Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation Honors Reyes at Kick-Off Event

More than 200 guests gathered on the afternoon of September 11th to help 'kick-off' the newly launched Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation on the patio of Atwater Crossing near the Los Angeles River.

An independent organization created by the City of Los Angeles two years ago, the LARRC is a non-profit corporation charged with promoting responsible development, redevelopment, and revitalization along the Los Angeles River corridor, in accordance with the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, according to their website, http://thelariver.com/.

Sunday's event drew quite the 'Who's Who' of Los Angeles 'riverly' people. While guests mingled and noshed, facilitator Ron Milam  got the 'riverly' energy going with his LA River wall mural where everyone was encouraged to draw their 'dream project' for the LA River.

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti opened the formal festivities by welcoming the enthusiastic crowd, and introduced LARRC's first Executive Director, Omar Brownson, seen here offering his vision for the River, while LARRC Vice-Chairman and first Corporation Chair Harry Chandler looks on.

Omar, who has extensive experience in start-up organizations, spoke of how he's 'come home' to LA to help move LA River revitalization forward.

In the short few months since Omar's hiring in January 2011, LARRC has launched their website, moved to offices at the LA River Center, and hired two additional staff members to work on fund-raising and office operations.

Among the political dignitaries in the crowd were Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, Los Angeles City Council Member Tom LeBonge, Los Angeles Public Works Director Paula Daniels, Los Angeles City Planning Commission President Bill Roschen, and LA Planning Commissioner Barbara Romero.

The highlight of the day's event was the presentation by LARRC Board Chairman Daniel Tellalian of the first 'Changing the Course of LA' Award to Los Angeles City Council Member and River Champion Ed Reyes. The award, a beautiful bas relief of a blue heron rising from the River, was a commissioned work created by Los Angeles artist Steve Appleton.

During his remarks, award recipient Reyes spoke passionately about his vision for the LA River, forged by more than a decade of river revitalization advocacy within the City, and spoke how immediate attention on river corridor revitalization would bring much needed new jobs to the City of Los Angeles.

Other 'riverly' leaders spotted in the crowd included: LARRC Board Members Bruce Saito and Daphne Zuniga; LA Mayor's Office Liaison Romel Pascual; LA River Committee Liaison Lupe Vela; US Army Corps of Engineers Planning Chief Josephine Axt; LA Bureau of Engineering's Deborah Weintraub;  LA River Office Director Dr. Carol Armstrong with staffers Larry Hsu and Megan Whalen; CRA's Jason Neville; TreePeople's Andy Lipkis; Landscape Architect Mia Lehrer; Master Gardener Glen Dake; and the Trust for Public Land's Carolyn Ramsay.

August Happenings on the Los Angeles River & The Arroyo Seco

It's hard to believe it's August already with the summer quickly moving along. Here's some of the latest goings on with the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco.

1. The big exciting news is that the US Army Corps of Engineers has issued permits to allow a 'Pilot Non-Motorized Boating Program' to take place on the Los Angeles River in the Sepulveda Basin area over a 6-week weekend test period.

Dignitaries from far and wide attended the August 8th 'kick-off' event, including USACE Colonel Mark Toy, LA Conservation Corps Executive Bruce Saito (whose organization is the lead agency for the pilot program), kayak activist George Wolfe, Melanie Winter of The River Project, Miguel Luna from Urban Semillas, and Lupe Vela, LA City Liaison to the Los Angeles River Committee. Political heavyweights included Joe Edminston of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, LA City Councilmember Tony Cardenas (in whose district the pilot program will take place) and LA City Councilmember Ed Reyes, whose vision and commitment over many years to revitalize the LA River was noted.

Once the official festivities ended, it was time to get the boats in the water! While this was a short ceremonial paddle in the LA River, it heralded the beginning of a new era of river access for the public.

The pilot program sold out within minutes of opening for reservations, so it won't be possible to participate in this month's paddling events if you are not already one of the lucky persons with reservations. Organizers are hopeful, though, that this initial pilot program's success will facilitate expanded boating access to the LA River soon.

2. If you are not a fortunate paddler, don't dismay. Friends of the Los Angeles River (http://www.folar.org/) is offering 90-minute docent led walks along the LA River in the Sepulveda Basin highlighting this historic non-motorized boating program beginning August 21st. Reservations are required - free to FoLAR members - $10 donation for non-members.

