There It Is-Take It! is a self-guided car audio tour through Owens Valley, California along U.S. Route 395 examining the controversial social, political, and environmental history of the Los Angeles Aqueduct system. The tour illuminates various impacts this divisive water conveyance infrastructure has created within the Owens Valley over the last one hundred years of aqueduct's existence. Stories of the aqueduct are told from multiple perspectives and viewpoints through the voices of historians, biologists, activists, native speakers, environmentalists, litigators, LADWP employees, and residents from both Los Angeles and the Owens Valley.
Designed as an 90 minute audio program, There It Is-Take It! seeks to shed light on the mutual past, present, and possible future of Los Angeles and Owens Valley-centered around its complicated and intertwined water history. The project will illuminate the historic physical source of drinking water for the Los Angeles municipality while simultaneously revealing the complex relationship these two seemingly polar regions of California share through a sonically innovative aural program incorporating interviews, field recordings, music, and archival audio that educates the listener while experiencing scenic Owens Valley landscape firsthand along U.S. Route 395. Optionally, the program may be experienced online. An illustrated tour map with points of interest along the route will be available for download. The project website include a moderated blog forum providing an opportunity for the audience to discuss important local, regional, and state water issues. The fiscal sponsor and institutional partner for this project are the Friends of the Eastern California Museum located in Independence, CA.
This project was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, an independent non-profit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit www.calhum.org. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Cal Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
