River Clean-Up

Hi fellow environmentalist, my name is Maria Avilez and I am a current student of professor Hernandez, in Cal State LA. On May 18, 2013 we had a LA River Clean-Up assignment to do. I was looking forward to it since the first day I heard about it. As a neighbor of the LA River I already knew that it would be a really enjoyable and needed assignment. I love going to the river to either bike or jog along the path and I have always seen the trash but never actually picked it up. One because I felt a little odd being the weird one picking up trash and second because I never necessarily had the right tools, like a bag or gloves. Therefore I was really enthusiastic to hear that there was going to be a lot of people walking around picking up trash. When that day arrived I woke up early to get ready for the big day, since I am a neighbor of the LA River, there was no need for me to drive, bus or bike it there. What I did was walk (since I am literally a block away from the meeting area). Once getting there it started getting sunny and I figured I will kill two birds with one stone, break a sweat and clean up a little around the area. I did fall in the water when trying to get to a plastic bag on a tree, I was to anxious to grab the bag that I forgot to focus on where I was walking. I knew it would dry up again so I didn't worry to much about it. Overall it was a great experience and I would love to do it again when I get the chance.