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It's LA River X, remixed by
In the Fall of 2025, students from The Claremont Colleges participated in a field trip to the Glendale Narrows as part of their Pomona College class, 'Water in the West'. Afterwards, Fiona Herbold was inspired to trawl the LA River X collection on Instagram and in the Western Water Archives and craft this essay. Read on for an LA River X Remix by Fiona Herbold.
In the Fall of 2025, students from The Claremont Colleges participated in a field trip to the Glendale Narrows as part of their Pomona College class, 'Water in the West'. Afterwards, Fiona Herbold was inspired to trawl the LA River X collection on Instagram and in the Western Water Archives and craft this essay. Read on for an LA River X Remix by Fiona Herbold.
Get your feet wet! Sensory experience at the LA River
Get your feet wet! Sensory experience at the LA River
By Fiona Herbold, as part of Water in the West, Fall 2025, Professor Char Miller
Under the rush of traffic on the Glendale Freeway, water passes through a concrete channel. From above, it seems to trickle through this channel, accumulating trash as it flows. Angelenos know this to be the Los Angeles River, and yet, from many angles, river does not seem like an adequate term. This was the view I held of the LA River before dipping my own toes in its waters. When I arrived at Lewis MacAdams Park, met Tilly Hinton, and walked along the riverbed, my opinion changed. I was moved by many of the things Tilly said about the river, but one in particular stuck with me. After we all removed our shoes and socks, and let the water rush past our ankles, she noted that sensory experiences breed emotion, and emotion, in turn, breeds action. She put words to something I had been feeling throughout the trip. I have always loved rivers, and felt passionate about the ones I know back home. In high school, I spent time working with the Anacostia Riverkeepers in Washington, D.C. on an effort to clean the water. I drove over the river every day, paddled in it, marveled at its tree-lined banks. In some ways, its beauty made it easy to love, although it came with its fair share of problems. In LA, however, I never felt much of anything when I saw the river, spare a little disappointment. I no longer feel that way, and I believe it is because of exactly what Tilly said: I had my own sensory experience there.
When we first arrived to Lewis MacAdams Park, Tilly asked us to share a question we had about the river; I wondered if a river such as this could sustain wildlife, and if so, what kind. My question was answered quicker than I thought. As soon as we diverged from the paved walkway, I saw a family of ducks swimming in an eddy. A little further down, a Great Blue Heron startled, and took off, flapping its wings. I eagerly took a photo. I now realize from scrolling through the LA River X Instagram account that this is not so rare an occurrence.
Artwork and words from an LA River X guest host takeover by naturalist and botanical artist Margaret Gallagher in 2019. Retrieved from the Western Water Archives.
“I created this artwork a couple years ago as part of a series exploring some of LA’s interesting ecological stories. The LA River, to me, is THE most interesting and important story. It was once a wild and lovely seasonal river, a precious resource for the humans, plants, and animals who lived here. over the past century we have turned it into a trash-filled, concrete lined flood control channel. It is often overlooked or reviled (or mocked as being “not a real river”). But that’s an illusion – despite the changes it has endured, it has always been an ecological hub, crucial for birds, fish, amphibians, mammals, and plants – including some endangered species…” - Margaret Gallagher
My classmates also pointed out crayfish climbing between some rocks. The plant life, too, surprised me. I had not expected to see much of anything growing in the river itself, let alone trees. But this section of river felt almost like a typical river. Beyond the wildlife, the water itself provided an important sensory experience. The first thing I noticed was the speed of the water, and the sound that this created. It almost roared as it sped down the channel, taking with it any crayfish that had not latched on tightly enough to resist the water’s pull. It was so loud, in fact, that it drowned out the sound of the traffic above and the city around us. Eventually, we all took our socks and shoes off and stepped in the river. The water was cold, and I could feel the strength of the current as I waded against it. I watched a classmate hop across the rocks to the bank of vegetation in the middle, and watched the water swirl around my own ankles.
Image from the LA River X guest host takeover by LA River X guest host takeover by Tim Andreas in 2023. Retrieved from the Western Water Archives.
I felt at peace standing in the LA River. It was the same feeling I often feel when I am in nature, except I had not expected to feel this way in the concrete channel. I also felt hopeful for the future of the LA River. It seemed that in spite of the channelization, wildlife could flourish here, and this comforted me. All of these emotions – calm, hope, comfort – made me care about the river. Not only did I care about the river, but I wanted to care for the river, and this feeling motivated me to collect trash as I walked. It was a small thing Tilly had suggested, but it felt right to do something to contribute to the river’s health. In this way, Tilly’s idea that sensory experience breeds emotion, which breeds action, rang very true to my experience.
I saw this concept in action in other ways at the LA River, too. The slip of paper that Tilly gave me outlined the historical events of the early 2010s at the LA River. During these years, there seemed to be a push for recreational experiences for Angelenos on the river. In 2011, 300 people attended the inaugural kayaking season, Paddle the LA River. In 2014, there was a fly-fishing derby. There was an LA River Campout, and a boat race. I found this to be a powerful reflection on the importance of getting people to the river in order to actually change perceptions and the health of the river.
Image from an LA River X guest host takeover by LA River X guest host takeover by writer and broadcaster Anthea Raymond in 2019. Retrieved from the Western Water Archives.
For a long time, there has been an emotional disconnect around the LA River, as people view it merely as a control channel, a way to prevent flooding, and not as a living entity. This attitude cannot be transformed without repairing that emotional connection, and sensory experiences may just be the way to do that. Lewis MacAdams knew this when he cut a hole in the chain link fence standing between him and the river. Now Angelenos have the chance to use this concept as a framework for community action.
— Fiona Herbold, November 4, 2025
Meet Fiona Herbold
Meet Fiona Herbold
Fiona Herbold is a senior at Pomona College majoring in Environmental Analysis. She has always been passionate about protecting the environment and loves all things outdoors, and has greatly appreciated her time in Southern California for helping expand her vision of what urban nature looks like.
Char Miller wrote an article about taking his students to the Los Angeles River, which you can read here or in the Eden Magazine archives.
Char Miller wrote an article about taking his students to the Los Angeles River, which you can read here or in the Eden Magazine archives.
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