Harvard students help Corps inspect
portion of Los Angeles River
Kristen Skopeck
LOS ANGELES — Ironically, the proverbial expression
“killing two birds with one stone” applies to a kayaking inspection undertaken by Los Angeles District personnel and
14 graduate students from Harvard University in a two-mile
section of the Los Angeles River Sept. 25.
Neither party was interested in “harming birds,” but
both saw the opportunity to collaborate to accomplish compatible goals.
The District is bound by the Code of Federal Regulations
which requires pre- and post-flood season visual inspections
of flood control channels built and operated or maintained
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Harvard graduate students are part of a landscape architecture and urban
planning and design class that is exploring the Los Angeles
River as a mechanism of change that can positively impact
the future of Los Angeles and revolutionize the way people
improve urban watersheds. Both parties needed to get a
close-up view of the river and worked to formalize an agreement whereby the students volunteered to assist the District.
“The students were able to help our maintenance personnel identify native and non-native plant species, as well
as damage or undercutting that had developed in the channel,” said Steve Dwyer, chief of Navigation Branch, Project
Management Division. “The timing of the students’ visit was
perfect, since there is so much interest in the river because
of the Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility
Study.”
Kayaks and protective gear were donated by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, who also
provided park rangers to lead and assist the group. Everyone
in the inspection party also donned an orange construction
safety vest.
The inspection began near Marsh Park in the Elysian
Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles, which is adjacent to a
nine-mile section of the river that has a natural, soft bottom
instead of concrete. The trip ended by Steelhead Park, not
far from the confluence of the 5 and 110 freeways.
“The students gained an understanding of the Corps
responsibilities associated with maintenance of the river and
of the opportunities that are possible in realizing the river’s
potential,” said Harvard’s Visiting Design Critic in Landscape
Architecture Gerdo Aquino.
Aquino said the class, through a series of field trips,
workshops and lectures, will explore new open space typologies that could include river specific recreation venues,
bridges, parks, development opportunitie