Zach Behrens

A stream in the San Gabriel Wilderness | Photo by grabadonut via Flickr President Barack Obama proclaimed September as National Wilderness Month yesterday on the 45th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which protects pure land from being touched by any hint of development. Even areas within protected National Parks are declared as wilderness to stop government agencies from building roads, hiking paths or visitor centers. "This pioneering law created a framework for bringing Federal...

Didn't this burn last year, like twice? A small vegetation fire reported to the fire department at 12:48 p.m. burned a half-acre inside O'Melvany Park, just south of Sunshine Canyon in Granada Hills today. The park is located at the eastern end of the Santa Susana Mountains, site of the 14,703-acre Sesnon Fire from last year October. The Los Angeles Fire Department deployed not only ground crews, but an air attack, snuffing out today's...

We don't know many details at the moment, but a guy named Paul apparently started swimming late last night from the western portion of Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. That's nothing too unusual, as the San Pedro Channel is a popular place for marathon swimmers, but what's pretty cool is that it's being tracked in real time on a Google Maps application. Back in August, 24-year-old Jen Schumacher Cal State Fullerton grad...

A Vegan BBQ Sandiwch made from Jackfruit at Pure Luck, which is not part of the festivities, but a damn good vegan restaurant nonetheless | Photo by jasonlam via Flickr Prabhat Gautam, owner of Positive Television and a local vegan gadfly (also, a former LAist contributor), is a very energetic guy. This month, he set out to accomplish the goal of 30 straight days of vegan events. "A lot of people said it could...

As the Station Fire continues to burn, the L.A. County Department of Health expanded the air quality alert to include the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and San Gabriel Valley. "Sensitive individuals living in the West San Fernando Valley should especially take note of recommendations," a statement said. "In all areas of visible smoke or where there is an odor of smoke, all individuals are urged to be cautious and to avoid unnecessary...

Photo by nicadlr via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The L.A. City Clerk is reminding residents of Council District 2--that's Sherman Oaks through Shadow Hills--to register by Tuesday in order to participate in the September 22 special election to fill the seat vacated by Wendy Greuel, who left to become City Controller. You can register or re-register to vote by mail by completing a voter registration form that can be obtained at the public...

Blue line denotes closure area Due to the Station Fire (and the Morris Fire, which is now 100 percent contained), officials today closed all portions of the Angeles National Forest within the San Gabriel Mountain Range, citing a federal law meant "to protect natural resources and provide for public safety." Basically, that means the whole mountain range is closed, save for the edges and a portion within the San Bernardino National Forest on the...

Photo by Lucyrk in LA via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr At today's 30 years of the farmers market celebration, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to announce a task force on food policy and will lead a pledge for local restaurants to use locally grown food. The 10 a.m. event, which is open to the public at the weekly Little Tokyo/Arts District Farmers Market held on the South Lawn of City Hall, will also...

Hall and Quinones (LACFD) For those wanting to honor the two men who lost their lives fighting the Station Fire, a large public memorial will be held a week from Saturday at 10 a.m. in Dodger Stadium, the L.A. County Fire Department announced today, saying more details will come soon. Fire Captain Tedmund D. “Ted” Hall, 47 and Fire Fighter Specialist Arnaldo “Arnie” Quinones, 34, died Sunday afternoon when their vehicle went over the...

As the Station Fire raged over the weekend, causing air quality to pummel, officials were unsure if a game between UCLA and San Diego State could safely be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. After consulting university medical staff along with Pasadena officials and air-quality experts, Athletic director Dan Guerrero said the game is on! So now the question is, will the Bruins show up and kick ass?...

Photo: A Gude via Flickr For those planning a trip to Yosemite National Park this weekend, about a five-hour drive from L.A., they don't have to worry about the Meadow Fire ruining too many of their plans, officials say. The park will remain open, save for some off-limit areas and roads due to the 7,240-acre blaze. The fire began Wednesday as a 90-acre controlled burn that got out of control. Although it grew over...

Despite an on-air interview with KNX1070 earlier today stating the Station Fire was human-caused, officials with the Angeles National Forest said that was premature. "Confusion has arisen around the cause of the huge wildfire burning North of Downtown Los Angeles," the radio station wrote in an update. "The US Forest Service has retracted earlier statements made on KNX that the fire was 'human-caused'. Speaking on KNX, a spokesperson for the Service now says it's...