Event Three: Kayaking on the LA River

I was so thrilled to read that the LA River was eligible to count as one of our events in this class, because for the last year I've been dying to go kayaking on it, ever since I heard that such a thing was possible. What? Where? And HUH? The LA River has such a historically bad reputation, that every person I mentioned this to came up with some sort of wise crack about the filth I would encounter (Note: the LA River badly needs a brand overhaul). Near Elysian Fields there is a stretch of river with a sandy bottom, one of only 3 such sections in the 51 mile run of the LA River basin. Apparently the US Army Corps attempted to concrete over it, but the Glendale to Elysian Fields stretch is one of the deeper sections and one that easily floods so the concrete would simply not stay put, much to our modern day luck. 

Our group (LA River Kayak Safari) started off by meeting at Oso Park and biking for about 20 minutes up along the south side of the river (a gorgeous, popular riding trail) until we reached the 'put-in' point, which was just south of the 2 freeway. After a 15 minute 'How to Kayak' lesson, we were in the water! 

As an extra treat and surprise, we had 4 scientists from The Natural History Museum who happened to be along on our tour that day, so we heard an earful about the ecosystem of the river, its fowl and fish and fauna. One of the most interesting things discussed was the health of the river. They told us that the river was deemed quite healthy and they were able to scientifically measure this in a few manners: One, the river contained healthy populations of dragonflies, mayflies and black flies, that apparently only breed in healthy water environments. Two, the fish in the river had been tested and the results came back below the acceptable levels of mercury for eating.  I learned that the majority of water in the LA River comes from runoff from water-treatement plants, which is probably a big part of how it gets it bad reputation. But apparently the water being offset into the river is only one grade below drinking level, which should make us all feel a lot better about what's really going on in there. 

The kayaking trip was a spectacular way to try something new in Los Angeles, enjoy the outdoors and support the ecological health of our city. Especially since I live on the eastside only about a mile from the river, I feel highly motivated to get involved with FoLAR and to eat at FrogSpot and to get a bicycle of my own so I can enjoy these awesome new trails that people are working so hard to create. I'm so proud of the Angelenos that are trying to take back our city and our waterways and turn them toward a healthier ecosystem and a source of joy for our residents. Bravo.