California note
Gardena Willows keeps a piece of the Dominguez Slough alive
Gardena Willows is a small urban wetland preserve tied to the old Dominguez Slough, local stewardship, runoff, habitat, and community education.
Gardena Willows is small, but it carries a big local idea. It preserves part of a wetland landscape tied to the old Dominguez Slough in a city that is now heavily built around it.
The preserve is used for environmental education and stewardship. Local residents worked in the 1970s to keep the wetland from being filled, and the site now helps people see what this part of the watershed looked like before so much of it was paved and channelized. The steward history also notes how the preserve helps clean street runoff before it moves toward the Dominguez Channel and the ocean.
This is not a huge park. Its value is in being rare and local. Check the city and Friends pages for access, tours, volunteer days, and event rules before stopping by.
Where to see it
Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve. Check city and steward pages for access days, tours, events, and volunteer information.
Sources
Sources for this story
Reviewed June 30, 2026
Public sources for the places, events, and details above.
Connected places
Open the local directory
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