Volunteers Clean L.A. Riverbank in Studio City

Trees were planted and debris was cleaned up Monday morning in Studio City along the banks of the Los Angeles River, made possible by a $50,000 donation from the Ford Motor Company and a clean-up effort led by District 2 City Councilmember Paul Krekorian.

The funds will go toward planning a bike path to run from Fulton to Whitsett avenues to connect the greater effort by the city to construct 51 miles of bike path along the L.A. River as part of the 2020 Greenways program. It's anticipated to be completed in the next six years. Councilmember Krekorian called the effort a "huge step forward."

The local groups and organizations also involved in Monday's event included the Dept. of Recreation and Parks, L.A. River Revitalization Corp., the Studio City Residents Association, Save L.A. River Open Space, Village Gardeners of the L.A. River, Friends of the Los Angeles River, among others.

NBCUniversal also donated funds toward sprucing up a different area along the L.A. River in Studio City.