Griffith Park is under siege. Colonel Griffith donated almost 4,000 acres of his land to the City of Los Angeles in order to provide a place of respite for “the plain people.” However, those who want to commercialize the park, have other plans.
Two projects will be voted on at a meeting of the L.A. City Recreation and Parks Board of Commissioners, April 2, at the EXPO Center, 3980 So. Bill Robertson Lane (formerly Menlo Ave) at 9:30 a.m.
Agenda Item 14-062 involves installing a permanent Performing Arts Center in Griffith Park’s Old Zoo picnic area. This will displace picnickers and will disturb wildlife, abundant on the hillsides above the Old Zoo. The construction of a permanent edifice is inconsistent with the Urban Wilderness identity given to this part of the park in its designation as a Historic-Cultural Landmark.
Agenda Item 14-061 concerns replacing much of Crystal Springs picnic area with two youth baseball fields. The Report of the General Manager admits that significant impacts “would be adverse and unavoidable” and that “no feasible mitigation measures were identified.” The Recreation and Parks 2009 Assessment of Needs placed “more picnic areas” in the highest category and baseball fields in the lowest. There are alternatives available that would not require displacing families who use Crystal Springs for picnics and birthday parties, nor require the removal of 45 mature trees in that location which provide shade and wildlife habitat.
Please help us preserve the park, its plants and animals and its traditional human users. Attend the meeting on April 2 or email the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks commissioners at: rap.commissioners@lacity.org.
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