Help Us Save Our Natives This Thursday!

The Cahuenga Branch Library will be fumigated on August 24-27 and the library staff have notified us that the City plans to remove or cut any plants within 18 inches of the building next week! The six varieties of California native plants (Giant chain fern, hummingbird sage, coral bells, Douglas iris, evergreen currant and western sword fern) in the rear entrance of the library that we planted in December, are  the highlight of our garden, and so we have to temporarily transplant them into 5-gallon containers for the next couple of weeks in order to save them. 

We're looking for a few volunteers to help us out on the evening of Thursday, August 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. to dig up the plants and put them in the containers. If there's anyone with a pickup truck or cargo van that can transport them to a temporary location four blocks away that would be great as well! We have tools, but you're welcome to bring your own shovel. 

The Cahuenga Branch Library is at 4591 Santa Monica Blvd (corner Madison) in East Hollywood. Map here:  http://goo.gl/maps/AI20A For more info, email elsont@easthollywood.net.

A Little Recognition!

Christine Ramsey (front, left), treasurer of the Friends of Cahuenga Library, chats with Mary, her counterpart at the Friends of Los Feliz Library.

Today, the CahuenGardeners, other Cahuenga Library volunteers and volunteers from several other L.A. Public Library branches were honored at a Volunteer Recognition Breakfast this morning at the Pio Pico Koreatown Branch Library.

I was asked to do an "inspirational speech" to the 100 or so LAPL volunteers and staff in attendance. I thought I would be one of a handful of volunteers who got to speak, but I learned just the other day that I was the library volunteer speaker. So here's my speech:




Most of the time was devoted to networking and meeting each other. Many were literacy tutors, there were some who help library staff stack and sort boos and media. A few people approached me and were interested in how to keep their library clean.

We also had a photo of the "Cahuenga Crew"

L to R: Liza Xu (CahuenGardeners), Elson Trinidad (CahuenGardeners), Ramona Cash (literacy volunteer), Cathie Ehle (Cahuenga Staff - Young Adult Librarian)

The event took place in an LAPL training facility located in the upper floors of the Pio Pico-Koreatown branch library, which was still closed for the day when the breakfast program went on. I ran into Hollywood Branch Sr. Librarian Arthur Pond (who, incidentally was former Sr. Librarian at Cahuenga circa late 1990s, and gave me the green light for my early community meetings there), told me the history of this branch, how it was once located near the Pico Union area, and a Korean company donated the building to the LAPL, which was supported by then-councilman Nate Holden. Another location was eyed by the community and supported by the City Librarian, but the councilman got his way in the end.

According to Melissa Potter, LAPL volunteer coordinator, this was the first time in about 10 years that LAPL volunteers had a recognition program, and similar programs are being put on in different LAPL regions.

It was a great way to share our experiences and meet so many other devoted people in their communities! And the food was pretty good too!