Redirected: Ask Chris - Nature

Is it true that Bob Keane, who was Ritchie Valens’s producer, had something to do with shipping sand from Manhattan Beach to Waikiki?

By Chris Nichols — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy flickr.com/TurtleStay

There’s a plaque in Manhattan Beach that says Kuhn Brothers Construction began sending sand to Waikiki in the 1920s. One of those brothers was Bob’s dad (the spelling of the last name was changed from Kuhn for showbiz purposes). And while the company did clear the area’s dunes for home builders, none of the many sources I spoke with found any record of the sand ending up on Oahu. “All of our white sand is carbonate,” says Sam Lemmo of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. “It’s crushed coral. The sand in California is silicate, from weathered rock.”

There’s a secured area on Cahuenga Boulevard off the 101. What’s inside?

By Chris Nichols — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Photo Courtesy of lacity.org

Think of it as the holding pen for the city’s greenery. The Bureau of Street Services operates this 2.5-acre yard as a temporary storage spot for landscaping materials and irrigation supplies intended to beautify our streets. Here’s to more flower power!

I love the changing leaves of autumn. Where can I see some colorful foliage without leaving the city?

By Chris Nichols — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:26:00 GMT

Illustration by Jason Schneider

While it’s true that palm fronds stay green, you can still find a bit of New England here. Along with the native sycamores and oaks, the city has planted about 2 million trees, some of which change color. City forester Ron Lorenzen, who oversees all the wooded areas, says the best place to enjoy fall foliage is in the White Oak neighborhood of Encino. Sixty-two years ago a grove of deciduous Liquidambar styraciflua (American sweetgum) was planted; this species’ leaves turn yellow, orange, red, maroon, and black every fall and winter. He suggests strolling Yarmouth Avenue between Victory Boulevard and Kittridge Street to feel as if you’ve stepped out of a Vermont B&B.

Is there really a plan to place a park over the 101 freeway downtown?

By Chris Nichols — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:45:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy seattle.gov

A 22-acre freeway-capping recreational area that will extend from Vignes to Hope streets sounds far-fetched, but overpass parks in Boston, Dallas, and Seattle prove it can be done. “Think of it as bridges filled with parkland instead of cars,” says principal designer Vaughan Davies. The city, county, Caltrans, and L.A. Metro are on board, but nobody’s promising the park will arrive before flying autos. Imagine kids from the nearby school tossing Frisbees at the cathedral!

Were there ever any antelope in the Antelope Valley?

By Chris Nichols — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:54:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy flickr/drewavery

Lancaster and Palmdale were indeed where the deer and the antelope played. “When the settlers first came out here, it was teeming with antelope, elk, and deer,” says Laurie Solis, an archaeologist who’s on the staff at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History. As late as 1883, cowboys counted 7,000 Antilocapra americana, but by the turn of the century, they were almost all gone, the victims of hunters, ranchers, and a brutal snowstorm in 1884. “Somebody always claims their father or their grandfather shot the last one in the 1950s,” says Solis. “It was probably a deer, but you don’t want to offend people.”

Why is there a thoroughfare in Pasadena named Lake Avenue? There’s no lake nearby.

By Chris Nichols — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:02:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy City of San Marino

Well, there’s no longer tar on La Brea Avenue, either (brea being Spanish for “tar,” you know). The lake in question once sat between the Huntington Gardens and the Old Mill but had evaporated by 1875. Lacy Park is now on the site. Maybe I should buy a shovel and start digging around Diamond Street downtown.

I heard there’s a giant rodent called a capybara roaming a golf course somewhere. Is it dangerous?

By Chris Nichols — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:50:00 GMT

Illustration by Jason Schneider

Even though they weigh more than 100 pounds and have incisors the size of golf tees, capybaras are docile herbivores. “The capy is very mild mannered and calm,” assures Cindy Cavalini of Pacific Animal Productions. “They just go through life looking for food, swimming, and wanting to have fun.” Owning the Central and South American rodent as a pet is outlawed in California, but zoos in Santa Barbara and San Diego have permits to house 11 of the critters. Incidentally, the hairy bon vivant you mention was spotted on a golf course in Paso Robles, no doubt enjoying the fruit-forward zins there.

My loved one has asked to have his ashes scattered in the ocean at Malibu. Will I get busted?

By Chris Nichols — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:53:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy flickr/caccamo

It’s against the rules to bring plastic flowers to Forest Lawn and illegal to bury your pet in the backyard, but it’s perfectly fine to dump Grandpa’s urn into the sparkling Pacific. Just do it 500 yards from the coastline (piers and bridges are off limits). Rent a kayak on PCH, but be careful not to join your loved one quite yet.

I had a dog when I was living in Santa Monica. I now reside in Venice and am weeks away from getting a puppy. Can people who don’t live in Santa Monica use that city’s dog parks?

By Chris Nichols — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:30:00 GMT

Photograph courtesy flickr/Parker Michael Knight

They used to call Santa Monica the People’s Republic, but I didn’t know they really checked your papers! Out-of-town dogs are welcome at Airport Park, but only with a $16 temporary visa. L.A. has sprouted some pretty grand dog playgrounds of its own in recent years. Jog to Oberrieder Dog Park in Playa Vista or take a drive to Rosie’s Dog Beach in Belmont Shore, which has the only off-leash sand in the county. But what do I know? My cat never leaves the house.

Is there a lake in Toluca Lake? And if so, how do I get there?

By Chris Nichols — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 07:00:00 GMT

Yes, Virginia, there is a lake, and it’s natural and quite bucolic. Before you grab your fishing pole, let me warn you that there are only two ways to gain access. Thirty-three homes line the shore (the lake is west of the SmokeHouse restaurant), so you could make friends with an owner—I once scored an invite to an Easter egg hunt and was so distracted by the tiny lake’s miniboats, fountains, and white swans that I didn’t find many eggs. Or you could join the Lakeside Golf Club, which abuts the south shore. If you can afford Lakeside’s annual membership fee, which is in the tens of thousands, maybe you should just buy one of the homes and invite me to the housewarming.

Photograph courtesy Wikipedia