Franklin Canyon Park is a public municipal park located near Benedict Canyon , at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains , in Los Angeles, California . The park comprises 605 acres (245 ha), and is located near the geographical center of the city of Los Angeles. Franklin Canyon is also the name of the canyon and surrounding neighborhood.
12-588: The park features a 3-acre (1.2 ha) lake, a duck pond and over five miles (8 km) of hiking trails. The lake and pond are visited by birds in the Pacific Flyway . The park is managed by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), a partnership between the state-based Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the county-based Conejo Recreation and Park District and Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, responsible for
24-490: A background for the following album covers: Pacific Flyway The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia . Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or travelling to overwintering sites. Any given bird species travels roughly
36-863: A few days before moving on. Temescal Canyon, Los Angeles County Temescal Canyon ( Temescal , Spanish for " sweat lodge ") is a valley lying in Pacific Palisades with-in the Los Angeles County portion of the Santa Monica Mountains in California . Head of Canyon 34°06′21″N 118°32′27″W / 34.10583°N 118.54083°W / 34.10583; -118.54083 Mouth of Canyon 34°02′09″N 118°32′07″W / 34.03583°N 118.53528°W / 34.03583; -118.53528 This Los Angeles County, California –related article
48-537: A reservoir in upper Franklin Canyon. The canyon was used by the family of oil baron Edward L. Doheny as a summer retreat. The 1930s began the frequent use of the canyon for filming. Claudette Colbert's famous hitchhiking scene from It Happened One Night was filmed in 1935. Today about 25 films are shot here annually. During the 1970s the canyon was spared from development through the efforts of conservationist Sooky Goldman and Congressman Howard Berman , which resulted in
60-411: Is part of the Pacific Flyway and as a result the resident bird species often share company with neo-tropical migrants and other transient species, such as Canada geese . Popular activities are hiking , cycling , picnicking and bird watching . Park staff lead regularly scheduled hikes. In spite of the famous lake, swimming and fishing are not permitted. The park conducts natural history programs at
72-659: The Sooky Goldman Nature Center, and the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom. Located directly adjacent to Franklin Park is the headquarters of the conservation organization TreePeople . TreePeople also offers organized hikes, as well as tree care workshops and themed festivals. In July, 2007, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority installed three stop sign cameras in the park. The cameras photograph on average 17 motorists per day. The cost of
84-590: The camera and ticketing program generates $ 1.5 million in revenue annually and costs the agency about $ 780,000. Cameras are also installed at Temescal Canyon Park , Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park , and Topanga State Park . MRCA issues roughly 24,000 traffic citations each year for various violations. This is a partial list of media which have used Franklin Canyon Park: The park was used by photographer Guy Webster as
96-460: The citation is $ 175. A spokeswoman for MRCA said, "We have seen a significant reduction in the number of people running stop signs." Former Beverly Hills city attorney Jack Allen opposes the cameras. He decried the alleged safety issue saying, "They're not speeding through there." In September 2010 a class action lawsuit was filed against the MRCA. The chief staff legal counsel of MRCA said in 2015 that
108-660: The creation of the park. The Franklin Canyon neighborhood lies south of Mulholland Drive and extends south almost to the city limits of Beverly Hills . It contains about 700 single-family homes. It is represented by the North Beverly Drive/Franklin Canyon Homeowners Association, a member of the Bel Air–Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council. Franklin Canyon is rich in plant life. Chaparral, shady grassland meadows and oak woodlands are found in
120-524: The park. Also within the park's boundaries are sycamore, redwood and walnut trees, along with non-native pine and cedar . A vast array of wildflowers grow here. The park is home to a variety of indigenous wildlife such as frogs, rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, snakes, cougars , gray foxes , coyotes , and bobcats . Known as a bird watcher's delight, great horned owls, as many as seven species of hawk can be found here, and even eagles. Also found are ducks, including Mandarins and Wood ducks . Franklin Canyon
132-579: The parks those four organizations own or operate in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The park has been used as a filming location for numerous television and film productions, including the hitchhiking scene in the 1934 film It Happened One Night and for the opening credits of The Andy Griffith Show . The park traces its beginnings to 1914 when William Mulholland and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power built
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#1732797707313144-491: The same route every year, at almost the same time. Ornithologists and birdwatchers can often predict to the day when a particular species will show up in their area. Along the Pacific Flyway, there are many key rest stops where birds of many species gather, sometimes in the millions, to feed and regain their strength before continuing. Some species may remain in these rest stops for the entire season, but most stay
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