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Los Angeles News Bulletin, Summer 2003

The Woodlands Farm property follows the San Gabriel River for two miles,a haven for birdwatching in an industrial city Photo by: Rich Reid

River Vision for Woodland Farms

by Clare Brandt

A couple of years ago, the entrance to Woodland Farms in the San Gabriel Valley was gated and padlocked, graffiti riddled the abandoned structures, and an odor reminiscent of the thousands of Long Island-variety ducks lingered in the air.

Now, as hummingbirds dart around searching for nectar and the sound of birds singing almost drowns out the monotonous drone of the freeways, the vision for Woodland Farms is beginning to become clear. Surrounded by interstates 60 and 605 in the heart of a working city, Woodland Farms will be the first new park in this neighborhood in decades.

Woodland Farms is the largest privately owned property along the San Gabriel, flanking nearly two miles of soft-bottomed river. The Trust for Public Land purchased the 57-acre former duck farm from brothers Dick and Fred Woodland in 2001.

"Unlike the Los Angeles River, the San Gabriel is not encased in concrete," says Larry Kaplan, director of TPL's Los Angeles office. "The Woodland Farms property gives us a unique opportunity to create a riverside park, restore the riparian habitat, address critical watershed management issues, and provide much-needed open space in this community."

Ernie Prieto on Caliope Photo by: Rich Reid

Local resident Ernie Prieto agrees. He frequently rides his mule, Caliope, along the San Gabriel River and into the Woodland Farms property. "Riding Caliope reminds me of my previous life in Mexico," he says. "For many of us around here, horses are our lives and the river is a place to ride. I am very happy that TPL has protected this open space."

Once the park is created, Woodland Farms will be one of the only public green spaces in the densely populated communities near the City of Industry and La Puente. As an anchor point for the San Gabriel River Greenway--envisioned by the Lower Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC)--the area's first regional riverside park at Woodland Farms will provide sorely needed open space. The planned greenway will pass through 12 cities along the river's 80-mile route. The greenway's bike and walking paths eventually will access the new park.

"Woodland Farms is a classic example of how TPL provides an essential service to provide open space," says Kaplan. "We were able to move quickly and purchase the site, and to hold and manage the property until a public agency can take title." Working closely with RMC, the Trust for Public Land has managed the demolition of the duck sheds and a processing plant at the farm. In addition, contaminated soil and underground petroleum storage tanks have been removed, making the property environmentally safe to become a park. Later this summer, a Spanish-style house on the property will be renovated to be used as offices for RMC and as a community meeting center.

Once TPL dedicates the property later this year, RMC will begin working with the local community to create the new park. RMC also will work with local public agencies, including the County of Los Angeles, and City of Industry to make the property suitable for other important watershed management uses, such as groundwater reclamation and flood control.

Little by little, nature is returning to Woodland Farms to transform it into an oasis in the midst of a tangle of concrete and steel. The tranquility of birdsong and the sweet smell of flowers take you far away from the city. Along with the spring blossoms of the plum and cherry trees dotted throughout the property, the vision of a park alongside the San Gabriel River is beginning to bloom.

Photo: David Peevers

Letter from Larry Kaplan, Director

This issue of our newsletter talks about two unique regional projects, both excellent illustrations of how TPL and our supporters help to create green spaces in Los Angeles. The park-building opportunities we have in Los Angeles are often unique and challenging and involve rehabilitating and reusing land.

Woodland Farms, a former duck farm, would have been developed were it not for TPL's ability to move quickly, meet the needs of the property seller, and outbid another buyer. We will hold and manage the property-cleaning it up and making much-needed improvements on it-until the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy can take over later this summer.

At the Cornfield, TPL ensured a timely and smooth environmental assessment and remediation process. Our efficiency made it possible for the California Department of Parks and Recreation to open a portion of the Cornfield to the public this spring on an interim basis, until a permanent park plan is implemented.

We couldn't do this work without your continued support. Your commitment is essential to our success and effectiveness, and it can take many forms. For example, California Advisory Board member Pat Shanks, a recognized legal expert in brownfields assessment and remediation, played an essential role in the Cornfield clean-up.

Once again, we thank you for your time, interest, and financial support. We can't be the "can-do folks" without you.

