For my readers who live in the countryside, this might look horribly ugly, but for me, I marvel that such a green and beautiful place -- The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve -- exists smack next to the 405 freeway, the main North/South artery in Southern California. The street map of the area is here.
Here's the description from the official website:
General: Ringed by mountains, rivers and streams, the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve is haven of rest for wildlife and humans alike, a welcome oasis within an urban setting. It is here where the visitor of today can get a sense of what this part of the San Fernando Valley might have been like before agriculture and urban settlement forever changed the Valley floor:
• The leaves of willows, cottonwoods, and sycamores glistening in the breeze; • The calls of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds such as ducks, Canada geese, herons, and egrets penetrating the stillness as they take flight after resting and foraging at the wildlife lake; • The musty scent of mulefat, sages, and mugwort heavy in the air after a winter's rain; and activity of small birds such as the goldfinch, woodpecker, and oriole as they search for food and shelter amongst the oak savannah.
Isn't the Sepulveda wildlife center the most amazing gift? I love L.A.'s seemingly endless capacity to surprise—to tuck little oases of other-worlds in the middle of urban grit. Miss you! Is the Maharishi back and all right with the world?
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