Westside 'Green Map' Unveiled With Support From Metropolitan Water District Program

A unique and wide-ranging "Green Map" of West Los Angeles' Ballona Watershed will be unveiled in Santa Monica Sunday with support from the Community Partnering Program of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

State Assemblymember Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) will join environmental leaders, Santa Monica and Metropolitan officials for the 6:30 p.m. event that will feature unveiling of the map and presentation of a $10,000 check from Metropolitan.

The event, open to the public, will be held at the Patagonia store.

"I'm excited about this event," Pavley said. "This map is a really innovative way of showing people the interconnectedness of their environment. Hopefully it will promote additional awareness that will help protect this valuable resource."

The two-sided map -- the culmination of several years of work -- shows current and extinct waterways, wildlife migration routes, water sources, wetlands, alternative transportation corridors, native plants and animals, and even lists green-friendly businesses in the Ballona Watershed.

The watershed includes sections of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Venice, Inglewood, Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica. The map will be used in school classrooms and community programs to show the relationships between the natural and built environments.

"Metropolitan Water District is glad to help support development of this unique map, because we understand the importance of protecting watersheds," said Judy Abdo, former Santa Monica council member and mayor and the city's representative on Metropolitan's board of directors.

"The Community Partnering Program also gave $5,000 to support the Green Map project last year," Abdo added. "It's exciting to see the map come to fruition and begin to move out into the community."

This year, Metropolitan will distribute more than $450,000 in grants and in-kind services to programs that demonstrate a value-added benefit to MWD and its 26 member public agencies, serving 17 million water consumers in six counties.

Under the CPP, sponsorships are provided for water-related activities such as public forums, educational and research programs, exhibits and other community-based events and projects. Memberships in national, state and local associations that support MWD's corporate admission statements also are eligible, as well as classroom minigrants and innovative water conservation programs.

Source: Businesswire