The recent Altadena fires, whether by accident or intention, did considerable damage to the community. Now, wildlife is flooding back to reclaim the blackened world. This neighborhood had previously been marked for sale and destruction in order to create a new sports complex. It’s located just adjacent to Los Angeles’ Angeles National Forest. Kristen Ochoa, a UCLA medical school professor, has been working continuously on her home region’s recovery and health. Through the Chaney Trail Corridor Project, she’s continuing that work and helping to ensure that story is told.
The Chaney Trail Corridor Project, initiated by Ochoa, began posting observations to iNaturalist in July 2024. This new platform is supported by a volunteer-driven network of naturalists and citizen scientists. It has offered a chance for the project to amplify the region’s biodiversity, especially in the wake of the fires. Volunteers have been instrumental in setting up a network of trail cameras along the trails, capturing images of wildlife that are gradually returning to the area.
Ochoa and her team were able to deploy new trail cameras so soon after the fires because their work with remote monitoring is fairly new. They aimed to take an “inventory of everything that was valuable,” documenting the resilience of nature. These intense downpours that followed the fires created a key factor in this rapid recovery. They cultivated verdant promise in the formerly charred earth.
The San Gabriel oak trees are doing well! Even though they were severely burned, they are putting on incredible blooms of vigor with lots of green sprouts waving cheerfully at fire’s feet. An aggressive non-native mustard bloom has painted the gold hillsides with a riot of yellow flowers. These flowers can be invasive, easily sprouting up and crowding out native flora that serves local ecosystems. They illustrate nature’s incredible capacity to adapt and rebound.
The trail cameras have already recorded significant wildlife activity, including the first mountain lion sighted in the area since the fires on March 26. Most importantly, the return of wildlife is necessary for bringing back ecological balance. It provides a measure of justice to the local residents who experienced devastation in the 2010 fire.
Ochoa reflects on the experience, stating, “The thing I really remember is coming here right after the fire — there was so much birdsong.” This simple observation beautifully depicts just how deep the link between nature and community health runs.
“My first inclination was to share that with people who have lost so much during this fire and our community in Altadena, because it’s a sign of hope that nature’s returning, that nature’s resilient,” she added. Ochoa’s sentiments are echoed throughout the community. Everyone who recently experienced such devastation is only just starting to see the other side, where recovery is taking hold.
Just a mile up the road, an otherwise inviting trailhead serves as a stark reminder of the devastation to come at the hands of wildfires. It bears witness to the resilience of nature, which rebounded almost immediately. The project continues to engage local volunteers, fostering a sense of community while promoting environmental stewardship.
Wildlife are coming back and thriving again. Residents and scientists alike remain cautiously optimistic about the future of this once-abundant ecosystem. There’s no denying that Ochoa and her team are already making a profound early impact. Their joint conservation efforts are key to reestablishing natural environments and increasing biodiversity within cities affected by calamities.