Hahamongna Park is all about the natural space. Here, the oaks dominate the landscape.

On a day when the city of Irvine must decide how to develop The Great Park, I went to check out Hahamongna Park in Pasadena, 1,300 acres of urban interface wilderness. But when the city took it over, the questions began. Like, below:

What to do with several old buildings abandoned by the U.S. Forest Service. Should they be restored and re-used, say as meeting rooms or a nature center? Or should they be torn down and something else rebuilt?

Other issues:
Should a trail be widened to become a road to feed a parking lot at JPL? If so, should the non-native trees there be torn down, while the oaks, protected?

Below is a picture of my boss, Larry Wilson, public editor, walking along the trail north of the equestrian area and just south of JPL. The pepper trees (non-native) form a canopy around the walkers.

Like in Irvine, park development is taken quite seriously in Pasadena. That’s a good thing. Here’s to keeping the place rustic, but improving its use and functionality.