Friends of Peck Park

Friends of Peck Park is part of a local initiative, launched by members of the community and developed in collaboration with the park administration, to make Peck Park more attractive to community members by removing weeds and restoring natural habitat to support wildlife. Developing habitat with native perennials also helps to stabilize the soil and reduce erosion. The network of developed trails within the park is the Ray Patricio Trail System and it has 13 entrances.   The Elberon/Walker trailhead was selected to begin a native revegetation project both for its visibility and due to the support of the immediate neighbors. In February, 2023, Friends of Peck Park planted nearly 200 plants in this area with the help of about 40 volunteers of all ages.  They have since hosted two maintenance days and are planning another one in the near future.

An initial planting, funded by the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council and other private contributions, was done in February 2023.  Plans are in place to extend the project with additional planting in the same area. Plants would come from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy native plants nursery.  We celebrate our volunteers with refreshments and camaraderie.  Many volunteers are students earning service hours.

In addition to planting the area, the Friends of Peck Park Canyon conducts two monthly walks in the canyon which provide an opportunity for community education about the value of native plants.  Our twice monthly walks in the canyon give us an opportunity to frequently check on the plants.

Botanical lead for the project is Allen Franz.  Allen is also involved with the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy and a native plant expert.  We enjoy the support of nearby homeowners, who have  provided access to water as needed.

See also: “Friends of the Canyon Look to Protect Natural Heritage” in Random Lengths News.