Sunset magazine feature on western rivers

Posted on February 25, 2008 | Filed Under California, Dam Removal, Global Warming, Northwest, River Heritage, River Renewal, Southwest, Water Conservation, Water Supply

Amy Kober
Northwest Outreach & Communications Director 

Sunset March 08 coverThe March 2008 issue of Sunset Magazine includes a story on the West’s rivers, featuring yours truly, and water experts from around the region.

It started back in the fall with a western water roundtable at Sunset’s office in California. They recorded the lively conversation and the magazine includes exerpts. To listen to the roundtable conversation in its entirety, click here.

The magazine also features three essays from writers Tobias Wolff (on the Skagit), Susan Orlean  (on the Willamette) and Pam Houston (on the Colorado).

Kudos to Sunset for taking on such a big topic and handling it so well. I like how they include both information and inspiration, balancing the roundtable conversation with the three essays.

I hope the article helps readers appreciate our rivers a little more, and spurs some of them to take action.

Learn more: Read our Principles for Evaluating New Water Supply Projects (PDF)

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 1 Comment
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

6 Month Update on America’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2007

Posted on October 22, 2007 | Filed Under Alerts, California, Deep South, Endangered Rivers, Great Lakes, Great Rivers, Mid-Atlantic, Northwest, Outreach, Southeast, Southwest

ChesleaChelsea Lane-Miller, Associate Director of Outreach
Outreach Events and Activities

recreation-tbaThough it may be hard to believe, it’s been six months since we released our America’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2007 Edition report. That means it’s time to check in and see what’s happened on each of the ten rivers. Read closely — there are new opportunities for you to take action and to learn more.

Santa Fe River
The people of Santa Fe are making steady progress on efforts to bring their namesake river back to life. In July, Mayor David Coss delivered the annual State of the City address to the people of Santa Fe, in which he said, “I am happy to announce to you today that I am proposing 1,000 acre-feet of water be dedicated to the Santa Fe River by next spring through adoption of the city’s Long Range Water Supply Plan. This means that we will have enough water to keep riparian vegetation alive in stretches of the River during the summer months. While there are still many challenges to work through as we strive for sustainable water policies in Santa Fe, this 1,000 acre-feet will be the first designation of water to a river anywhere in the state.”

The city now plans to hold town hall meetings and discussions with all key stakeholders so that the community of Santa Fe can come together in support of a common vision of a living river that will eventually be adopted by the City Council.

San Mateo Creek
Though the proposed Foothill South toll road still poses a real threat to San Mateo Creek, opposition to this ill-advised project continues to grow. Editorials in the L.A. Times and North County Times both say that the toll road is not worth it, and stories in the San Diego Tribune and Orange County Register show that nearly 70% of local residents are opposed to the road.

In other positive news, California Rep. Susan Davis (D - San Diego) successfully introduced an amendment in the Armed Services Committee that would remove several exemptions from state environmental laws that the TCA obtained in order to build the proposed toll road. The House version of the bill passed and the Senate is currently debating the bill.

Additionally, American Rivers and Surfrider Foundation supporters recently sent comments to the California Coastal Commission (CCC), urging them to deny approval of the toll road to protect San Mateo Creek and Trestles Beach, which draws surfers from all over the world. There’s still time for you to tell the CCC how you feel. Act now!

Iowa River
Conservation groups in Iowa are working to draft a set of rules that would keep the Iowa and other rivers in the state from becoming more polluted, but the state Department of Natural Resources is dragging its feet. People in Iowa want clean rivers, and they’re not going to wait forever to get them!

Take the University of Iowa in Iowa City. In response to the listing of the Iowa River as one of AMERICA’S MOST ENDANGERED RIVERS:2007 Edition, the University is organizing several events on the River, including three bus tours and a talk about the river as part of their Civic Engagement Program.

Plans are also in the works to organize a local group in Hardin County, Iowa to work on improving the river. These discussions include farmers and local people.

Upper Delaware River
The Upper Delaware River continues to face a grave threat from powerline plans by New York Regional Interconnect, a private power company. In order to protect the Upper Delaware Wild and Scenic River, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hilary Rodham Clinton have introduced legislation to block federal approval of this highly controversial proposed power line route. If it becomes law, the legislation will stop the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from unilaterally establishing power line routes through New York State. It would also prohibit FERC from overriding New York State’s siting process and eliminate the agency’s ability to use eminent domain to confiscate private property.

There’s a big incentive to pass the Clinton-Schumer legislation - on October 2nd, the Department of Energy (home to FERC) issued their final designation of the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors. The one on the east coast includes the Upper Delaware River, essentially paving the way for the proposed power line. Stay tuned for your chance to express your support for the Clinton-Schumer bill.

White Salmon River
Designating the White Salmon River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers has helped to raise awareness and support for the removal of Condit Dam. Since the listing, local efforts have: turned back a threat from the local electric company to start condemnation proceedings as a way to stall or prevent removal; hosted informational meetings to stir discussion and share facts about dam removal with the community; and appear to be turning back a move by Klickitat County to rezone a large area along the river most critical to salmon restoration. Fish scientists continue to make plans for salmon restoration - some think that rainbow trout found upstream of the dam may actually be steelhead (genetically identical to rainbow trout) that were able to adapt to freshwater life. This means that there may still be native species of steelhead in the river only waiting for the chance to return to the ocean and resume their anadramous life cycle.

