Having an over planned out weekend  is extremely common for me. What is not common? Having a fire in Santa Barbara ruin my overly planned mini vacation weekend and leave me with a free Saturday with nothing planned. Such was the conundrum I faced one particular Friday in May.

So, when I received an email from the Photographers and Digital Artists of Los Angeles group stating that the Friends of the Los Angeles River needs a few photographers for their planned Great LA River Clean Up the next day, I was intrigued. After contacting the volunteer organizer, I was set.

But, nothing could prepare me for the intense learning experience that was in store.

The Los Angeles river isn’t a river as much of a storm channel. Vast in length, it’s a consistent part of the Los Angeles landscape. Often taken for granted for the important role it plays, it winds alongside the 405, 101 and 5 freeways, continues its way down to Long Beach and out to the Pacific Ocean. Many of us know that it’s important for the livelihood of the city. But, the only news we tend to hear about it is the occasional blurb about some ill fated adventurer getting stuck in it during a heavy rainstorm.

But, in a consumer heavy city, trash on the streets ends up as trash in the river. Trash in the river ends up as trash in the Pacific Ocean. Hence, the need for a clean up. Documenting the clean up at my location wouldn’t be as much of a challenge as a sobering realization regarding how trash affects the urban environment.

Assigned to the Sepulveda Basin location at Lake Balboa, I arrived on time and was promptly confused. The Army was having a rather large welcome party for new recruits. Over a hundred Army supporters, their families, new recruits and officers were scattered along the field. While walking  to the LA River clean up area, an army recruiter tried is best tactics to get me to consider joining the army.

I politely declined and continued to the FOLAR check in tent.

Looking back, I think the one thing that affected me the most was the sheer amount of trash that was pulled out. There were bags and bags of it. Seeing a Lays potato chip bag actually molded to a tree branch was also cause for a reflective pause. But, the most intense experience was watching and photographing a group of volunteers pull an extremely large clear tarp from the river. It was so large and embedded in the surrounding landscape that it had to be cut up and pulled out in pieces.

There were other notable occurrences: a Barbie that was so dirty, old and matted that it was nicknamed “Dreadlock Barbie” and my winning of a body wash and body milk set at the after clean up raffle. But, the main thing that I took away from this experience – and still think about – is the extent at which humans affect their environment through careless waste.

I guess that’s what happens when you stop taking things for granted, open your eyes up and see things for how they really are.

Gallery:

The Great LA River Clean Up Sepulveda Basin

Additional Information:

Friends of the Los Angeles River: http://folar.org/
Sepulveda Basin Site: http://folar.org/?page_id=377