A Railroad Yard Becomes A Park

photo by Judy Anderson

Rio de Los Angeles State Park may be the smallest state park and the only one in a gritty industrial area bounded by a railroad, a freeway, and a busy street. But with thoughtful restoration of its natural wetlands, this park is an oasis of natural beauty and life in the middle of the Los Angeles. Located close to the I-5 and the Glendale Freeways, the area used to be a railroad switching yard and repair facility, named for a merchant in the area, Hartley Taylor, hence Taylor Yard. In the 1960's, the railroad operations moved elsewhere, in 2004 the restoration began, and in 2007, this park was opened to the community.

California State Parks envisions an eventual LA River Greenway of over 100 acres with two miles of river front. This park has 57 acres, 20 acres leased to Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks for playing fields. I visited this park last winter with Natural Science Section leader Judy Anderson, who is conducting a series of monitoring workshops in the park to compile a list of the plants and animals found there. On the first walk in November, Judy and Margot Lowe made a list of about 30 plants and a few birds. In December we added a dozen more plants and tripled the bird list, adding a blue-gray gnatcatcher, a ruby-crowned kinglet, and surprisingly, a flock of meadowlarks that were perched on a wire about the train tracks.

The restored natural setting along the south edge of the park includes native sycamores and oaks, as well as riparian species such as willows and mule fat. Along the north side next to San Fernando Road are soccer and baseball fields, a children's playground, and a recreation building. Between the two areas is a flat grassy strip identified on park plans as a transitional area with picnic areas and benches 'to encourage social interaction and discourage criminal behavior.' The multi-use aspect of the park has advantages: the park brings in people from this park-hungry neighborhood who might not go to a purely natural area, and because of all the activity, people don't need to feel fearful. Environmentalists may argue for pristine natural settings, but playing fields mix well with nature and bring more people into the area.

Please join Judy on one of the future walks, held each second Saturday or Sunday of the month through June. With help from some expert naturalists, we can make a complete list of what's living in the area, including insects. For more information about these walks, contact Judy Anderson. For more information about the park, go to the state parks website, or to Wikipedia, which includes external links to the park's General Plan and to the Taylor Yard Project