Canyon Habitat
South Coast Canyons and Alluvial Washes are awesome areas of biological diversity. From the top of canyon mesas and walls to the bottom of stony creek washes, there is nothing but the beauty of life systems in every direction. Unfortunately, the human species unrestrained desire to be so close to natural wonders has made it nearly impossible for canyon habitats to remain undisturbed. Nearly every coastal facing canyon of the Los Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests have a monstrous concrete debris basin or dam shoved in the canyon mouth.
Along with water control developments, many canyons have roads that ultimately encourage residential developments to invade. What next is the human resident of the canyon complaining that coyotes have eaten their pet poodle Fifi or that the bears have taken over the backyard Jacuzzi.
The visual majesty and awesome biodiversity of Canyon Habitats can never be replaced once they have been destroyed. Nature’s wonders are being loved to death in a very unhealthy relationship where the human species keeps taking more than what Nature is capable of giving. It is time for humans to give back to Nature.
Cucamonga, Day, Etiwanda, Henderson and San Sevine canyons of the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California are gateways to the Cucamonga Wilderness within the Los Angeles and San Bernardino National Forest. This wilderness area contains at least two winter ranges for the federally and state threatened Nelson Bighorn Sheep. Local college professors and students have used these canyons as experiential learning labs. Professor James des Lauriers of Chaffey College in Alta Loma, California, educated thousands of biology and zoology students in Day Canyon and the surrounding area for over 20-years. These canyon habitat field trips produced extensive records of the plants and animals that reside there. Hundreds of birds, plants and vertebrates live in Day Canyon alone, including species that are listed by the United States as rare, threatened and endangered. Many of these bird species are also migratory and neo-tropical songbirds.
Did you know that the sandy beaches that are enjoyed by millions of people, especially in the summer months, came from a canyon wash? It all starts at the top of the watershed in the alluvial sandy soils.