Established in November 2003 as an independent organization, Amigos was formed by a dedicated multi-disciplinary group of experienced professionals committed to developing open space in communities that lack parks. Originally, Amigos de los Rios was conceived as an outreach project by members of the Sierra Club San Gabriel River Task Force. Since 1999, the San Gabriel River Task Force has been working to develop a greenbelt of parks and habitat along the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo rivers. Capitalizing on its overwhelming success, Amigos sought to involve the communities living along the rivers and most affected by these changes.
Since our inception as an independent non-profit organization we have worked in the Rio Hondo Sub-Watershed to develop new open space resources, enhance existing public spaces, and involve residents in the process of developing their community. We accepted our first contract with the City of El Monte to perform public involvement for two proposed parks in December 2003.
The mission of Amigos de los Ríos (Amigos) is to create sustainable open spaces, strengthen community life, and preserve the environment in underserved areas of Southern California. Working closely with community members, we strategically partner to design, to build, and to restore parks and open spaces for recreation and education, with a focus on the urban rivers and their tributaries. Amigo enhances the capacity of communities to protect their social and natural environment for the benefit of current and future generations.
