On Wednesday August 11 at 10:00am the Los Angeles Parks Foundation joined by Rec and Parks Department officials, representatives of the Doris Day Animal Foundation and friends of Doris Day celebrated an informal ribbon cutting for the Laurel Canyon Dog Park Shade Pavilion. The event honored Doris Day and the Doris Day Animal Foundation for the generous donation which made the shade structure and the LA Parks Foundation benches possible. The park was filled with on lookers, mostly canine, who immediately after the ceremony found a place in the shade provided by the new structure. Please read the kind words of Doris Day marking the occasion and read by a close friend.
The Los Angeles Parks Foundation partners with a number of leading organizations in protecting the Hollywood sign. The Foundation applauds the work of TPL, who has successfully raised the funds to purchase the land around the Hollywood Sign. TPL plans to transfer the Cahuenga Peak site to the adjoining 4,200-acre Griffith Park, the nation's fourth most visited park, thus permanently protecting the view of the Hollywood Sign and a remarkably intact ecosystem of native chaparral plants and animals. Read more about this breaking news from the Hollywood Sign official site.
The Griffith Park Natural History Survey (GPNHS) was founded in 2007 to do scientific studies of Griffith Park flora and fauna. The mission of the GPNHS is to fund studies and disseminate information to help sustain the unique ecology of Griffith Park. To learn more about the Griffith Park Wildlife Management Plan, please click here.
Pictured above, Nevin's Barberry and Humboldt Lily
Please visit the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department's Web site to search for special city park and recreation events near you!
Movies in the Park!
WB and BAFTA team up to show movies for free in LA City Parks. For locations and movies please see this link.
Thank you to our sponsor City National, their volunteers and the local parks at Mar Vista and Sun Valley for their efforts. The events held for Earth Day were a success!
To host an electronic recycling event at your park please contact the Los Angeles Parks Foundation at (310) 472-1990 or info@laparksfoundation.org.
The Doris Day Animal Foundation has made a generous donation to the Los Angeles Parks Foundation for a shade structure at Laurel Canyon Dog Park. This well used park is enjoyed by dogs and their owners alike, but has little escape from the sun. Thanks to the Doris Day Animal Foundation the Los Angeles Parks Foundation has provided the park with a beautiful shade structure. Two Los Angeles Parks Foundation benches have been placed within the structure for park goers to sit and enjoy the shade provided.
Venice Boardwalk Muscle Beach Bleachers
Thanks to a donation from the Weider Health and Fitness, the Los Angeles Parks Foundation has purchased bleachers for the famous Muscle Beach on the Venice Boardwalk. These bleachers will provide more seating for the many events held at this site.
The Los Angeles Parks Foundation has received a grant from the American Academy of Dermatology and AAD Association to erect a shade structure at Pedlow Skate Park. The Foundation was one of only 4 recipients in the state of California to be awarded this grant. Pedlow Skate Park is visited by many throughout the year and being in the heart of the Valley is in much need of some shelter from the sun.
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Thanks to a generous donation from the Werner Family Foundation, the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, in conjunction with the USC Graduate Landscape Architecture program, is working on re-designing and improving Hoover Park in Downtown Los Angeles. The re-design will provide shade structures for the playground and picnic areas in an otherwise sun-exposed park. The Los Angeles Parks Foundation is hoping to improve the field landscaping and park layout to increase the available green space for park users to enjoy as well.
Plug Into Your Parks
The Los Angeles Parks Foundation, in conjunction with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and e-Recycling of California hosts one-day electronic recycling event throughout Los Angeles City. With support from the Foundation's sponsor, City National Bank, the “Plug Into Your Park” events are a way for the community to dispose of their old televisions and other electronic devices at their local parks in an environmentally friendly manner. To date the Foundation has hosted events in the communities of Hollywood, Mar Vista, Northridge, San Pedro, Wilmington, El Sereno and West Los Angeles.
Current local, state and federal law prohibits the disposal of electronics through the normal municipal waste system. Lead found in electronics is the key reason to keep electronics out of landfills. By partnering with e-Recycling of California and corporate sponsor, City National Bank, the Los Angeles Parks Foundation is able to reduce Los Angeles’ generation of electronic waste through safe procurement practices not readily available to most communities.
Westwood Recreation Center
Los Angeles Parks Foundation made a donation to the Westwood Recreation Center for the much needed repairs to their building, swimming pool and infrastructure.
Pershing Square
The Pershing Square Downtown Ice Rink opens each year from November to January. The opening ceremonies and ribbon cutting event that launches each ice skating season features political leaders, business and civic leaders, hundreds of excited kids and even some expert figure skating performances. In years past, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and the Los Angeles Kings have created a weekend "Winter Festival" that includes entertainment, celeberties, hockey clinics for kids and special performances on ice. In addition, there are afternoon and evening concerts for downtowners of all ages who want to enjoy the winter festivities.
Mounted Patrol
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After a long absence, the Mounted Patrol unit returned to Los Angeles’ beloved Griffith Park in the fall of 2008. With a generous donation from Priscilla Tamkin, the Los Angeles Parks Foundation was able to restore this historic program with the purchase of two new horses, new equipment and a horse trainer to work with the rangers and their mounts.
The horses were officially sworn in as Rangers on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 in a ceremony at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.
Bark for the Cure
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Los Angeles area dogs and dog guardians came together for the first annual Freshpet® Bark for the Cure™, a five kilometer fun run and walk that took place Saturday, October 4, 2008 in Griffith Park (adjacent to the Equestrian Trail). The event raised money and awareness for canine cancer research. All proceeds benefited the Freshpet® Foundation, a charity whose mission is to improve the understanding of nutrition’s role in the prevention and treatment of disease in dogs, including cancer. Freshpet® also made a generous donation to the Los Angeles Parks Foundation for each person who participated in the event.
“We appreciate Freshpet’s corporate model to support our new private/public fund-raising program for our parks,” said Candy Spelling, a Commissioner of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. “We hope their example will encourage other companies and individuals to help us by donating and showcasing our parks.”
109th Street Pool
The 109th Street pool had to turn many children away in the heat of the 2008 summer because of inappropriate swimming attire. The Los Angeles Parks Foundation purchased bathing suits for children who wanted to use the pool at 109th Street Recreation Center, but were unable to afford bathing suits. LAPF was happy to donate to the park so that children could enjoy the outdoors and take a cool dip on a hot summer’s day.