Adventures for Kids on the LA River

We work on the local level to transform perceptions of the LA River through on-the-water adventures and environmental education. Our goal is to help people see and feel the value of the river and develop a mutually beneficial relationship with this mistreated waterway. We believe that the more people develop a relationship with the river, the more they will play an active role in its protection and revitalization. It is particularly important to foster this relationship with Los Angeles youth, who have limited opportunities to make connections with the living parts of their landscape.

Through the generous contributions of ioby donors, urban youths will be able to participate in river adventures. Through these adventures, kids will learn about the Los Angeles River’s truly unique watershed, while gaining knowledge of boating skills and river safety, working as a team, and acquiring leadership and community-building skills, and cleaning up the river. The adventures include river cleanup and educational activities focused on local wildlife, the watershed, history of the river, and boating and river safety skills.

1. Outreach to local school groups and clubs to let them know of the opportunity for adventure and education on the LA River.
2. Obtain permit from Army Corps of Engineers for river trips
3. Provide four trips (approximately 10 kids on each trip) sometime between April and October 2012 (depending on permit-response times).

There are some things you probably don’t know about the LA River: despite appearances, it’s a real river. It’s not just a movie set or a drainage ditch or a lifeless trash dump. It is a living ecosystem that carries water from the mountain ranges that surround Los Angeles into the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, these aren’t widely known facts. In the 1930s, the Army Corps of Engineers initiated a flood control project that paved the majority of the river, and with the cement came a shift in perception: the river was no longer a river.  Until July 2010, the LA River was not considered “traditionally navigable," so it was not protected by federal regulations, such as the Clean Water Act, which limit industrial discharges and protect wetlands.

We helped change that by raising the profile of the river and paddling the 51 mile stretch from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach (it is navigable!). Our work is only beginning. We have taken some significant strokes in highlighting the river as an integral part of the watershed that deserves to be protected and restored. But we need to do more. We need to connect people to the river so that they will be inspired to protect and restore it to a clean, healthy, safe and sustainable urban waterway for current and future generations of Angelenos.

For more information: www.lariverexpeditions.org and www.rocktheboatfilm.com