3. Feel like getting your hands dirty? River lovers have two opportunities this Saturday, August 20th:

The Arroyo Seco Foundation (http://www.arroyoseco.org/) is hosting a Central Arroyo Stream clean-up from 9:30am to 11:30am to remove trash and invasive species in the naturalized area of the Arroyo Seco just south of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.  Park at the south end of Brookside Parking Lot I near the Aquatic Center and meet at the picnic tables in the south end of the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. Wear sturdy shoes, working clothes, a hat, and sunscreen. Tools and trash bags will be provided. It's a fun way to enjoy and help nature at the same time.

Live on the other side of LA? Why not join the Village Gardeners from 9:00am to noon for some native plant landscape maintenance along the LA River in Studio City at the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom, 13236 Valleyheart Drive (south side of The River, 1/2 block east of Fulton)? Wear closed toed shoes and bring a hat and sunscreen. Tools and gloves will be provided. Refreshments, too! RVSP to rrabins@villagegardeners.org or 818-667-7605.

4. The Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation (http://thelariver.com/) has two upcoming events as well: Their Board of Directors holds its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, August 17th, 5:30pm to 7:30pm, in the Mayor's Press Conference Room at Los Angeles City Hall. September 11 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, marks LARRC's inaugural community event, Let's Talk River, honoring Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed Reyes.

Finally, if you just want to get out and enjoy urban nature this month, check out the recreational opportunities along the Arroyo Seco, including the Arroyo Seco Trail Guide here: http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/PublicWorks/arroyo_recreation_and_activities/

Los Angeles River Chosen for New Urban Waters Federal Partnership

The Los Angeles River has been chosen as one of seven river watersheds nationwide to participate in the new pilot program of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership. This pilot program aims to revitalize growing American cities and the natural resources that surround them.

This new national partnership aligns the programmatic goals of the White House's Great Outdoors Initiative and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities to link economic revitalization with environmental sustainability.

Designed to break down federal government agency 'silos,' while promoting collaboration among federal, state, local agencies and non-profit and community-based environmental organizations, the Urban Waters Federal Partnership selected the Los Angeles River Watershed in part because more than 70% of its residents live more than a quarter mile from a park or open space, resulting in a lack of access to such environmental resources as clean air and potable water. The LA River was also cited for its success record in current federal colloboration efforts along the river corridor, especially in working with disadvantaged communities.

The focus of this new partnership is on revitalizing local watershed efforts, including enhancing flood control, improving water quality through green infrastructure, enabling safe public river access, and restoring ecosystems.

Examples of ongoing work where local communities in the Los Angeles River Watershed are engaged in partnerships with federal agencies are the: Station Fire Restoration, Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration, South Los Angeles Wetlands Park, Hansen Dam Wetlands/Stormwater Treament/Park Expansion Project, the Elmer Street Neighborhood Retrofit, and Disadvantaged Community Outreach Education Program.

The Partnership's immediate focus is on facilitating more economic development, especially in the Clean Tech Corridor; more recreational river access opportunities; more outdoor education in partnership with the LA Unified School District; and enhanced focus on conservation of the region's scarce water supply.

Spearheaded by leadership from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), participating federal agencies include the US Department of Agriculture (USDA); Department of the Army - Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); US Department of Commerce - Economic Development Administration (EDA); US Department of Commerce - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS); US Department of Health and Human Services - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP); US Department of Health and Human Services - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); US Department of the Interior (DOI); and US Department of Transportation (DOT).

The six other American river watersheds selected for this federal pilot program include: Anacostia Watershed, District of Columbia/Maryland; Patapsco Watershed, Baltimore Region, Maryland; Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds, New York; South Platte River, Denver, Colorado; Lake Ponchartrain Area, New Orleans, Louisiana; and the Northwest Indiana Urban Corridor along the Lake Michigan Shoreline.

Arroyo Lover on the River Road

Is this the La Loma Bridge in Pasadena? Of course not. The natural stream course under the bridge looks nothing like today's concrete channelized Arroyo Seco. But it could look like this in the future if we remain vigilant in restoring our historic Pasadena stream.

I haven't posted here recently because for the past few weeks, the Arroyo Lover has been on the road to her native Ohio and what a treasure trove of watershed restoration and revitalization activity it's been!

The photo above is actually of Mill Creek, a major tributary of the Mahoning (meaning Salt Licks) River, deemed by the USACE as one of America's five most polluted rivers due to a century of steel mill and manufacturing toxin dumping into its waterways.

