I’ve driven by these signs throughout L.A. a few times before, but I just noticed this new one posted on my walk to work, on Wilshire and Curson.

Since this group had finally gotten all up in my face, I went to their web site and discovered the Islands of L.A. National Park — a group of civic activists / conceptual artists who are working to appreciate and protect our beloved traffic islands.

Their methods vary from doing cleanup and maintenance, to planting trees, painting murals, and providing social assistance — all under the guise of reclaiming public space in a city that’s not really known for having any of it in the first place.

Not really great for hiking, and certainly not as remote as the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (which is pretty dang close to a National Park, even if just semantically), but it sure is nice to see people trying to make the city they live in a better place.

Tags: islands of l.a. national park, public space, urban renewal