Photo by: Rich Reid

A Golden Opportunity for Environmentalist Pat Shanks
by Claire Cowan

California Advisory Board member and Pasadena resident Pat Shanks has been a TPL supporter for more than twenty years. An avid bird watcher, Pat is also a keen supporter of wetlands preservation and restoration. She has traveled as far as Venezuela and Costa Rica to observe birds on their annual migration, but also knows it is essential to protect habitat for migratory birds close to home.

Her favorite place for bird watching is the Carrizo Plain, the largest remaining remnant of natural habitat in the San Joaquin Valley, and home to sandhill cranes, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and many other endangered and threatened species. "Visiting the Carrizo Plain is like stepping back in time, and seeing what California's Great Central Valley must have looked like before the first settlers began to cultivate the region," she says.

An attorney specializing in environmental law, Pat was on the front lines of some of the first hazardous clean up cases in the state of California. "Though people have not always made the best decisions about land use, we are living in a unique time where we have the opportunity to undo mistakes of the past, and make better decisions about protecting the precious resources we have left."

According to Pat, one of the biggest conservation challenges facing California is to recover the landscape from poor land-use planning and over development. "Historically, there were few natural boundaries on sprawl, and much of our developed land is underutilized," she says. "With popular opinion shifting toward sensible growth policies and greater appreciation of the inherent value of open space, we have an opportunity to reclaim underutilized land from developed areas for parks and recreation."

Pat's experience untangling the legal complexities of cleaning up polluted areas is essential to ensuring that such efforts are safe, thorough, and effective. After assisting with the initial drafting and implementation of TPL's environmental due diligence policy two decades ago, Pat has continued to support TPL's local projects: "Working with TPL all these years has been one of the greatest pleasures of my professional life."

An interim park serves the community while the state begins work on the Cornfield site Photo by: Rich Reid

A Glimmer of Green in Downtown Los Angeles

by Markus Neibanck

In the shadow of a familiar skyline, along the banks of a concrete-lined, channeled, and nearly forgotten urban river, lies 32 acres of land in transition. As a pedestrian walks across the Broadway bridge from Chinatown toward Montecito Heights, all that is visible at this former Union Pacific railyard is a small patch of green surrounded by an expanse of dirt that stretches from the Los Angeles River almost to the skyscrapers of downtown.

The property-known as the Cornfield-will soon become Los Angeles' first downtown state park. But in the meantime, an interim green space-which includes a small kiosk and a bench-is a testament to the future park. "We are making a promise to the people of Los Angeles that they will soon have a park right in the heart of downtown," says Governor Gray Davis. "We have completed the cleanup of the property and ensured that the site is safe for our children. Now we can begin to create a world-class park in our world-class city."

The opening of this interim park was not a fast or easy process. The Cornfield is located in an area dominated by pavement and buildings. The Trust for Public Land made it a priority to turn the land into a real park by helping craft a plan to protect the Cornfield as open space and managing the cleanup of the site.

"After Union Pacific discontinued active railyard operations in 1989, the site was slated for redevelopment as a large warehousing facility," explains Pat Shanks, TPL advisor and partner in the environmental law and natural resources practice of Bingham McCutchen LLP. "TPL negotiated transfer of the land from the developer to the state, but given the history of the site, it was necessary to assure that it was safe for park use. TPL managed the environmental assessment and arranged for cleanup of the site in accordance with Department of Toxic Substances Control standards."

An interpretive display explains the project at the current park site Photo by: Rich Reid

The cleanup followed almost a year of investigation, assessments, planning, and community coordination. "A comprehensive assessment identified metals and fuel hydrocarbons in shallow soil," says TPL's Nelson Mathews who managed the cleanup process. "More than 5,000 tons of soil-enough to fill about 365 dump trucks-had to be removed from the property." As the excavation progressed, historical remnants were uncovered. "The most exciting artifacts were found in an area near a former hotel," says Mathews. "We found antique ink bottles, ceramics, shoes, and buttons from centuries ago."

Slowly but surely, the promise of a new park in downtown Los Angeles is becoming a reality. "The Cornfield will soon become the centerpiece of downtown Los Angeles," says Larry Kaplan, director of TPL's Los Angeles Office. "All along the Los Angeles River, glimmers of green are growing."

Posted 6/2003