A River of Opportunity

Even here in the city, bits of the country find ways of lingering in the most unlikely places--places that restore sanity when the mush of traffic and the jangle of cellular phones seem overwhelming. Decades of development have not been able to erase rugged slivers such as the equestrian trail that tracks the Los Angeles River between the Los Angeles Equestrian Center and Warner Bros. studios in Burbank. But what floods and concrete have left untouched now faces an even greater threat: bureaucratic overreaction.

After the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the river channel and owns the adjacent land, received a complaint about a fence that was too short to prevent passersby from falling into the channel, it took the appropriately governmental course. It promptly put up “No Trespassing” signs. Rather than fix the hazard, the corps decided simply to keep people away from it. Maybe that solution works in government. But it doesn’t work in real life. Horse riders simply ignore the ban and ride nonchalantly past the red, white and blue signs.

Corps officials have offered to keep the trail open--provided Burbank ponies up for insurance coverage, fence improvements and trail maintenance. The arrangement would be similar to the deal the corps has with Los Angeles, which maintains bicycle paths along the river channel a few miles downstream. Burbank may not particularly like the idea of suddenly having to pay for a park it has enjoyed essentially for free for all these years, but taking over the property is smart and deserves a close look.

The corps has a point with its reminder that the modern Los Angeles River channel was never designed as a park. It’s a giant drain, part of the mammoth system of concrete channels, catch basins and reservoirs that prevents flooding during heavy storms. Other uses are ancillary. But they need not be excluded. The Los Angeles River offers huge recreational potential, as projects such as the bicycle path illustrate. Although the corps may not have the resources or the inclination to develop these areas, cities and neighborhoods along the waterway should seize any opportunity to spruce up the ugly channels.

The improvements and maintenance contemplated by Burbank need not cost the city much. The efforts of the late Ernie LaMere, a retired waiter who turned a stretch of the channel through Sherman Oaks into a shady oasis, demonstrate how cheaply an area can be beautified through donations and volunteer labor. Residents and equestrians who use the Burbank trail have the opportunity to make it a truly special place. They should seize it.