Altadena Now » Altadena Residents to Share Conservation Success Story at Sept. 29 Event

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Sunday, September 28, 2025

Altadena Residents to Share Conservation Success Story at Sept. 29 Event

[Photo by Frans Van Heerdon/Pexels]

Local environmental advocates will present a community-led conservation success story Monday evening at the Altadena Community Center, detailing how grassroots organizing halted a proposed sports complex and influenced Los Angeles County land use policy.

The event, titled “Stewards of the Land,” is hosted by AltadenaWILD and scheduled for Sept. 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The community center is located at 730 E. Altadena Drive.

According to a statement from the nonprofit, the presentation will outline how residents opposed a sports development along Chaney Trail and helped shape the West San Gabriel Valley Area Plan, which now guides growth away from fire-prone zones and protects ecological resources.

Michael D. Bicay, AltadenaWILD president and astrophysicist, and Kristen Ochoa, president of the Chaney Trail Corridor, will describe how trail cameras and ecological surveys have documented post-fire regrowth and wildlife migration. Their findings contributed to the withdrawal of Polytechnic School’s application to build athletic facilities on 13 acres of the 80-acre Nuccio’s Nurseries site.

The property lies within a state-designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and borders the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. AltadenaWILD opposed the project, stating in its release that even limited development “will irrevocably change the character of the remaining 65 acres and decrease its value for conservation and enjoyment.”

Bicay and Ochoa will also explain how community data and public outreach prompted county planners to adopt new zoning protections and conservation priorities. Bicay previously served as a NASA program scientist and Caltech researcher; Ochoa is a physician with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is free and seating is first-come, first-served. For details, call (626) 794-3988.

Non profit AltadenaWILD was incorporated in 2023 to preserve the natural landscape and recreational trails of the San Gabriel Mountains foothills. The group advocates for sustainable land use policies and long-term protection of local wildlands.

For more visit https://www.altadenawild.org/events/stewards-of-the-land-public-talk