Fortunately, Mill Creek is relatively pristine, thanks to the leadership of Volney Rogers, who created Mill Creek Park in 1891, the first park district in Ohio. Today, Mill Creek Metroparks manage 4800 acres of riverine parkland (more than double the Arroyo Seco parkland in Pasadena!) full of trails, athletic fields, golf courses, and historical landmarks, like the Lanterman Mill, seen here, one of the first grist mills on the creek which was completely restored in the 1980s. This historic restoration allows visitors to visit one of the finest riverside interpretative sites I've ever seen: you can walk four levels within the mill, including down to the water wheel itself. In addition, the viewing platform next to the falls is so close you can feel the spray! And what a great old wooden dam made of railroad ties, still functional after 100 years. Los Angeles County engineers could take a clue about how to use natural materials on area waterways from this project.

And what fun is a river if you can't play on it? So, one Sunday afternoon, I joined about 15 members of the Trumbull Council Trails Canoe Club (ranging in age from 3 years old to 75!) on a 5 mile 'float' down the Upper Mahoning River (the healthier part). Aside from an occasional railroad trestle or highway bridge overhead, we did not see much evidence of civilization but we did see a lot of nature's beauty: birds, flowers, and trees in full foliage. It was interesting to see how many tree branches were down in the river, creating a sort of 'mogul' run, and how little human trash was in the waterway. The Canoe Club members are the nicest people, too! They virtually let me crash their party, shared a canoe, and gave me a paddle and PFD (personal flotation device) to use. We had lots of water wars, too, with the youngsters in particular trying to spray us old folks with water from their Max Liquidators. But I got revenge when one of the boys accidentally dropped his water gun in the river, which I retrieved, then took aim and fired away!

Next it was off to the Cuyahoga ( meaning crooked) River, once famous for having caught on fire. But what a difference 40 years of restoration makes!

From listening to the Cleveland Orchestra perform at Blossom Music Center within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to exploring the Upper Cuyahoga river towns of Aurora and Hudson, it was a delight to see the river so healthy.

Finally, it was time for a stop in my old college town, Kent, Ohio, where the city undertook a $5 million dam removal/river restoration project completed about 5 years ago. And look at what a terrific achievement it is - a free flowing river once again supported by a beautiful waterfall, riverwalk, and direct access to the river. Home to the Davey Tree Company, Kent is the original 'Tree City,' making the woodsy river stroll cool and breezy. The day of my visit, a few young fishermen were fly fishing along its shore.

This area of the river is also popular with kayakers and Kent State University students run a canoe livery on weekends based out of Tannery Park. Most exciting of all is Kent's planned natural whitewater park along this section of the river. Kent City Manager Dave Ruller graciously shared with me the conceptual design plan for the whitewater park. Yes, the river only reaches a maximum of 1100 cfs - not Class 3 or Class 4 rapids, but definitely a fast enough flow for some serious water fun.  It's an exciting project that will create a terrific water trail through the middle of this college town. Wouldn't it be great to have something like that on the Los Angeles River, too?

This trip certainly offered a different perspective to my usual work in the Greater Los Angeles area, where water shortage and channelized waterways are the norm. Strategically located at the heart of the top of two major watersheds, the Cuyahoga (which flows north) and the Mahoning (which flows southeast), Northeast Ohio has plenty of water and is one of the few non-water stressed regions in our country. The environmental ethic is very strong here as well, because intuitively the people who live in this region know that trash interferes with the food chain. (Agriculture is still the number one 'industry' in Ohio). Even the former Mayor of Struthers, now Youngstown State University's Urban Studies Professor and Mahoning River Restoration collaborator, lamented his inability while on city council to get the area designated a watershed district!

This eastern navigable rivers visit was definitely a Huck Finn type of adventure with my Ohio river brothers and sisters. What an inspiration for those days when achieving true integrated urban river restoration seems an impossible dream!

Los Angeles River Cooperation Committee Approves Two New Projects

It was a full house at the April 4th quarterly meeting of the Los Angeles River Cooperation Committee, composed of representatives of the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and related agencies who have agreed to work cooperatively to implement the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan.

After the call to order and a report from the High Speed Rail (HSR) team on new proposed alignments along the Los Angeles River, especially in the Cypress Park Area, the focus turned to two new projects, which the Committee unanimously approved.

The first, the Headwaters Project, was presented by Richard Gomez (seen in the photo above) of the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, which is spearheading the effort. This $7 million riverfront project, a LA County collaboration with the Los Angeles LA River Office, the City Department of Transportation and the LA County Bicycle Coalition, includes the creation of bioswales, native plants, interpretative signage and connectivity with the LA River Bicycle Path.

