On July 25, 2008, a group of hardy adventurers will embark on an extraordinary expedition of the Los Angeles River by kayak and canoe, to demonstrate to developers and the Army Corps of Engineers that the LA RIVER is indeed a navigable waterway that should be protected and owned by the people of Los Angeles.
A mighty river in previous centuries, Los Angeles River is now one of the most hydraulically modified urban rivers in the world. Nearly seventy-five percent of the fifty-two mile long river is enclosed in concrete. Channelization of the river was initiated in 1938 by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of a massive flood control project which continued until the late 1950s. Interest in returning the river to a more natural state has developed in the last few decades.
Here is the proposed timetable for the expedition:
DAY 1 (Fri., July 25th)
o 3:00 pm. Kick-off ceremony/"launch" at the LA River Headwaters on overpass @ Owensmouth; Canoga Park. Supporters welcome.
o 4:00-5:30 pm. Our group explores the Sepulveda Basin. Supporters can park at the parking lot at Balboa Park soccer fields and look for us on river. {6000 Balboa Blvd, Encino, CA 91316. Thomas Guide pg. 531, D1}
o 5:30-7 pm. Our boats travel from beginning of Sepulveda Basin to take-out @ Burbank Blvd. x LA River (100' or so downriver). Supporters can try to find us along that route, or show support atop the banks @ that take-out. Woodley Ave. is the best place to park cars for take-out.
DAY 2 (Sat., July 26th)
o 9:00 am. Riverside talk with Dr. Jenny Price (cars @ Woodley Ave.; talk just downstream from river @ Burbank Ave.; east/Woodley side of river). Supporters welcome.
o 3:00 pm. Griffith Park / Bette Davis Picnic Area. Supporters welcome for riverside picnic @ park.
o 5:30 pm. Atwater Village / Yoga Park; Los Feliz Blvd. x LARiver (100' downriver from there on east side of river @ Dover St.). A speaker will address the crew and anyone else who wants to show up as supporters.
o 7:30 pm. Marsh Park. (end of Marsh Street, off Riverside Drive). Supporters welcome to riverside chat at the park. {2961 Marsh St., LA, CA 90039. Thomas Guide pg. 5944, F3.}
DAY 3 (Sun., July 26th)
o 11 am - 1 pm. Greetings from downtown bridges for anyone who cares to locate us.
o 1:30 pm. Maywood riverside park. Casual bring-your-own-food picnic lunch at their new park. Supporters welcome.
o 3:30 pm. Compton Creek. Explore Dominguez Gap/Slough. Supporters welcome.
o 5:00 pm. Willow Street Estuary {2500 block of De Forest Ave @ 25th Place, Long Beach, CA 90806; Thomas Guide pg. 795, C3.}. Supporters welcome.
o 7 pm. Final take-out at Shoreline Park in Long Beach. Supporters welcome. Celebrate. Plant the flag. Mingle. Closure.
The official expedition press release: http://www.lalatimes.com/lariver/IR_BoatersPlanDescent07082008.pdf
FOLAR: Friends of L A River http://folar.org/
CJ - being from the east (both north and south) I know nothing about LA except 2 days in Long Beach. (which was beautiful!) It sounds like a lot of fun and should generate a lot of publicity! Good luck and take pictures!
I wonder how many years of leaving it alone it would take to get it back to a natural state. Have fun and send us the results of your expedition.
@Teri, Given that the river is almost completely paved with concrete throughout its entire length, it no longer really has a natural state.
On the other hand, given the history of devastation by flooding in the 1800s, some amount of flood control (read channelization with concrete) is probably a necessary evil.
The present day challenge is to beautify the river as it is, create a habitat that encourages wildlife to return, and create a nearby retreat for city dwellers to enjoy.
Cheryl - I explored much of the L.A. river when I was in my teens growing up in Glendale & La Crescenta. Access was pretty easy, except during the rains. It didn't appear to be navigable along all the stretches even in the late 50's early 60's. It was often dry.
Although navigable by kayak, the effort will probably not earn it a navigable river label.
Good luck.
@Mike, I don't doubt, especially this time of year, there will be stretches the guys just get out, carry the kayaks, and walk. :-)
I think this is about making a statement as much as anything else.
This sounds like a lot of fun -- I wasn't aware there were anything other that freeways!
Cheryl, I think it's a wonderful event and hope that they can preserve the river. Sure sounds like they're making a statement and I hope it's heard.
It truly sickens me that previous generations were so short-sighted and had such little respect for natural resources, especially water ways.
Where I am from development moved major waterways, towns were buried by damns, all kinds of unspeakable acts were performed in the name of progress.
As for flood prevention, I do not know what the answer is, but it is not what was initiated in the past that killed natural waterways.
I believe people should respect nature and not interfere with the natural course of nature.
Good luck to this venture.
Cheryl.....this sounds like a great activity and a lot of fun.
Cheryl this is great! Years ago I was the Environmental Legislative Deputy for Councilmember Tom LaBonge and worked on the LA River projects in District 4. This is very exciting to hear!
Someday I'd love to see Folar's vision for the river come to fruition!
I love to kayak, usually in the bay and the ocean down here. Never thought of the LA River.
That's a river? It looks like drainage ditch to me :-)
@Daniel ... That's the rub. It was a river. Starting back in the 1930s, it was "channelized", that is, paved with concrete and basically turned into a drainage ditch to help control flooding. People want to make it look a little more like a river again. That said, Los Angeles is basically a desert, so the L A River is more like a desert arroyo.
Cheryl,
What an adventure! I'm looking forward to learning more.
(What's the @sign?)
Mike in Tucson
@Mike: It's a Twitter affectation. :-) It indicates a reply to a particular individual.