FRI-FS-10: Tracing the LA River: Sepulveda Basin

Field Session Leader(s)

• 

  Jessica M. Henson, ASLA, PLA, AICP

  Partner
  OLIN
  LOS ANGELES, CA
• 

  Mark Hanna, PE (he/him/his)

  Senior Service Director
  Geosyntec Consultants, Inc
  Los Angeles, CA

Field Session Presenter(s)

• 

  Emily Alcott

  Principal Ecologist & Fluvial Geomorphologist
  Inter-Fluve
  Hood River, Oregon
• 

  Christopher Torres, ASLA (he/him/his)

  Founding Principal
  Agency Artifact
  Alhambra, CA
• 

  Brian Baldauf, ASLA

  Deputy Executive Officer
  Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority
  Los Angeles, California
• 

  Marcelino Ascensio, PE

  Senior Civil Engineer
  City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering
  Los Angeles, California

Sepulveda Basin/ Sarah Swanseen

Come explore the largest park along the LA River and learn about the proposals to naturalize the river. During the session, you’ll forget you are in the middle of one of the largest cities in the country, be enchanted by the potential for habitat, and see 2028 Olympic sites.

Includes transportation. Moderate walking.

Accessibility: At the LA River near the Sepulveda Dam, the trail is not ADA accessible. This portion of the route requires walking approximately ½ mile along the river’s edge, and conditions are more similar to a mild hike than a paved pathway. While there are no significant elevation or grade changes, there is no accessible path available along this section. Closed-toe shoes are recommended.

Learning Outcomes:

• Coordinate with local, state, and federal governments to set project priorities that are directly based on community engagement feedback and serve disadvantaged communities.
• Strategize to develop long-term phasing and partnerships for urban projects that will take many years to realize but also have short-term needs such as access for the LA2028 Olympics.
• Develop proposals for Nature Based Solutions to dechannelize rivers and creeks based on geomorphological, hydrological, and hydraulic data and when and how to partner with scientists and engineers.
• Learn about opportunities and challenges on community issues in LA related to topics such as operations and maintenance in public landscapes, project funding, and strategies to support persons experiencing homelessness.