Lillard Outdoor Classroom

Play the L.A. River is a come-one-come-all project by the arts collective Project 51 -- a collective of L.A. River-loving artists, designers, planners, writers, educators -- that invites Angelenos to explore, enjoy, reclaim, and reimagine the mighty L.A. River as a grand civic space that can green and connect our communities.

CARD: 7 of Valley

SITE: Valleyheart Drive + Longridge Avenue, Los Angeles 91604

More like a theater! Summon the bard at this mini-amphitheater, on a shady half-mile stretch that forms a loop with the new greenway on the other side.

Located on the Los Angeles County flood plain along the Los Angeles River between Coldwater Canyon and Fulton Avenue in Studio City, the Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom enhances the natural beauty of the Los Angeles River. This shady walking park, which includes interpretive displays, an outdoor amphitheater, and native riparian landscaping, spans several blocks of the river's edge.

The Studio City park has long been informally used for dog walking and jogging by the neighborhood surrounding it. The Conservancy improved access to the trails by adding stairs, and improving the pathways. The nonprofit Village Gardeners volunteer to clear vegetation, plant flowers and clean the river bank in the area.

The park is named for Richard Lillard, one of Los Angeles' first great ecologists, who had a strong influence on the creation of the nonprofit Friends of the Los Angeles River. Mr. Lillard was the author of "Eden in Jeopardy, Man's Prodigal Meddling with his Environment: the Southern California Experience," and helped lead the fight against converting Mulholland Drive into a freeway. He was also one of the first to propose a regional park in the Santa Monica Mountains to permanently preserve open space.
--LAMountains.com