Amanda Begley -- Watershed Health

Amanda Begley is the Associate Director for Watershed Health at TreePeople, one of LA's largest and most influential non-profits. TreePeople is now 52 years old, originally founded by Andy Lipkis to plant trees to absorb pollution and clean the air. Amanda explains that her nature-based work with watershed health is a reflection of Andy's message of creating functioning community forests to heal the severed cycles of nature. Trees are at the core of effective watershed management, increasing the quality of life in urban environments.

Amanda explains how watershed management integrates activities within a common area of land that drains to body of water. It's about "basins of relations," the trees, water, soil, people, and all sorts of activities. On behalf of TreePeople, Amanda guides this process in the Santa Clara watershed. She's an educator, a connector between communities and their needs, developing projects for water supply and water quality and community benefit.

Thanks to Los Angeles County's 2018 Measure W, LA's nine watersheds are taking new approaches. Instead of allowing an inch of rain in LA to wash the streets into the sea, releasing 3.5 billions of gallons of polluted water in to the Pacific Ocean, Amanda her colleagues are working to retain the water in the upper reaches of the watersheds for multiple benefits, creating more green space, shade, cleaner air, more habitat for birds and pollinators.

When queried about what homeowners can do, Amanda recommends simple measures such as diverting downspouts so rainwater can be used to water trees and shrubs. Yes, there was a time, when stormwater management was all about channeling water to the sea to avoid dangerous flooding. But now there are better solutions... ways to capture precious fresh water and to use it to green our communities.

Much of TreePeople's work has been in "upper watersheds," providing mountain restoration after fires. She and her team have been replanting native plants and restoring the biological functions of that land. Measure W funding has three goals: refilling "water savings accounts" (aquifers), promoting water quality, and community enhancement, be it new parks, less concrete, green and complete streets, more trees, gardens, habitat, and more. Measure W provides $280 million each year to fund projects that make local sense. LA is a national leader in this regard.

The best example of watershed health in LA? Amanda highlights the South Gate Urban Orchard Park that recently opened in a tough, industrialized area of Los Angeles. Now there is an oasis there with clean water feeding avocado and citrus orchards, community gardens and native plants. There are trails for hiking and a play area for kids inspired by local tribal partners. "We can do this," she says, proving that we can create spots in LA's intense urban infrastructure that feel restorative. LA gets a bad rap of being divorced from nature, but Amanda sees it differently, that we are blessed to be here nestled between the ocean and mountains, a vibrant community now bolstered by thoughtful watershed management.