Who are we?

The River Project is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to planning for natural resource protection, conservation and enhancement in Los Angeles County.

Our mission is to encourage responsible management of our watershed lands and revitalization of our rivers for the social, economic and environmental benefit of our communities. Through outreach, advocacy, scientific research and hands-on educational programs, we provide communities with the tools to reclaim their riverfront lands.

What do we do?

• Advocate for a more integrated watershed-based approach to planning
• Identify opportunities to improve our riverfronts and surrounding watershed lands
• Undertake necessary scientific studies to revitalize our rivers
• Focus on accomplishing multi-objective projects
• Participate in policy development at the local, regional and statewide level
• Engage communities in the process of creating parkways and bikeways along our rivers
• Work closely with schools to provide hands on, project-based learning opportunities
• Facilitate locally-driven public art along our river greenways
• Provide communities with the knowledge and tools they need to be watershed stewards
• Promote awareness of our native ecosystem and a sense of place in Southern California

What are some of our key accomplishments?

The River Project organized the Coalition for a State Park at Taylor Yard and led the successful fight to establish the first state park on the Los Angeles River - Rio de Los Angeles State Park. We produced a comprehensive watershed management plan for the Tujunga Wash subwatershed, and are actively engaged in partnership with the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Water & Power in it's implementation.

We are active in the development of water and land use policy at the local and statewide level.

Our educational program has been named in the state board of education's California Guide to Environmental Literacy as one of the best environmental education projects in the state.

In March of 2003, The River Project director, Melanie Winter was honored by Sunset Magazine as the first recipient of their annual environmental hero awards “Champions of the West."

In June of 2009, our Tujunga/Pacoima Watershed Plan was honored with the "Innovation in Green Community Planing" award from the American Planning Association.