Congratulations to CWN Board Member, Rob Hutsel, for receiving the River Hero Award!

Rob Hutsel, Executive Director of the San Diego River Park Foundation, has been awarded the prestigious 2008 River Hero Award in Ohio by the River Network, a national organization based in Portland, Oregon, working for clean and healthy water. The annual River Heroes Award celebrates rivers and those who protect them by recognizing victories and honoring those who provide leadership and inspiration along the way. You can read more about the award here.

The May 2008 Watershed Highlight

Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council

Above: LASGRWC landscape workshop .Above: LASGRWC landscape workshop Above: Plant Profiler.

The May 2008 Watershed Highlight goes to the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council for the implementation of their exceedingly innovative Sustainable Landscape Programs.

Guided by a needs analysis and scoping meetings developed by partners in Watershed Council’s Landscape Ethic Committee, and with a funding commitment from the Department of Conservation’s Watershed Coordinator Grant Program, the LASG Watershed Council initiated educational solutions that address water-use-efficiency and ecosystem restoration needs of the Council’s diverse stakeholders. Here is a quick look at a couple of their highly educational programs.

Similar to efforts throughout the state, the Los Angeles River Master Plan and the San Gabriel River Master Plan promote the design, installation and maintenance of water efficient landscapes which include the use of drought tolerant and native plants. Drew Ready, the Council’s watershed coordinator, developed the PlantProfiler website - a searchable native plant information and image database. Each plant profile has ten attributes, four images, and a scale drawing. The database is searchable by multiple characteristics that ensure designers and architects find the right plant for the right place. The database will be updated in the coming year to include an additional 100 plants and species specific maintenance information.

To further contribute to landscape architects’ and project managers' familiarity with the nuances of designing and managing native landscapes, Drew programmed a biannual series of Sustainable Landscape Design Seminars, targeted at planners and landscape design, build and maintenance professionals. These one day seminars provide a comprehensive overview of successful sustainable landscape design and management practices. Topics included designing storm water runoff BMPs, California Friendly landscapes, using native plants for public space, invasive plant control, maintenance manual design, contract growing, water conservation/efficiency rebate programs, and sustainable landscape case studies. The first two years of the program included 160 participants.

With a renewed commitment from the Department of Conservation to fund Drew’s watershed coordinator role for the Los Angeles River, the Watershed Council is looking forward to many more successful sustainable landscape programs.

View more Watershed Highlights of the Month.