Melanie Winter struggled for the Los Angeles River

To the editor: Those of us who work on the Los Angeles River are often told to be practical. To weigh flood control, secure permits, follow schedules and keep expectations in check. This is a responsible job and it is necessary.

But every so often, someone reminds us that practice can be a trap. One insists that the river demands more than patience, more than bureaucracy, more than progress reports. That person was Melanie Winter“Melanie Winter, who fought to embrace nature along the Los Angeles River, has died”. October 23).

Melanie never accepted “after”. She believed that the river must now be healthy, that the people living along it are now accessible, that nature and justice cannot wait for convenience. She wanted us to move fast, be brave and apologize for asking more for the river.

I had the privilege of getting to know Melanie, sitting next to her as we discussed the pace of change and the politics of recovery. When she said to me, “Don’t be lazy, Candace,” she meant, “Don’t compromise, don’t settle for friendships that undermine your purpose or alliances that lose sight of the river.” He couldn’t keep up with the small views.

Melanie worked with Lewis McAdams, founder of Friends of the Los Angeles River. Together, they defined the modern river movement, believing it could be wild and urban, ecological and human. “If it’s not impossible, I’m not interested,” Lewis said. Melania took the impossible and made it urgent.

At FoLAR, our work sits at the intersection of big vision and execution. We connect people and government, navigating the slow world of policy while responding to societal pressures. Melanie reminds us that cooperation does not mean happiness.

This is our challenge now: to move forward with the pragmatism of Lewis’s poetry and Melania’s defiance that requires access to vision, passion for policy and urgent change.

Candice Dickens-Russell, Los Angeles
This author is the President and CEO of Friends of the Los Angeles River.