Scenes from the cleanup of Old Marengo Park on March 24: Master gardener Nancy Romero pitches in; Altadena Heritage members filled seven barrels with waste during the cleanup; Altadena Heritage board member (and Citizen of the Year) Michele Zack, who wrote the first grant to launch the park and remains involved in its maintenance; and Mark Goldschmidt, David Mosher, and John Zoraster do final tidy up.
by Timothy Rutt
Old Marengo Park, a pocket park at Woodbury Road and Marengo Avenue, used to be an undeveloped triangle of wasteland left over when Marengo was straightened out in the 1960's. Two years ago, thanks to concerned residents and community groups, it was turned into a native plant demonstration garden where it's been a highlight of a frequently-overlooked neighborhood along the Pasadena/Altadena border.
Last Saturday, March 24, Altadena Heritage board members Mark Goldschmidt, David Mosher, Nancy Romero, Michele Zack and John Zoraster gave the park a spring facelift, removing weeds and an outbreak of prickly Russian Thistles. They also spread mulch for weed control and to retain moisture.
Currently the park features blooming Redbud trees and a bloom of native California poppies. Zack emailed us:
The new adjacent Woodbury Median Project uses a similar tree palette of California Oaks and Redbuds, as well as native grasses. When you drive by this part of Woodbury Road, the park anchors the median, and intensifies the effect of all the new planting on Woodbury.
Old Marengo Park was developed as a joint project of the Altadena Watershed Committee, the Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy, and Altadena Heritage. Although now unirrigated, the park provides a beautiful and colorful shady refuge, as well as a habitat for birds and insects. Altadena Heritage takes care of regular park maintenance, and last summer Heritage and Arroyos and Foothills shared the expense of giving the trees, planted over three years ago, their first trimming to open up the park and reveal the beautiful forms of its many trees. Anyone interested in joining our Park Maintenance Team, please contact us at altadenaheritage@earthlink.net.
