What is FOLAR?
MacAdams with members of FOLAR at the small park that today carries his name. The stone monument has a quote “If it’s not impossible, I’m not interested.”
|
The movement to improve change the LA River began with Louis McAdams, a native from Texas. Louis McAdams was an eccentric artist, and when he put on an interpretive art performance, it was so hated that the theatre he performed in threatened to withhold payment. When Lewis MacAdams moved to Los Angeles, he realized the river had huge potential and decided to make a play centered around it. Even though things didn't go his way, the Friends of the LA River (FOLAR) was born. Once the river got channelized, nobody gave much attention to it needs. MacAdams took some money and made bumper stickers that said “Friends of the Los Angeles River” and started a fledgling movement. He managed to convince a few dozen people to join, and it began to grow quickly, becoming a large environmental organization. one of the largest environmental organizations in Southern California. Around the same time, Dick Roraback, a LA Times writer, decided to journey up the LA River in search of the source. He was shocked by the state of the river and then narrated his journey in the LA Times, which opened the eyes of the public. Soon afterward, Dilara El-Assad saw the river River for the first time and instantly knew that it held great possibilities. She based her graduate thesis around the river River and proposed many plans, such as adding trees, dams, and a detention basin/park.
|
The Friends of the LA River organization has clean ups at the river every year. Shown above is FOLAR’s 27th annual clean up with hundreds of volunteers wanting to help out.
|