Photos: Water conservation at L.A. County cemeteries

Volunteer Jim Morten, 58, waters trees at Savannah Memorial Park in Rosemead. Savannah Memorial is redoing its landscaping, using mulch and to cover much of the property and dwarf fescue, a low-water gras, elsewhere.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Volunteer Beverly Morten waters trees at Savannah Memorial Park in Rosemead. Morten and other groundskeepers are working to make the cememtery’s landscaping more drought-tolerant. “We live in a semi-arid region, and we have to live within our means,” she said.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Groundskeeper Beverly Morten drags a hose through the dirt at Savannah Memorial Park in Rosemead, where she and her husband volunteer each week.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Amid the drought, “any changes we make now ... will keep us protected and help the state,” said Savannah Memorial Park’s volunteer groundskeeper, Beverly Morten.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Volunteer Beverly Morten, 56, waters trees at Savannah Memorial Park in Rosemead.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Volunteer Jim Morten, 58, of Rosemead, attaches stakes to support young trees at Savannah Memorial Park in Rosemead. “We can make this work,” he said. “We can make this water-efficient and beautiful at the same time.”  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

A squirrel at Oak Park Cemetery in Claremont.   (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

A headstone at Savannah Memorial Park in Rosemead, where deliberate grass kills and rototilling have been done to help make the cemetery’s landscaping more water-efficient.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)