George Grace, Franklin Hills Residents' Association Board Member and
Dr. Rosemarie White, Chair, Endangered Species Task Force, Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club

Griffith Park, the largest municipal park in the United States totaling over 4,000 acres, is home to many recreational and cultural facilities including golf courses, tennis courts, The Los Angeles Zoo, The Griffith Observatory, Traveltown, The Greek Theater, The Autry Museum, a California Condor research facility, and 52 miles of equestrian and hiking trails. It is also the home to a diverse population of California wildlife, including deer, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, opossums, over 166 bird species, and a variety of snakes, amphibians, and rodents, that roam freely in the Park's open spaces. It has been variously described as "central to Los Angeles" (1), "our beloved Griffith Park" (2), "The Precious Resource" (3), and is the subject of a new 25 year Master Plan "to enhance existing facilities while preserving all existing open space" (4). One of the "Proposed Goals for the Griffith Park Master Plan" published by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks is to "Identify short and long term improvements .... for natural resource protection" 5).

Simply stated, one of the major problems for Griffith Park wildlife is the absence of protected water sources.

A casual visitor to the developed areas of Griffith Park sees gushing fountains, fake waterfalls and ponds, and meticulously watered golf courses. It seems that everywhere there is an abundance of water. This is not the case. Water for Griffith Park is provided by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) through a combination of reclaimed and DWP supplied sources. In fact, DWP is "now constructing a new and improved water system at Griffith Park "…..."The project is estimated to cost $40 million." (6)

At the present time, none of this investment targets the water requirements of urban Griffith Park wildlife who live in a closed ecosystem with no natural streams, ponds, or springs, and are dependent on a "yearly average rainfall of 14.05 inches falling almost entirely during the six-month November-April period" (7). As a consequence, native urban wildlife seek water in adjacent neighborhoods where they are considered nuisance animals. Drought periods like those we are presently experiencing exacerbate the problem, and animals such as coyotes who can move out of the Park take up permanent residence in Griffith Park neighborhoods.

Providing adequate water sources for Griffith Park wildlife was addressed in previous Griffith Park Master Plans. Specifically, the 1978 Griffith Park Master Plan, recommended a complete Park irrigation system. In addition, it called for "the development of water catchment basins in the more remote areas of the (Park) Natural Zone. Through the development of water the wildlife populations could be encouraged to stay in these more remote areas of the Park giving them greater protection and preventing the nuisance of wildlife going into residential areas in search of water." (8) Catch basins are a good idea. Substituting Wildlife Drinkers is a more effective one. Catch basins would only be effective during the rainy season. Wildlife Drinkers, on the other hand, will provide water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and are a more protected water source.

Wildlife Drinkers (also called Water Guzzlers) are man-made animal watering devices that have been installed by the hundreds by the California Department of Fish and Game to create permanent water sources for wildlife, principally to aid in increasing the population of California Bighorn Sheep. Their use has spread to local communities, including Drinkers installed and maintained by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.

Wildlife Drinkers are available from a manufacturer in Santa Monica for $395, and could be installed off any of the Griffith Park water tanks or the Park irrigation system. A monitoring system to evaluate their effectiveness would be an integral part of the installation. Installation locations would be determined by wildlife experts who would identify commonly traveled wildlife corridors in the Park.

A Wildlife Drinker Study Group (WDSG) would be established to evaluate the installations.

At the general meeting of the Franklin Hills Residents' Association on August 26, 2003, "a motion was called for to promote a pilot program of one wildlife drinker (in Griffith Park) and (the establishment of) a study group to determine usefulness/effectiveness. Motion was seconded and approved by majority". (9)

Griffith Park is indeed a precious resource, that needs to be nurtured and protected by both the City, and Park users. As the 1978 Griffith Park Master Plan makes clear:

An important objective for the use of Griffith Park is the preservation and protection of Griffith Park wildlife. With this in mind, the immediate installation of the proposed Wildlife Drinkers is strongly recommended.

Follow-up for this recommendation will be reported by the Wildlife Drinker Study Group.

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