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Echo Park Lake Christmas Bird Count on Sunday

EchoParkLake11

Join fellow bird lovers on Sunday, December 29 for the annual Christmas Bird Count at Echo Park Lake!

Bird lovers in Echo Park have identified over 70 species of birds over the last ten years. You can expect to find species such as mallards, great-tailed grackles, robins, American coots, sparrows, finches, great egrets, black-crowned night herons, green herons, blackbirds, hawks and various gulls and doves, and more.

Beginning birders, including children, are welcome to the free bird walk. Binoculars are strongly recommended along with a bird guide if you have one.

Meet at the Boathouse at 8:00 am for the two-hour count.

Following the Echo Park Lake bird count, at about 11:00 am, is the Vista Hermosa bird count. Vista Hermosa is a small park just a little west of downtown Los Angeles. Meet at the parking lot at 100 Toluca Street, just north of First Street. Time about 1.5 hours. Terrain mostly level, some slight elevation.

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Holiday guide to parking, trash and street sweeping in Echo Park

Coming from someone who just paid a very expensive expired meter ticket (a rare thing in my household), there’s nothing better than finding those sweet, sweet parking spots. Since today is Christmas Eve, you can avoid some tickets by parking a little smarter over the holiday – just not today. Official observance is on Christmas DAY – so be aware!

Meters

Always look at the signs – certain city parking regulations (such as state parking laws) are not enforced on national holidays. However, consider yourself free and clear on Christmas Day when there’s noone working to give you that ticket. Since this year Christmas Day falls on Wednesday, the holiday is observed that day. More info here.

The parking regulations/signs that are not enforced are:

  • Time Limit (ie one hour, two hour, four hours, etc.)
  • Parking Meters (unless posted to include holidays). Exceptions include, but are not limited to, areas around Venice Beach and in West Los Angeles. In these areas, the signs reflect “Including Holidays.”
  • No Parking Signs with specific time limits (i.e. 9:00am to 4:00pm, 8:00am to 10:00am)
  • No Stopping signs with specified time limits (i.e. 7:00am to 9:00am, 4:00pm to 6:00pm). This includes Peak Hour parking restirionts.
  • Preferential Parking (unless posted to include holidays)

The following safety violations are enforced on all days, including National Holidays:

  • Red zones, including bus zones
  • Yellow/White zones (on request only)
  • Alleys
  • Sidewalks
  • Handicapped Zones (also known as Blue Zones)
  • “No Parking Anytime” zones (including “Tow Away” restrictions
  • “No Parking Anytime” zones
  • “No Stopping Anytime” zones
  • All temporary “No Stopping” or “No Parking” zones
  • Requests for service, including, but not limited to, blocked driveways

Trash

Trash service will not commence on Christmas Day (December 25), but there will be a one day delay. So, in essence, Wednesday collection day will now be on Thursday. If you’re throwing away your Christmas tree already, consider recycling it.

Street Sweeping

Once again, Christmas Day (not Eve!) is the name of the game – as long as the sign says “Holidays Exempt” or something along those lines.

 

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Snow Day in Echo Park Friday

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Get your snow gear ready – winter is coming to Echo Park!

Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell is bringing Winter Wonderland to the Echo Park Farmers’ Market TOMORROW, Friday, December 20 from 3:00-5:00 pm. Free snow play area for the kids – and for the kid in you!

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35 trees slated for removal on Sunset Boulevard

Tree removals in Echo Park

Trees are indicated in the green are to be saved, if they have a yellow dot they are to be removed and replaced.

Sunset Boulevard along Echo Park is getting a makeover. As part of the $750,000 grant for the Echo Park Beautification Project, Sunset Boulevard from Rosemont Street to Everett Street will get some well-deserved attention when it comes to some much-needed sidewalk repairs, and more, including (but not limited to):

  • Removing and replacing trees along Sunset Boulevard
  • Improving sidewalks (including adding
  • Adding new trees
  • Adding Big Belly trash receptacles
  • Adding benches
  • Adding bike racks
Ficus_Stop

Ficus tree on Logan near Walgreens back in March 2013

For some, that “beautification” comes with a price – removal of the leafy green ficus trees that provide shade for the sidewalks along the main drag. So why remove the trees? The sidewalks.

Some of the larger trees that are being removed, the ficus in particular, are causing sidewalks to buckle and crack, making it difficult for pedestrian (especially handicap) use. Which is why two ficus trees on Echo Park Avenue were removed in March 2013 – which noone knew about (not even Council District 13) until it was done.

The board of public works is holding a public hearing on the removal of 35 trees along 1300 to 2100 West Sunset Boulevard (that’s from Alvarado to Elysian Park Drive) as part of this beautification grant. The hearing takes place tomorrow, on Wednesday, December 18 at 9:30 am (see below location). There are other items on the agenda, so we’re not sure exactly what time the Echo Park issue will be address.

To replace the 35 trees removed (there are various species, including ficus), the city will place 38 Chinese Pistache and 75 Australian Willow trees.

The Echo Park Improvement Association website has two documents available that both outline the locations of each tree removal and replacement – the color version (a small portion of which is shown above) is a version dated from April 2013, but the latest version should be the most reliable in terms of final construction plans.

Hearing on Echo Park tree removals
Wednesday, December 18 at 9:30 am
City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works Public Hearing Room
200 N. Spring Street in room 350
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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Pet photos with Santa on December 8

One day only this year!

All proceeds support the Echo Park Animal Alliance.

PetPhotosSanta

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