Oak Tree Lady Plants Seeds of Discovery
A group of Justice Street Elementary School third-graders, bundled up in jackets against the chilly morning fog, are squatting near the ecology pond at the Chatsworth Nature Preserve/Reservoir, searching the muddy trail for signs of wildlife. Suddenly, one of the 9-year-olds jumps up and shouts, “I’ve found one!”
“That’s a bobcat’s,” said Helen Treend, founder of the Chatsworth Reservoir Conservancy’s Open Air Classroom. “I wonder if you can find some deer or possum tracks too.”
And so began another ecology lesson by Treend, also known as the Oak Tree Lady, who for 15 years has led children on tours of the Valley’s vast nature preserve. By early afternoon, the 40 West Hills students would help the naturalist plant four California white oaks, identify some of the 80 species of birds flying overhead and check out some Native American ruins.
“I love watching the kids who have never been in an outdoor situation, and who are afraid, change before my eyes out here,” said Treend, 66, as a rabbit scurried by. “They come to appreciate and respect the environment.”
The children get ample opportunity to do just that.
Upon arrival at the 1,300-acre reservoir--drained in 1969 by the Department of Water and Power--the students follow Treend to a grove of oaks, where they are handed acorns for planting. They also learn about the deer, mountain lions and bobcats that roam the fenced-off preserve.
Treend, a retired Hale Middle School science teacher, then takes the children to 10 ecology stations, where they learn about migratory birds, collect seeds and explore the pond that DWP and Cal State Northridge students maintain year-round.
“I have learned an amazing amount from Helen about the native plants and native inhabitants here,” said docent Susan Gerke. “I’m inspired by her dedication to save the oak trees and this preserve.”
Treend’s environmental interest began as a child in her native Michigan, where her farm upbringing encouraged exploration of the outdoors.
When Treend, her husband, Charles, and their children settled in Canoga Park in 1968, the transplanted teacher gravitated to Orcutt Ranch--a city-run horticultural center--where she steeped herself in the history of the Valley’s earliest settlers.
When she learned in 1970 of the city’s plan to transform nearby Dayton Creek into a flood-control project, she recruited some neighbors to join her in creating a human chain around a group of ancient oak trees set to be felled for the channel construction.
After weeks of round-the-clock civil disobedience, followed by a lawsuit that succeeded in halting the project, Treend helped city officials redesign the flood-control channel, placing it underground to preserve the natural stream above.
Following her success with the city project, Treend was appointed by then-Mayor Tom Bradley to serve as an Environmental Quality Commissioner for Los Angeles. In 1980, she was instrumental in getting the City Council to unanimously pass an oak tree ordinance to protect the ancient and historically significant trees.
The community activist--a nominee for the city’s Unsung Environmental Heroes award--says she hopes her lessons about preserving open spaces passes from her students to their parents.
“I want to get the message across that it’s everyone’s right to enjoy the outdoors. “
Personal Best is a weekly profile of an ordinary person who does extraordinary things. Please send suggestions on prospective candidates to Personal Best, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or fax them to (818) 772-3338.
