The city will host two public meets to present the proposed Los Angeles River Recreational Zone Pilot Program the Glendale Narrows. Come on down and weigh in:

Saturday, Feb 23, from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m., Dickerson Employee Benefits Conference Room, 1918 Riverside Drive, L.A. or the following Monday, at the Ad Hoc River Committee Meeting at 3 p.m. in City Hall, 10th floor. For courtesy parking, call (213) 473-7001

Meanwhile, the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities has awarded a community challenge planning grant worth more than $2 million to the newly formed Northeast Los Angeles Riverfront Collaborative. (Could somebody tell me who comes up with these names … geez). The aim is to use the bucks to “re-envision Northeast Los Angeles communities located along the L.A. River into a Riverfront District, focusing on community revitalization, environmental stewardship, sustainable civic engagement and economic growth for the entire city,” according to a press release from NELA RC.

If you want to weigh in on this one, simply go to its new website, http://www.mylariver.org, and complete the sentence “I want my river to be …” Of the 500 responses so far, one read “A nice safe place with no trash and have nice friends.” I penned one about fly fishing for carp, because my fear in all of this is that the fish will be eliminated by the Army Corps because they aren’t indigenous.

And Tony Taylor a.k.a “the birdman” has begun an online petition against any sort of river development short of turning it into a wildlife sanctuary. You can find it at http://www.change.org and of this writing has 15 signatures.

See you on the river, Jim Burns