7-26-96 This is to recount the continual damage to Vasquez Rocks since the County acquired it as a park. Unfortunately it has been used primarily as a movie studio without regard to the local flora and fauna of the area.
Wetlands and lake
Vasquez Park area had, in the not too distant past, a seasonal lake located just south of Escondido Canyon Road and Agua Dulce Canyon. If one looks at both of these roads in the area, you will see they are raised ten feet above the ground.
Agua Dulce Canyon Road does not go directly south. All of these areas had, during the Spring periods of heavier rainfall, lakes of standing water.
The County allowed without proper ecological discussion the draining of the lake by putting drain pipes into the ground and allowed the construction of the Asher Ranch subdivision, which filled the lake. It is quite probable that some of the sewage from Asher Ranch properties is liquid couple drain high water into the aquifer, depending on the specific depth of the leach fields and the water table. These actions cause the loss of the wetlands area and the seasonal lake and are in violation of Federal Wetlands law.
In the wetlands area, they have been routinely mowing the area and allowing the more hearty invasive plants to exist while the natural flowers and plants have been destroyed by the mowing operation. These mowing operations have continues right up until May of 1996.
The Asher Ranch Home
The County of Los Angeles, due to a “Error” bulldozed down the historic home, flora and fauna.
Movie Filming
The park management has allowed the movie studios to initially come in and strip a large area to the east of the park and use it for a standing set for a number of motion pictures and TV shows. The area was then allowed to vegetate with non-natural species and has produced a total changed environment from the original natural state that was there before the County allowed the area to be cleared.
Nature Center
One of the proposals now is to build vast amounts of buildings in these areas that have be “Damaged beyond repair”. It seems that the intent is to cause massive damage to an area and then claim that because it is damaged we can put in urban facilities and eliminate the park's natural resources. We believe this is not true. A small center incorporating the rangers home and offices could be an acceptable idea.
Summary
We believe that the money should be spent instead on revegetation of the area and removal of the drain pipes to allow the wetlands to become a wetlands again. And, the other areas to be revegetated with the original natural plants and the invasive plants removed from the area. One of the studies indicates Vasquez Rocks as a repository for thousands of natural wildflowers and is a very fragile area.
Yet, this is ignored and the park is allowed to be simply the commercial offshoot of the movie studios and the questionable stewardship of the Nature Center Associates in Agua Dulce.
It is my view that new management should be chosen for the VNCA and let it concentrate on restoring the park to, as closely as possible, it's original natural, pristine state instead of continuing the degradation of the area