUYU6D_THpLpJFkSivkcdn7VZgN1dGFQzOkPp.m02It94mIgBI3taz and Passcode: 3^e#F.nK
Watch: “Will Redwoods Survive Climate Change?” on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 7 p.m. The Santa Cruz mountains are coast redwoods' stronghold at the southern end of their limited and diminishing range. Learn what scientists predict for their future in a time of climate change, and how innovative partners are ushering in a new era of conservation stewardship so redwoods might thrive and survive. Matthew Shaffer, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Sempervirens Fund will be giving this presentation. Sempervirens has been preserving redwood forests since 1900: sempervirens.org
On April 13th, the Crescenta Valley Group of the Sierra Club joined the Verdugo Hills Group to present a very insightful program called “Preventing Tragedy: Hiking Safety Tips That Every Hiker Should Know Before Setting Out in Our Local Mountains.” This presentation was moderated by Pat Kramer of the CV Group and David Eisenberg of the Verdugo Hills Group. Participating in the 1.5 hour informational presentation were four members of Montrose Search and Rescue: Doug Cramoline, Steve Goldsworthy, Janet Henderson and Cindy Weiner England who stated that if you are lost or injured or someone you know is missing, call 911. If you are in a wilderness area, the dispatcher will be able to activate search and rescue. There is no charge for Search and Rescue services.
Along with Montrose SAR were three instructors from the Sierra Club's Wilderness Training Course: Will McWhinney, Chapter Outings Management Chair; Jane Simpson, Leadership Training Chair; and Lisa Miyake, a WTC instructor who gave a highly-informative talk on what tools and information can save your life, whether you are hiking alone and injured or lost, or with a partner and run into a problem.
If you missed this presentation, you can still watch it with this link, and please share it with your friends. It might save someone's life
Pat Kramer, the Crescenta Valley Group secretary, received an award from Congressman Adam Schiff which was presented on April 2019 for her outreach to the Sunland-Tujunga community on environmental issues, as well as other areas of concern.
Bob "Bobcat" Thompson Hikes the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
Participants in the People's Climate Sister March in Ventura, April 29th, included Crescenta Valley group’s Bettie Pearson (in red) and Pat Kramer (in green).
Approximately 600 people participated in the march which looped through the Ventura Botanical Gardens
Hikers enjoy a moment atop the water tank at the conclusion of the Earl Canyon hike, May 20th. Hike leaders were Joe Phillips and Bettie Pearson
The Crescenta Valley Group’s Karen Buehler was a member of a four-person team that led an enthusiastic and energetic group of over 20 people, in constructing a new, sustainable trail in the heart of Malibu Creek State Park. The trail replaces the ecologically damaging user-created trails that connected Mulholland Drive to High Road and Crags Road.
Monthly participation in tree watering at Deukmejian Wilderness Park.
Pat Kramer shares water saving tips with Girl Scouts.
Chuck Gooley (holding the award) received a “Special Service Award” at the Angeles Chapter’s Awards Banquet held May 7th at the Brookside Country Club.
Photo from 2016 Deukmejian Wilderness Park hike, tree watering and brunch
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