The Santa Ana River of southern California will undergo restoration upgrades following a recently approved legislation to establish a network of trails and river-bottom parks throughout the river’s course, from Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County to Huntington Beach and the Pacific Ocean.

According to Curbed LA, new state legislation created the Santa Ana River Conservancy Program to improve the areas for wildlife and nearby residents of the Santa Ana River, which has been nothing more than a drainage channel for years.

“People want their streams back — all of them, including the Santa Ana,” said science librarian Stephen Mitchell, a co-coordinator of the non-profit UC Riverside Friends of the Santa Ana River.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other government flood control agencies fought any changes to the drainage channels for more than half a century, but the last decade saw increased support with the combined support of commercial interests and community activists.

“The realization that concrete channels can also support park amenities is rising hand in hand with environmental justice concerns,” said Steve Evans, a political consultant for Friends of the River and the California Wilderness Coalition. “Minority communities, particularly Latino communities along these river systems, are exercising their political power to improve conditions in otherwise park-poor areas.”

Highlights for the upcoming plans include trails, parks, and clean-ups to allow for watersports such as kayaking and river rafting. “This place has great potential,” said David Myers, executive director of the non-profit Wildlands Conservancy. “In five or six years, much of this river could be beautiful riparian forests with shady trails.”