You might call John Howell an overachiever.
His group, the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, recently purchased 10 acres of tree-covered land called Sycamore Canyon in the San Rafael Hills between heavily developed parts of Pasadena and Glendale. As chief executive and general counsel of AFC, he facilitated the purchase of this pristine parcel at a cost of $1.1 million and stamped it for preservation, banning development in perpetuity.
That would be enough of an accomplishment. But there’s more to the story than one piece of land.
On June 30, the conservancy took possession of a chunk of land the size of eight football fields that preserves open space. But more importantly, the land acts as a link for wildlife to travel to and from other preserves in the San Rafael Hills, Verdugo Mountains and to the 701,000-acre Angeles National Forest.
Sun breaking through the trees of Sycamore Canyon, looking in toward the 10-acre preserve in the San Rafael Hills purchased on June 30, 2024 by the Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy. (photo by Maya Wali Richardson/Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy)
A greater vision
Howell sees an even greater vision for wildlife connectivity along a not-yet-built southwest passageway, taking critters safely under the 2 Freeway along the Verdugo Wash flood control channel into City of Los Angeles’ Griffith Park.
The park was home to P-22, the most famous mountain lion in the world for 10 years until his death in December 2022. The “Hollywood Cat” was isolated there, unable to get across the major freeways around the park, and while failing to find a mate and reproduce, developed a love affair with Los Angeles.
“If P-22 were still alive today, it could go up to the San Rafaels and could reach the Angeles National Forest,” Howell said.
Howell lives and breathes wildlife connections and sees each purchase as a piece of a puzzle to solve a bigger problem — wildlife connectivity and survival.
And this accessway, possibly helping animals, even mountain lions, go to and from Griffith Park via a flood control wash is being studied by the city of Glendale and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, thanks to the AFC Sycamore Canyon purchase.
This conceptual wildlife route has been incorporated into the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s map of wildlife movements, though proving it is used by animals remains difficult.
But there’s no uncertainty about the 10-acre Sycamore Canyon purchase, acting as a key piece of the wildlife corridor puzzle amid developed areas. Animals can now roam from AFC’s Cottonwood Canyon Preserve in Pasadena to 4,200 acres of open space in the San Rafael Hills, ensuring passage from the Arroyo Seco to the 2 Freeway, the AFC reported.
“Sycamore Canyon property is all part of a wildlife corridor,” Howell said on Thursday, Aug. 15. “We are trying to restore wildlife passages or you will have species going extinct — they just die out.”
Put another way, if that area became houses, there would be no passageway, leaving animals genetically isolated and facing extinction.
“This is the most effective way to assure healthy wildlife populations,” said Howell. “By strategically removing barriers, engineering crossings, calming traffic, acquiring land, and restoring habitat, we create stepping stones for wildlife to move safely through urban areas to hunt, forage, mate, and establish their own territories.”
Doing inventory in Sycamore Canyon
Remote motion cameras placed in the canyon have detected bears, bobcats, coyotes, deer, rabbits and smaller mammals, said Barbara Goto, director of operations with the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy. So far, mountain lions have not shown up on camera, she said.
A mountain lion was seen, captured and collared by wildlife biologists in nearby Cherry Canyon, about a month and a half ago, Howell said. Named P-41 by the National Park Service biologists, it was found roaming the Verdugo Mountains and the NPS confirmed it had crossed the San Rafael Hills. Unfortunately, biologists later found his body, he said.
A conceptual map shows possible wildlife connections or passageways between various hills and mountains above Pasadena to Pacoima and into Northeast L.A. The Sycamore Canyon purchase is in the San Rafael Hills area. (map courtesy of Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy)
Howell said the animals will cross a two-lane residential roadway, East Chevy Chase Drive, go behind homes and enter the Sycamore Canyon preserve. Some come from as far away as Cottonwood Canyon, through a preserved property at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy and then open space at Art Center College of Design. They then traverse two open spaces preserved by the city of Glendale before reaching the newest AFC preserve.
From there, he hopes the critters will continue southwest and cross under the 2 Freeway and possibly use the Verdugo Wash to reach Griffith Park. But Howell called that passageway “conceptual,” because there are no cameras in the wash to detect animals. However, he suspects animals already use the wash to move around.
“We want to look more carefully at Verdugo Wash. That might be a possibility,” he said.
Getting along with humans
In a video produced by AFC, James Cooper, a homeowner near Sycamore Canyon, took a video of a mama bear and two cubs lumbering about near his home. His post on Instagram went viral.
“It is still important to preserve pristine land as much as you can,” he said in the video.
His neighbor supported the idea of keeping Sycamore Canyon untouched by development. “We really want to keep this place as it has been for over 100 years,” he said.
Howell said the people of the area support wildlife, even if it means seeing a bear or a mountain lion close up. That kind of comfort, of living with wildlife, came about in the last 10 or so years, as Angelenos supported having P-22 in a public park, as well as roaming nearby neighborhoods in the Hollywood Hills and Los Feliz.
“They cherish the wildlife. It is very positive,” he said.
A wildlife preserve is not just about helping animals roam and finding a deeper genetic pool. It is also about native plants thriving. That keeps the habitat healthy for insects, birds and mammals, Howell said.
The conservancy is hosting a restoration day in which volunteers can help remove invasive plants that choke out native plant species. This takes place on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the preserve, 2900 E. Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale.
A Friends of Sycamore Canyon group also is being formed. “We recognize preserving this property is not enough,” Goto said. “The property needs to be stewarded in perpetuity so we will engage the community and educate them about the property’s value and hold free field trips to teach about native plants and wildlife.”
For more information, visit ArroyosFoothills.org
Related links
Save Sycamore Canyon in the San Rafael Hills
‘Hollywood Cat’ P-22’s celebration of life packs Greek Theater
Beloved mountain lion P-22 is euthanized
California preserves 320-acre ridgeline near Chino Hills State Park
Biden expands San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, adds forest rangers, funding
