Thank you for your RSVP.   

           Your friends at Amigos de los Rios.
 
Save the Date:
 
October 3rd 2008
 
When: 
6:30 pm: cocktails
7:15 pm: dinner buffet
8:00 pm: welcome and introductions
8:15 pm: presentation of awards
9:00 pm: entertainment
 
Where:
Historic El Monte Community Center
Grace Black Auditorium
3130 N. Tyler Ave
El Monte, CA 91731 
Award Honorees
 
Service Award: 
Belinda Faustinos.
 
Belinda Faustinos has worked since 1985 to plan, acquire, develop and protect hundreds of acres of open space from forest foothills to ocean wetlands in our region for the benefit of current and future generations. She has served as Executive Officer for the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy since 2002. Belinda is at the cutting edge of many multi benefit open space projects currently under development.
 
Community Advocacy Award:
Ligiah Villalobos.
 
As writer and producer of the highly-successful, award winning film La Misma Luna, (Under the Same Moon), Ligiah's work demonstrates the power of family connections as a building block of urban communities. She inspires us to increase our understanding of the physical and social barriers that separate human beings as we work to create equal access to vibrant public parks for urban families. 

Heritage Award:
Mark Acuņa.
 
Mark Acuņa has dedicated years to the fields of science, cultural history, and education and has contributed immensely to raising awareness of local history in the San Gabriel Valley. As a Tongva Tribal Liaison he brought to life the Tongva tribe's world view in the ecosystems of our watersheds. Mark proves the power one person can have to preserve the memory of an entire culture in a meaningful way. 
 
Ecology Awards:
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens.
 
A botanical garden dedicated exclusively to California's native plants. Research developed by Bart O'Brian, Director of Special Projects and outreach by Barbara Eisenstein, Horticulture Outreach Coordinator, has contributed significantly to contemporary watershed restoration efforts.
 
 
El Nativo Growers.
 
El Nativo Growers cultivates an extensive selection of native plants for use in landscape plans as well as for the purpose of land restoration and re-vegetation; the availability of these plant resources has been critical to the Emerald Necklace.
 
Science Award: UCLA School of Public Health Center to Eliminate Health Disparities:
 
The UCLA School of Public Health (CEHD) focuses on eliminating disparities in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of disease in a wide-range of population groups. CEHD concentrates on "keeping the public healthy" by targeting health promotion, disease prevention and assists community partners to implement effective programs to reduce disparities.
 
The Emerald Necklace
 
The Emerald Necklace is a vision for a 17-mile interconnected network of multi-benefit trails, parks and greenways touching twenty cities and over 1/2 million residents along the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel Rivers. The proposed Emerald Necklace will unify more than 2,500 acres of parks, open spaces and habitat corridors while reconnecting the historically linked Rio Hondo and San Gabriel Rivers. Nestled in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, the greenway will provide much needed recreational areas for communities suffering from the effects of chronic illness correlated with urban density: including obesity, asthma, Type II diabetes, and hypertension. The Emerald Necklace has the potential to become a world-class urban park network. The contemporary urban park network is inspired by the 1929 Olmsted Bartholomew plan for the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Region. The Necklace and its "jewels" will significantly enhance recreational opportunities for generations to come.
 
Board of Directors
 
Adan Ortega, Jr.: Chairperson
Chairman of the Board
Strategic Planning Consultant
GCG Rose and Kindel

Claire Robinson: President & Managing Director of Amigos de los Rios

Andre Quintero: Attorney
City of Los Angeles

Irma Munoz: Founder & President
Mujeres de la Tierra

Josh Greene: Chief Operating Officer
Forester Properties, Inc.

Ryan Ihly: Vice President
Barton Myers & Associates/Office of Sustainable  Architecture

Sam Pedroza: Environmental Planner
Los Angeles County Sanitation District

Jeff Yann:
San Gabriel River Task Force
Sierra Club
 
 
Board of Governors
 
Norma Garcia: Deputy Director 
Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation

Margaret York: Chief of Police 
Los Angeles County Police Department Office of Public Safety

Belinda Faustinos: Executive Officer
Rivers and Mountains Conservancy

Bill Corcoran: Senior Regional Representative
Sierra Club

Deborah Smith: Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Regional Water Quality Control Board

Darla Guenzler: Executive Officer
California Council of Land Trusts
 
Kyle Brown: Director
Center for Regenerative Studies, CSU Pomona
 
James W. Mussenden: City Manager
City of El Monte
 
Sal Ramirez: Southern California Director 
National Hispanic Environmental Council Member Board of Trustees
El Monte School District
 
  

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Amigos de Los Rios | 3800 Penn Mar Ave. | 2nd Floor | El Monte | CA | 91732