We stood huddled together in the Topanga Post Office at our usual early-morning rendezvous spot, bracing against the cold mountain air, wrapped in the warm feelings we have for one another. Our shared love of the canyon and the nature that surrounds us keeps us coming back each week.
We are the Topanga Canyon Trash Warriors (or Trash Corp for those less gladiatorial folks among us). We are not working off DUIs, we don’t work for CalTrans or Southern California Edison, and we are not paid. We do this because we love Topanga. If we want to keep Topanga forever scenic and wild, that falls on the shoulders of those of us who live and work here.
We have worked as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program every Sunday, rain or shine, barring fires, to care for our magnificent landscape surrounded by Topanga Canyon State Park. It is a community nestled in the peaceful beauty of nature surrounded by one of the largest megacities in the world. During the temporary suspension of the program due to the work going on around the S-curves of TCB, we continue to clean the road even though it is without support from Cal Trans as far as supplies and pickup go.
We divide and conquer, as it were, sections of the boulevard for two to three hours gathering all of the trash that builds up over the week and degrades sights on the roadway from PCH to Mulholland Dr.
In the past CalTrans provided us with the trash bags and they took them away weekly. Due to the road conditions, Cal Trans is no longer coming up to Topanga. We find other options now.
In Topanga Canyon’s serene, quiet early morning hours we enjoy walking and picking up trash that has marred the natural beauty of Topanga. This On Sunday, there were lupines blooming, little yellow and white flowers blossoming, and the canyon was a verdant green from all of the recent rains. The birds and dogs were chirping and barking. I’m still awaiting the frogs’ full commitment to the canyon symphony.
After cleaning the boulevard from PCH to Mulholland, some of us meet up around 9:30 or 10:00 to have a bit of breakfast together. We engage in trash talk, sharing what new, interesting things we have found. This week, love was in the air. The attached photos are proof thereof. We usually collect about 20 bags of trash a week during this time when the canyon is harder to access for drivers. The numbers increase when the boulevard is fully operational.
Before CalTrans got involved, the two men who started cleaning trash along the sides of the road, Joseph Rosendo and Roger Pugliese, had a shared vision for the future of the canyon, and it did not include garbage gracing the sides of the road. Now part of the Adopt-A-Highway program, they continue to be fully committed to keeping this place as nature-centric and wild as it is today. They have spearheaded the Topanga Association for a Scenic Highway, getting a portion of the highway designated as a Scenic Highway (no small task!), wrangling the Topanga Chamber of Commerce to adopt a section, and they started adopting other portions of the boulevard until all but one section is fully covered by the Trash Warriors under different names.
Joseph and Roger are engaged with all the local and state leadership that fall under the Canyons purview. They keep a keen eye out for our canyon. Will Allford, Roxanne Berger, Beth Goode, Wendy Cline, Chris Conway, Brody (famous, so he only needs one name) David Carbo, and sometimes Patrick make up the core group of warriors, and other folks contribute on a periodic basis. Being Trash Warriors keeps us in the loop about all the things that affect the continuity and the care of the canyon.
We can always use more hands as people head off to college or leave the canyon for other destinations. Set your clocks and come join us. Even people who do not rise with the sun have managed to get out and keep coming back. It is just that great to spend the morning with like-minded nature-loving folks. New friendships and deep fellowships continue in this space. So we look forward to seeing you by 7:00 am next Sunday! We have all of the supplies you need to accomplish the task at hand, plus a lot of love.
