Meet John Onderdonk

With a connection to the Arroyo that began in childhood, John Onderdonk’s background in sustainability, environmental science and economics solidified his involvement with the One Arroyo Foundation. In this profile, John shares his reverence for the Arroyo’s past, his devotion to enhancing its present conditions, and his vision for the Arroyo’s future. 

What led you to the One Arroyo Foundation? 

I first heard by word of mouth and through the West Pasadena Residents Association that there was this group banding together to shepherd and steward the Arroyo for the long term, so when Bill Bogaard and Doug Kranwinkle called to meet and talk about this new One Arroyo Foundation, I was happy to do it. There are a lot of stakeholders in the Arroyo itself, and the Arroyo has always had this disjointed patchwork of coordination, whether it’s the city, resident groups, or the Rose Bowl. And there’s this sort of underlying issue, sometimes presented as competing interests, that we want open space and natural outdoor activities, but that we also have the Central Arroyo, which is more developed for big-time athletics, events, and all the things that are central to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl.  Being part of a body that could potentially help steward that was exciting.

How does your role on the One Arroyo Board intersect with your work as Caltech’s Chief Sustainability Officer? 

For me, sustainability is about understanding complexity and thinking in much longer-term time scales. That’s what I do professionally; it’s a skill set I’ve honed, so bringing that perspective to the board is really important. And it’s not just ecological sustainability, but it’s sustainability in the broadest sense -- social, economic, and ecological. In order to be truly viable over the long term, you have to find the right synergy between all of those pieces. The Arroyo itself was a foundational component of my land ethic and ecological ethic mindset and my perspective on the world. I was fortunate to be able to grow up and live on the Arroyo, and that access to open space was so formative to me. The Arroyo was a key part of that ethic, and that grew my interest in environmental science, sustainability, and understanding how to essentially make things more viable so we have a more prosperous future. What the Arroyo embodies is a very tangible example of the interface between ecological systems, social systems, socioeconomic anthropogenic systems. It’s always been interesting for me to think about these complex challenges and understanding how the puzzle pieces fit together has always been my curiosity. 

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the Arroyo?

One of the challenges of environmental sustainability and sustainability, in general, is that there’s a very well-founded and completely understandable desire to retain a natural environment in a quote-unquote “pristine current condition.” The Arroyo is a manmade ecosystem and, by definition, is evolving and dynamic. In some ways, it’s the height of arrogance to assume that human beings can make something static. But the mindset exists that we can’t ever let something change. So that’s one of the challenges the Arroyo faces. The other is the socioeconomic aspects, with the massive economic drivers in the Arroyo, namely the Rose Bowl and the golf course. These things are impactful for the city in cultural ways but obviously economic ways. The other piece is the social aspect where the Arroyo has traditionally been perceived as a West Pasadena resource, and it’s just not, in fact, true. We need to do a much better job of opening the doors, so to speak, to the east and really to the region. It’s a regional park and it should be considered a regional park, and we need to manage it as such. But there’s absolutely a perception that I think is detrimental to the Arroyo, that it’s only for the wealthy West Pasadena residents.

What are your favorite memories from exploring the Arroyo, and what parts do you and your family enjoy now?

I grew up in the Southern Arroyo, near La Loma Street Bridge. At the time, the cliff seemed like the North Face. It was the biggest cliff ever and we were getting braver and braver at finding the paths up and down it that was steeper and riskier. I remember Climbing Camel’s hump and just building forts, messing around, getting poison oak, all those things. As an adult with a family, the beauty of the Arroyo for me now is just getting in a quick outdoor run or walking the Upper Arroyo loop. I’ll go for a run with my dog or a hike, and within 500 yards feel like I’m somewhere else. One of my other favorite things is the actual Rose Bowl. Being able to just walk to it and have that whole game-day environment and atmosphere is awesome. 

What can you tell us about the impact of Rose Bowl concerts on the Arroyo?

I’m one of the few people in my neighborhood who understands that I moved into the neighborhood with the Rose Bowl knowing full well that it's part of the atmosphere of my neighborhood. To me, it livens up the neighborhood in a good way. And the traffic is manageable; you just learn to not drive anywhere at ten o’clock at night when the event is letting out. That’s probably another friction point or point of misunderstanding about the Rose Bowl events, and there’s absolutely a way to balance that. There are absolutely inconveniences and challenges in the short term, but by taking a broader temporal perspective, you start to understand and see the benefits. 

What is your hope for the future of the Arroyo in terms of growth or preservation?

I think long term, if the stream could be de-channelized appropriately, you still have to have flood control, but softer control measures and allowing plants and the right pairing ecosystem to come back in the appropriate spots would be wonderful. And then the Central Arroyo almost ups its game as a sort of central park for the city. Hopefully, it connects regionally through South Pasadena all the way down to the LA River, and then ultimately all the way down to Long Beach. It’s about finding a way for more people to experience and enjoy the Arroyo, giving kids some of the formative experiences that I had, so it’s not just for the fortunate kid who gets to grow up on the Arroyo itself. It’s for all kids in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley to have that connection and to see hydrology and all those things I experienced as a kid first-hand. I honestly believe that if kids are exposed to more outdoor education -- and there’s lots of literature about the nature deficit disorder -- I think it really benefits them in the long term.

There are a lot of opportunities for us to confront these big things like getting people out, just walking around through the city whether it’s in the Arroyo or on Colorado Boulevard, it’s that exposure of bringing nature from the Arroyo and into the city. It goes both ways, bringing people to the Arroyo or bringing nature to the people. The Arroyo could be that seed that allows for growth and progress.

John Onderdonk at the La Loma Street Bridge