Concrete and Chaparral
Native Angeleno and certified city boy Elson Trinidad writes about the efforts to embrace -- and the opportunities to appreciate -- the natural world that exists right in our urban backyard.
Concrete and Chaparral :
Food deserts are not exclusive to the urban setting of the congested, polluted concrete jungle.
Concrete and Chaparral :
Los Angeles, a city known for its Hollywood stars, and a region home to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an aerospace industry, is, ironically, a place where actual stars can hardly be seen.
Concrete and Chaparral :
In this urban, seemingly over-paved environment, hummingbirds are an indicator species.
Concrete and Chaparral :
What we city dwellers consider the urban environment is a paved layer that we exist upon: A man-made surface of concrete, cement, masonry, and asphalt, intended to cover and conceal the natural surface at every opportunity.
Concrete and Chaparral :
Imagine setting aside several months of your life, free from the rat race, free from the daily commute, free from paying the bills, free from the oppressive bonds of daily commitments, and trading it all for discovery and adventure.
Concrete and Chaparral :
For the uninitiated, "wetlands" might seem like a mere eco-buzzword, but up until nearly a century and a half ago, coastal and inland wetlands were common features in the Southern California landscape.
Concrete and Chaparral :
I love noise. Or at least, I thought I did. Here, buffered by mountains and distance, the great urban lion has been hushed.
Concrete and Chaparral :
For it has been 110 years after the state legislature made official its status as The Golden State's flower that I had finally been successful at growing them en masse.
Concrete and Chaparral :
Having grown up just a few miles away, the park has been part of my life since I was an infant. I thought I knew Griffith Park, yet there was much more left to discover.
Concrete and Chaparral :
A place that many deride as "The Hood" or "The Ghetto" can still yield the most pleasant surprises.
Commentary:
Libraries are learning institutions. Albeit indirectly, I learned about California native plants through my local library, and the learning continues today.
Concrete and Chaparral :
Do yourself a favor, and go to the Owens River Valley to see where your water actually originates.
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'Slake' Video Project Puts Heat on LADWP Over Owens Valley
The story of the Owens Valley Water War is usually told in the past tense, but it still unfolds today, a century later. And a forthcoming video series intends to bring us all up to speed.
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