Paddle the LA River Returns

Tickets went fast last year for the chance to play on our urban waterway.

While many dedicated volunteers working in various conservation movements would like to see everything that needs to happen happen all at once, there is a greater understanding that small efforts over time can add up to a lot.

Take the LA River. People who would like portions of it return to its wild and recreational-ready state are constantly planning river walks and bike rides and the oh-so-popular Paddle the LA River. And every time some new river visitor finds a new appreciation of our too-often maligned urban waterway the dream of a more people-friendly nature destination grows.

Paddle the LA River did much in 2011 to raise the LA River's profile. The idea of lazily dipping an oar into the famous river while drifting along, in the city, was so compelling that tickets for the multi-weekend paddles were snapped up in "minutes," says a rep.

Those exciting minutes are set to roll around again: Paddle the LA River will be back for another all-too-brief season this fall. And those sought-after tickets? They're expected to go on sale on Thursday, July 19. (That's the soft date at this juncture, anyway; best watch the site.)

Guides will once again lead the tours and the distance? A very doable two miles.

LA Conservation Corps, the City of Los Angeles, and a host of agencies will once again organize and oversee the paddles.

Outings'll run every day except Wednesday and Sunday during the season. And the final paddle date? Sept. 29, 2012.

So let's give some applause for little efforts, even though this effort is surely monumental. We suppose the larger point we want to make is that doing something people love for something they love, every year, adds up.

Hang on and hang strong, LA River.

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