Lush Los Angeles River

Title

Lush Los Angeles River

Artist

Ram Vasudev

Medium

Photograph

Description

Lush Los Angeles River, a wonderful urban wildlife habitat.

The LA River is undergoing an extensive rehabilitation in an attempt to return it and its wildlife to the original glory. Historically, the river provided a source of water and food for the Tongya people before the arrival of the Spanish. It was an alluvial river that ran freely across a flood plain that is now occupied by Los Angeles, Long Beach and other cities in Southern California. Its path was unstable and unpredictable, and the mouth of the river moved frequently between Long Beach and Ballona Creek. In the early 19th century, the river turned southwest and discharged into the Santa Monica Bay. A flash flood in 1825 diverted its course to its present one, discharging into the San Pedro Bay. Unpredictable and devastating floods continued to plague it well into the 1930s, leading to calls for flood control measures. The Army Corps of Engineers completely encased the river's bed and banks in concrete, with only a trickle of water usually flowing down its middle. It served primarily as a flood control channel, fed by storm drains. As a result, much of the original wildlife and 95 percent of the riparian areas were wiped out, according to a recent environmental assessment.

Things are changing quickly for the better, though. A move is afoot, in response to environmental concerns, to rehabilitate the LA River to its splendor of a hundred years ago from the eye sore that it was quite recently. The Army Corps of Engineers, with support from the Federal government, the city and the state, is developing an extensive plan to transform two segments of the river stretching 11 miles in length into green space for natural habitats for wildlife by restoring wetlands that have been lost to urban sprawl. This in addition to cleanup effort from local environmental groups. The cleanup and restoration seem to be coming along quickly, as seen in this photo.

You may also be interested in my LA River wildlife photos in my LA County gallery.

Image copyrighted
© Ram Vasudev
All rights reserved

This work is protected by US and International Copyright laws. Do not steal this art by downloading to a computer, printing, copying (including screen capture) or reproducing in any form. It is illegal to do so and all infringements will be pursued to the full extent of the law.

Uploaded

November 17th, 2015

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