Verdugo Mountains

Gretchen Hoffman Residents were breathing a little easier Tuesday night as flames receded in a 1,100 acre fire that had threatened their homes the day before. The blaze that has burned mostly on the Glendale side of the Verdugo Mountains was about 70% contained on Tuesday night, Glendale Fire officials said. The fire, which at its peak early Tuesday was being battled by more than 600 firefighters and water-carrying helicopters and airplanes, is considered suspicious in origin.

Molly Shore Long before the white man pushed west, the area was inhabited by the Gabrielinos, members of the Tongva Nation. In celebration of that heritage, Stough Canyon Nature Center hosted a daylong event Sunday featuring native foods, music and games. Adults and children of the Tongva Nation Dancers, in full ceremonial garb, performed a series of dances, including one in honor of women as procreators. Dana Bleitz, a part-time recreation leader at the center, said that a ceremony using white sage was performed to bless the nature center.

Gary Moskowitz HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Burbank's Park, Recreation and Community Services Dept. will celebrate the passing of another year Monday by hosting a full moon hike in the Verdugo Mountains. The hike will be from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at the Stough Canyon Nature Center, 2300 Walnut Ave. in Burbank. Reservations to participate in the hike must be made by today. The cost of the event is $5 per person. The event will include a hike, noisemaker crafts and other activities for the whole family.

BEST BET The fourth annual Burbank Burroughs Eat Off will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the John Burroughs High School football field. Dinner will be available for a small fee. Sal Santoro from Santoro's Subs provides all the food. For more information, call 840--0631. SATURDAY A Verdugo Mountains community hike will begin at 8 a.m. Call Stough Canyon Nature Center at 238-5440 for location. Farmers' Market will be from 8 a.m to 12:30 p.m. at Olive Avenue between Glenoaks Boulevard and 3rd Street.

Gary Moskowitz NORTHWEST DISTRICT -- Burbank and Glendale residents will have an opportunity to discover their "other backyard" in the Verdugo Mountains next week. The Verdugo Mountains community hike will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 3 and will take place from three different starting points. Interested hikers can begin at La Tuna Canyon, at the intersection of La Tuna Canyon and the Foothill (210) Freeway; the Stough Canyon Nature Center, 2300 Walnut Ave. in Burbank; or Brand Park, 1601 W. Mountain St. in Glendale.

Ryan Carter BURBANK -- The annual job of clearing brush from the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains is almost complete -- just in time for the end of fire season, officials said. In April, the department sent out letters to residents living north of Glenoaks Boulevard, reminding them to clear native vegetation, which burns readily, at least 100 feet away from structures, Burbank Fire Marshal Dave Starr said. Residents had until June to remove the brush, or else they could receive a citation.

Tim Willert BURBANK -- Gov. Gray Davis slashed nearly $600 million from the state budget this week, but he spared $80,000 in funding for two Burbank projects and another $15 million that could be used to develop parks in the city. Included in the $103-billion spending plan signed Thursday by Davis was $40,000 for Burbank's Childcare Demonstration Project, part of the new middle school project planned for the 200 blocks of North Fairview and North Ontario streets.

Tim Willert and Karen S. Kim HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- After years of delays, the Stough Canyon Nature Center has finally opened its doors. Hundreds of people attended a Saturday morning ribbon-cutting ceremony in the canyon of the Verdugo Mountains north of the De Bell Municipal Golf course. Guests were treated to live animal presentations and nature hikes. "We had a tremendous response," said Carol Stiver Mercado, the center's recreation program coordinator.

Tim Willert HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- The public is invited to help celebrate the grand opening of the Stough Canyon Nature Center, at 2300 Walnut Ave., from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 24 and 25. The Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services Department, along with the Burbank Nature Docents, will help welcome visitors to the center with interactive and nature displays, hikes, live animal presentations, ...

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- For as long as he can remember, Terre Hirsch has spent his leisure hours in the Verdugo Mountains. "Those mountains, I've been tromping through them my whole life, since I was a little boy," Hirsch said. With that in mind, the City Council appointed Hirsch to the Santa Monica Mountains Advisory Committee on Jan. 11. Hirsch, who works for the the city's Community Development Department and sits on the Park and Recreation Board, fills a newly created slot on the committee, one of six established by a 1999 state Senate bill that opened the body to Burbank and five other cities.