Community leaders appeal to Obama administration for more park access

By Rebecca Kimitch, Pasadena Star News 

Posted: 07/07/2010 10:21:28 PM PDT

Hundreds of community leaders and environmentalists sent a collective message to a group of high-level Obama Administration officials at Whittier Narrows Recreation Area on Wednesday: We need more parks, we need more exercise and we need more of your help getting both.

…In particular, they sought federal help getting improved access to the nearby San Gabriel Mountains.

The participants were not just after federal dollars, but also policy changes. And they said various projects in the San Gabriel Valley could serve as innovative models for a new approach to conservation and building a healthier environment.

Read the full article here: http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_15463147

The troubled environmental agenda of Barack Obama

Pat Morrison for July 6^th, 2010

 The President’s chief environmental adviser is here to talk about the Administration’s bolstering of national parks, and how they plan to eventually fulfill the promise of being true environmentalists.

Listen Here 

Press Release: Top Administration Officials Hold America’s Great Outdoors Listening Session in L.A.

 July 8, 2010

LOS ANGELES — Today, Top Obama Administration officials held a listening session in Los Angeles under President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to hear the public’s ideas for building a 21st century conservation and recreation agenda and reconnecting Americans with the outdoors.

"Green space in our urban areas must be part of the 21st century conservation strategy for America's Great Outdoors. Far too many of our cities have limited access to parks for children, low-income residents and communities of color," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "We are here today to learn from the people who know these parks and outdoor spaces best, so that we can recreate their success in communities all across the country."

 Read the full article here: http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Top-Administration-Officials-Hold-Americas-Great-Outdoors-Listening-Session.cfm

Our View: Connecting the dots of green space

07/08/2010 05:19:58 PM PDT

EASTERNERS, among whom we count those folks from President Obama's cabinet visiting our Valley this week who are part of America's Great Outdoors initiative, can't help but be awed by our open space inventory.

If there is a message to send to the president and his environmental cabinet, it is this: We have the open space. We don't have the proper access and adequate funding to manage it.

So here's what we don't need: More money to buy more open space. Here's what we do need: One agency, such as the National Park Service, to coordinate, connect and run the river bikeways, walkways and mountain trails. We envision this work by the NPS not as a takeover, but as a partner with the community that would coordinate with the county and the local Rivers and Mountains Conservancy for a unified access plan.

Full article: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_15470859

Top Administration Officials Visit Downtown Park to Promote Urban Green Space

Vista Hermosa Natural Park, Downtown LA, Jul 8 -

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) (pictured right) welcomed U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson (pictured left), Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and other members of the Obama Administration to her congressional district during a tour of Vista Hermosa Natural Park in Downtown.

“Vista Hermosa is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished through a federal, state and local partnership to bring nature back to an urban community,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said. “With the support of Congress, the Army Corps of Engineers, non-profits and the members of the community, we’ve taken similar steps in our LA River revitalization efforts. EPA’s declaration of the LA River as traditional navigable waters is further acknowledgement that the Los Angeles River is more than just a flood control mechanism…

Full article: http://politicalnews.me/?id=1584&keys=Congresswoman-Lucille-RoybalAllard-GreenSpace