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FROM PLANS AND PLATITUDES TO NEW ACTIONS AND ATTITUDES

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 | 8AM - 7PM | THE AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST

Join us as we explore connections between people and the River, the partnerships moving the health of our River forward, impacts of climate change to our River, and the importance and challenges of watershed monitoring.

Since 2008, the Los Angeles River Watershed Monitoring Program (LARWMP) has helped build a comprehensive understanding of the health of our local streams. Every 5 years, L.A. Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) and Council for Watershed Health (CWH) host the State of the Los Angeles River Watershed Symposium.

 

Join us this year on Tuesday, September 19, 2023,as we once again bring together federal/tribal/local governments, non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, scientists, academics, agency representatives, land managers, and other interested parties to learn about stream health, contaminants of emerging concern, the Los Angeles River in the era of climate change, and organizations in action around the River. Come contribute your perspective and experiences of the Los Angeles River and join the conversation as we converge the past, present, and future of the Los Angeles River.

HOSTED BY

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Thank you to our sponsors!

WILD WATERSHED

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RESILIENT RIVER

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CLEAR CONFLUENCE

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Council for Watershed Health recognizes and acknowledges that the Los Angeles River and its watershed is the traditional and ancestral lands of the Fernandeño Tataviam, Gabrieleño Tongva, Ventureño Chumash, and Gabrielino Kizh Native Nations. We honor their Elders, past and present, and their descendants. We recognize a painful history of erasure on the unceded territory we now occupy. We also recognize that CWH has not historically included tribes in our own work. We commit to being better allies and partners. Local Tribes have stewarded this land since time immemorial and we acknowledge that the First Peoples of Los Angeles County are still here. We cannot achieve the sustainability and health of our watersheds without Tribal partnership. We are committed to uplifting the local Tribes in our work and ensuring meaningful Tribal engagement in all spheres of watershed management.

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We encourage the State of LA River Watershed Symposium attendees to engage with the original stewards of the Watershed and contribute to efforts by local Tribal governments:

 

More information on the County's harms on local Tribes can be found here:

 

Learn more about Tribal allyship in this Sacred Places Institute’s training:

SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM

8:00AM - BREAKFAST & REGISTRATION

9:00AM - WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS

  • Steve Arakawa, President, Council for Watershed Health

  • Council for Watershed Health Board

  • Barbara Romero, General Manager, LA Sanitation & Environment

 

9:35AM - PANEL 1 – Beyond Banks: River and People

  • Facilitator – Miguel Luna

  • Dennis Mabasa, Chief Operating Officer, Friends of the Los Angeles River

  • Mark Stanley, Executive Officer, San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy

  • Natalie Donlin-Zapella, Principle and Policy Director, LeSar Development Consultants

  • L.B. Nye, Supervisor for Regional Programs, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board

  • Gabrielle Crowe, Vice Chair & Secretary of Environmental Sciences Gabrielino-Shoshone Tribal Council of Southern California; Cultural and Environmental Education Consultant, Ballona Wetlands Land Trust

  • Rudy Ortega Jr., Tribal President, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians

11:15AM - PANEL 2 – From Source to Stream: Scientific Perspectives on the LA River Watershed

  • Facilitator – Mas Dojiri, Ph.D., Assistant Director, LA Sanitation & Environment

  • Yareli Sanchez, D.Env., Senior Scientist, Council for Watershed Health

  • Charles Wong, Ph.D., Head of the Chemistry Department, Southern California Coastal Research Project

  • Rachel Meyer, Ph.D., Assistant Adjunct Professor, CALeDNA Program Director, University of California, Santa Cruz

  • Kris Taniguchi-Quan, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Southern California Coastal Research Project

  • Maggie Gardner, Science and Policy Manager, Los Angeles Waterkeeper

  • Melissa Turcotte, Ph.D., Head Environmental Engineering Specialist, Los Angeles County Public Works

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12:35PM - LUNCH

1:35PM - BREAKOUT SESSIONS (attendee choice)

  • The Challenge of Trash and Microplastics in the LA River

    • Facilitator – Emily Parker, Coastal and Marine Scientist, Heal the Bay

    • Jessica Blickley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pasadena City College

    • Scott Coffin, Ph.D., Research Scientist III and Microplastics Monitoring Subcommittee Co-Chair, California State Water Resources Control Board

    • Andrew Gray, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of California, Riverside

    • Rita Kampalath, Chief Sustainability Officer, LA County Chief Sustainability Office

    • Shelly Walther, Environmental Scientist, LA County Sanitation Districts

  • After the Blaze: Assessing Fire's Toll on Streams, Wildlife, and Water Quality

    • Facilitator – Clark Stevens, Executive Officer & Architect, Resource Conservation District, Santa Monica Mountain

    • ​Katy Delaney, Ph.D., Wildlife Ecologist, National Park Service

    • Scott Hauswirth, Ph.D., Associate Professor, California State University, Northridge

    • Pete Wohlgemuth, Physical Scientist, United States Forest Service

    • Matt Rich, Principal Program Manager, WSP

  • Weathering Change: Climate Impacts on Communities and Strategies for Resilience​

    • Facilitator – Kat Superfisky, Urban Ecologist, Los Angeles City Planning

    • Megan Whalen, Watershed Program Manager, United States Army Corps of Engineers

    • Lee Alexanderson, Senior Civil Engineer, Los Angeles County Public Works

    • ​Elva Yañez, Senior Advisor for Land Use, Prevention Institute

    • Roxy Rivas, Project Manager, Pacoima Beautiful

  • Docent-led tour of museum exhibits

  • Hands-On Art

    • ​On Display: LARiverX Curated Photographs, Instagram: @lariverx

    • Jenna Didier, Principal Artist, AtelierDIDIER; Executive Director, LA River Public Art Project (Instagram: @jennadda) and Khayra Mentado, Cultural Worker, Program Coordinator, LA River Public Art Project (Instagram:@lariverpublicartproject)

    • Auralynn Nguyen, Sogetsu Ikebana Artist and Instructor, Sogetsu Teachers Association; Instagram: @auralynnnguyen

 

3:05PM - PANEL 3 -– Shared Visions, Enhanced Rivers: Partnerships as Catalysts for Change

  • Facilitator – Liz Crosson, Chief Sustainability, Resiliency, and Innovation Officer, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

  • Rudy Ortega Jr., Tribal President, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians

  • Francisco Romero, Program Manager, Prevention Institute

  • Michael Affeldt, Los Angeles River Revitalization Coordinator, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering

  • Sarai Jimenez, External Affairs Outreach Associate, The Nature Conservancy

  • Carolina Hernandez, Assistant Deputy Director, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works

4:25PM - CLOSING REMARKS

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4:45PM - POSTER SESSION & RECEPTION

  • Shared Connections to our Watershed

  • Predicting, Planning for, and Adapting to Our Changing Climate

  • Monitoring Our Local Watersheds

  • Partnering for Project Success

  • Restoring Our Urban River

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Check back soon for more updates!

Program
Breakouts
poster session
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SYMPOSIUM POSTER SESSION

Explore our spotlighted poster abstracts! Join us for an enriching experience at our evening Poster Session to delve into the complete presentations by our talented presenters. Don't miss out!

Sign Up for Updates | 2023 State of the L.A. River Watershed Symposium

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