L.A. River Makes Obama's America's Great Outdoors Agenda
Well done, City Councilman Ed Reyes. It appears as though your recent chitchat with President Barack Obama paid off. The L.A. River has been named one of 100 projects identified in The 50-State Report.
Released today, the federal report serves as part of Obama's America's Great Outdoors (AGO) initiative to establish a conservation and recreation agenda for the 21st century - a promise to future generations.
Reyes and company (other members of the National League of Cities' Advisory Council) met with Obama on his east coast turf last week to discuss the following three requests:
*President should issue an executive order requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete an ecosystem study of the river within six months.*President should fund the America's Great Outdoors Initiative in a manner benefiting seven urban waters pilot locations.
*President should ask Congress to fund the Los Angeles River Corps.
Reyes, who chairs the city's ad hoc committee on the river and has spearheaded the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan (LARRMP), said, "I am thrilled that our friends at the federal level see the L.A. River as one of the nation’s most promising ways to reconnect people to the natural world," per a L.A. City Hall release.
The report calls for "technical and financial support for parks, trails and habitat restoration aspects of the LARRMP" as potential federal level action, per the release. The Master Plan is a 25- to 50-year blueprint that aims to transform a 30+ mile stretch of the L.A. river into a continuum of greenbelt linking communities. The initiative identifies over 240 projects that could foster 19,000 permanent jobs.
All projects were selected based off the following three criteria:
*Potential to conserve important lands*Build recreation opportunities
*Spur economic growth for the surrounding communities as part of close engagement with Gov. Jerry Brown, state and local elected officials, community groups and private landowners.
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34), who Reyes thanked in his statement, said,
We have a cohesive partnership between our communities, state, and local governments, and we look forward to working with the AGO on our shared vision of a Los Angeles River with recreational and business activities for our many communities. I commend City Councilman Ed Reyes and all the River advocates for their commitment to River revitalization. I look forward to the day when the Los Angeles River can be a point of civic pride.