This project is in a key West San Fernando Valley location near De Soto and Browns Creek Bridge, and, when completed, will serve thousands of residents within its close proximity to 3 schools, Quinby Park, Topanga Plaza and other local business districts. The project anticipates completion by May 2013. It will have no channel capacity impact.

The second approved project, sponsored by the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, is located in the North Atwater Park area of the LA River and entails the building of a new 'Atwater Park Multi-Modal Crossing,' a hybrid bridge over the LA River that will allow walkers, bicyclists and equestrians to 'share the crossing' as a safe connection from Atwater to Griffith Park.

This projected $3 million project, a collaboration with Buro Happold, Fuscoe Engineering, Mia Lehrer+Associates, Gardiner+Theobald and Tetra Tech, will be a 230-280 foot long span with a 27-30 foot width. The project managers are currently evaluating arch, cable truss, and cable suspension design options.

Most importantly, the Atwater Crossing will mark the first LA River project that will totally privately funded by an enthusiastic donor, according to LA River Revitalization Corporation Board Chair Daniel Tellalian.

Other announcements included:

.April 30th is the Annual Mayor's Day of Service and this year will focus exclusively on Los Angeles River clean-up projects and events, in cooperation with Friends of the LA River and the Los Angeles River Office.  Attendees were encouraged to 'get out the volunteers' on April 30th, since the Cities of Los Angeles and Chicago are having a friendly competition to see who can get more volunteers involved in their respective river projects.

.Mark Pestrella, Los Angeles County Assistant Director of Public Works, noted that the Lake Alameda Greenway Project at Victory and Alameda in Burbank had just had its Groundbreaking. He also stated that there will be a June dedication for the retrofitting of Big Tujunga Dam, which will increase capacity by 4500 acre feet of stormwater capture. Finally, 40 acres in the Sun Valley Watershed have been purchased by the County to design and create an upper area wetland project in Sun Valley Park with LA City and LADWP partners.

The LA Zoo Parking Lot Stormwater demonstration project will be dedicated on April 7th at 9:30am.

The City of Glendale Riverwalk groundbreaking is scheduled for April 14th at noon.

The annual Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition LA River Bike Ride will be held this year on June 5th.

The next meeting of the River Cooperation Committee is scheduled for July 5, 2011.

Cal Poly Students Roam the LA River on Bicycles

Last Saturday found the Cal Poly Pomona Urban & Regional Planning 487 class on the streets of Elysian Valley, doing a site visit as part of their conceptual design plan to create a Neighborhood Gateway Center in this neighborhood on the West Bank of the Los Angeles River.

But this was no typical planning site visit. It was a bicycle tour of the neighborhood and LA River by 40 enthusiastic planning students, searching for the clues that make each community, including Elysian Valley, unique.

The morning started with coffee and overview presentations by LA River, CRA-LA, and neighborhood leaders at the Frank Romero Frogtown Art Studio on Blake Avenue.

Speakers included LA River Office Director, Dr. Carol Armstrong, CRA-LA liaison to the LA River Revitalization Corporation, Jason Neville, Friends of the LA River Executive Director Shelly Backlar, Dorris Place Elementary Principal Susan Grant, and CRA-LA Northeast Los Angeles River Study Area Planner and Team Leader, Allison Becker. Also in attendance for CRA were Jessica Cowley of the Neighborhood Design Studio, Outreach Coordinator Michael Cortez, and Technical Services Coordinator Alex Holsheimer.  Each short presentation helped orient the students to the neighborhood's history and character as well as opportunities and challenges for river restoration and community revitalization.

Then it was outside to the bicycles and a roving tour of the neighborhood and the river, via the newly opened LA River Bicycle Path, to visit landmarks, ask questions of the presenters who were posted at various stations throughout the community, and take pictures of buildings, green streets, and local color that will help them design an important new gateway community hub that will connect Frogtown, as it is affectionately called, with the LA River and beyond, including an imagined future bridge across the River to connect this neighborhood with Taylor Yard and the Rio de Los Angeles State Park on the East Bank.

Based upon the level of curiosity and energy at the site visit, expectations are high for a terrific final conceptual plan, which will be completed in March.  Check back then to see the final product.

Special thanks to local businesses Antigua Cultural Coffee House for providing coffee and Flying Pigeon LA for providing bicycles.

How about exploring your neighborhood from the seat of a bicycle?