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The Los Angeles River is the birthplace of our region and was once the thriving, unifying water source for the people and wildlife of Los Angeles. But that connection and our collective history was severed when the River was encased in concrete and fenced in 1938. In an act of civil disobedience, poet activist Lewis MacAdams took the first steps to repair that severed connection in 1986 when he cut a hole in the chain link fence that obstructed Angelenos from their rightful River. He declared the River open to the people and swore to serve as its voice. And so, Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) and the River Movement were born. FoLAR has endeavored for over 30 years to restore community connection and natural ecology as the single largest unifying force on the River – educating, empowering, and mobilizing over 70,000 Angelenos to repair habitat and fight for the policies that will reclaim our collective right to a healthy, thriving, and equitably accessible Los Angeles River. Our mission is to build capacity for communities, students, and future leaders to advocate for nature, climate, and equity on the Los Angeles River.

The Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center (“OLC”) was founded in 2016 as a 501(c)(3) by world renowned oceanographic explorer, conservationist and documentary filmmaker Fabien Cousteau to fulfill his dream of creating a vehicle for positive change in the world. The OLC will focus on Public Awareness (SEE), Education (LEARN) and Special Projects (DO). Some of these activities and initiatives include: coral reef restoration programs, sea turtles restoration programs, and educational resources that can be used for elementary grades to the university level, as well museum programming. These components will allow us to empower communities and children to help restore local water ecosystems through the healthy “replanting” of key marine species and empower future stewards of ocean conservation. Through knowledge and innovative technologies regarding ocean preservation, we collaborate with partners to develop educational programs and activities in aquatic conservation, restoration, and marine projects dedicated to protecting the Earth’s waters and its inhabitants for the future of our next generation.