Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) PSA

(FoLAR) Friends of the Los Angeles River is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization founded in 1986, whose mission is to protect and restore the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles River and its riparian habitat through inclusive planning, education and wise stewardship. Once home to steelhead and grizzlies, the Los Angeles River meandered through wetlands, marshes, willow, alder and sycamore, providing desperately needed water for the region. Now running over 52 miles long -- from the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley to the ocean in Long Beach -- the Los Angeles River flows through 14 cities and countless neighborhoods. When the Army Corps of Engineers initiated a flood control project in the late 1930′s, they began the process of paving 80% of the River, creating the world's largest storm drain. Over the ensuing decades, the River that had been the sole water supply for the City of Los Angeles before the Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed in 1913 almost disappeared from public consciousness. Today, FoLAR continues to remove trash coming up on our third decade and brings a much needed spotlight onto one California's most precious resource.

[@maupinmaupin1472]

I am glad to see the river restored from the degradation it has suffered. Reclaiming runoff water would be a relief from the water sources being taken from Northern California.

[@theCorgiClowns]

It's always inspirational to hear Lewis speak of the river. When I hear him, I think, "Yeah, the river really will be revitalized".

[@TalaAnaan]

This is amazing!

[@tackywhale5664]

No, no it isn't. It's a God-Awful unnecessary scheme that will not only destroy one of the greatest urban engineering masterpieces of the 20th century, but will also effectively remove the much-needed concrete that was put in place to stabilize the stream banks and bed to prevent erosion in order to prevent disasters such as the flood of 1938 from ever happening again. People like you and crackhead Lewis McAdams make me sick.

[@TalaAnaan]

Yea you're right. It's amazing that the native Americans were able to survive here without the concrete channels from the Army Corp! Crazy!

[@tackywhale5664]

That may be true, but those days have long since passed by the time the 1938 flood occurred, due to the fact that by that time, LA already had a population nearly 10 times the size Native Americans living in that area could've ever been able to even imagine boasting. Even after the floods of '38, the population had grown into what is today the second largest city in all of America. So in short, there is absolutely, positively, no goddam way IN HELL that the idea of living like the Native Americans in that area would ever work, nor would the very possibility of the population shrinking down to that size ever have any hope to materialize, so long the human race doesn't collapse, something that most certainly will NEVER happen for an *incredibly* long time. And if your main message here was "Hey, the Native Americans did fine living around the natural incarnation of the LA River, lets follow their example have today's population of LA do the same!", then I have one, simple, three-word message for you: Forget it, kid! The people who remade the river into what it is today are-and will always be-on the right side of history, even if it did have any so-called "destructive impact" on the environment.

[@adebisienochoghene2808]

I think we can balance development with conservation. Not one should be at the expense of the other. #SustainableDevelopment

[@tackywhale5664]

This is an incredibly stupid idea. Why the hell would you even consider this simply because of impulse? Have you not forgotten that the Army Corps of Engineers channelized and completely encased the rive in concrete for a clearly logical and acceptable reason? That flood of 1938 was essentially a message to all of you people that the river had to be subdued in order to fully ensure the saftey of the people around it. Yet instead, you clearly ignore this important fact in order to have your vision come true. Yes, I do think it is fine establishing parks and green ways along the river, but NOT at the complete expense of any, if not all of the concrete channel that offers vital flood protection! Basically, what I am saying is please be considerate of the people who lived there-and their wishes-before YOU arrived in 1980.