It is important that FERC keep dam removal on track. Public support for dam removal is high and growing - the listing of the White Salmon generated 300 comments to the agency. Also, the tremendous public support for the recent removal of the nearby Marmot Dam on the Sandy River just outside of Portland makes Condit Dam an obvious and excellent next step for supporting people and salmon in the Columbia basin.

Neches River
The fate of the Neches River is still up in the air. Proponents of the Neches River Refuge are waiting for a judge to rule in the lawsuit filed by the City of Dallas to eliminate the refuge. Meanwhile, the Texas state legislature has designated the area as a “unique reservoir site” for Fastrill Reservoir, but the state designation will become relevant only if the refuge is overturned.

The Neches River made an appearance in Sierra Club’s America’s Wild Legacy report. They highlighted threatened wild places in each state - including the Neches in Texas. Efforts to designate the river as a National Scenic River are still in motion as well.

Kinnickinnic River
The Kinnickinnic is on the path toward restoration. Although Wisconsin is still working on budget issues that affect the project, once the state funding is in place the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency appears likely to provide the federal match for removal of the contaminated sediments. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is close to having final designs for the remediation, and the Environmental Analysis and permits are close to being completed. Dredging is expected to start next spring, and finish by early fall.

The good news is that it appears likely that a project upstream on the Milwaukee River at Estabrook Dam will also receive funding. This project would also remove PCB-contaminated sediments from behind the dam, and further upstream. Cleanup is scheduled to being next spring.

Neuse River
In early September, elected officials in North Carolina floated the Neuse River to learn about threats to the river’s health, and ways to help protect the river. Upper Neuse Riverkeeper Dean Najouks led them on the trip. He talked about how rainwater running off of lawns, parking lots, golf courses and roads - collectively called stormwater - can harm a river, and how low impact development can help to alleviate these problems. For many, it was an eye-opening experience. Hopefully this trip will help to pass a bond measure in Wake County, NC that would preserve 30% of the county’s land as open space - something that would help to reduce the amount of stormwater funneled into creeks and rivers.

There are still many challenges facing the Neuse River, including a drought this year. Additionally, the state just approved a sewage plant expansion for Johnston County and is endorsing a plan to grant the City of Raleigh a variance request to allow more than 1000 acres of polluted ground water to leach into the Neuse River - that would be more than 120,000 lbs of nitrogen per year for the next 30 years, without any treatment or mitigation. A local blogger explains how you can speak out for the Neuse on this issue.

Lee Creek
Arkansas’ Lee Creek continues to face an uphill battle, but efforts to protect this Extraordinary Resource Water are not over yet. In early October, changes to the regulations that protect Extraordinary Resource Waters (ERW) in Arkansas were passed unanimously by the PC&E Commission. These changes provide a way to delist the river as an ERW, which would normally prohibit dam construction, if a community has no alternative source of drinking water. Although this opens the possibility for constructing a dam on Lee Creek, there must be ample proof that it’s absolutely necessary for drinking water. Project proponents have not been able to show this because cheaper and more ecologically sensible alternatives exist for local drinking water.

Additionally, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which passed the Senate and House in late September, renews the 1967 authorization of the Pine Mountain Dam - proposed for Lee Creek - along with 14 other water projects in the state. Funding for study of the dam proposal is provided but there is no guarantee that any funding will be provided for building the dam. Furthermore, the project cited by the Act authorizes the dam for flood control - not water supply - meaning that the dam would still be in opposition to state law protecting ERWs.

Chuitna River
The listing of the Chuitna as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers has brought much deserved attention to the plight of this remote treasure. Elevated awareness has coalesced locals and concerned citizens have redoubled their efforts to protect the Chuitna from destructive strip mining. PacRim Coal, the company pushing for the coal mine is moving forward with its plans, including permit requests to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Local citizens and others submitted a petition in June requesting that lands within the fish-rich Chuitna watershed be deemed “unsuitable” for coal strip mining. DNR Commissioner Tom Irwin of Alaska DNR denied the petition on July 16th claiming lands within the petition area are exempt. The DNR decision is under appeal. The nearby communities of Tyonek and Beluga rely heavily upon this area for their year-round subsistence fishing and hunting.

While the State of Alaska continues to push this project forward, efforts to slow the project and extend the timeline have been successful — the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) is now expected to be released as early as summer 2008. The development of this mine would not only devastate thousands of acres of prime fish, moose, and bear habitat but would also emit huge quantities of CO2 and other greenhouse gases from coal combustion.

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | Leave a Comment
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

Homecoming on the Arkansas

Posted on October 18, 2007 | Filed Under Outreach, Southwest, Stories

ChesleaChelsea Lane-Miller, Associate Director of Outreach
Outreach Events and Activities

arkansas - tandcI think most people have a river they can call home, or that reminds them of home. For me, it’s the Arkansas River in Buena Vista, Colorado. I love this river for many reasons, and it’s a wonderful thing every time I get to be near it.

A few weekends ago, such an opportunity came my way. The summer camp I attended in Buena Vista for 6 years as a camper and 2 as a counselor had a reunion. There was an intimate group of people, and the surroundings were incredible. The aspens were at their peak — golden — ‘nature’s hardest hue to hold’ — truly stunning.

We went hiking, horseback riding, and I even learned to fly fish (well, sort of — at least I stopped wrapping the line around myself by the end!) But one of my favorite parts was just seeing the Arkansas, knowing that it’s still there, and will be for me, and one day, for my kids. I can’t wait to take them down the rapids I love like Pinball and Zoom Floom, point out the funny shaped rocks, and tell them stories about growing up on the river.

arkansas valleyOne of the most memorable stories for me was on Beaver Creek Rapid. I was just learning to guide, and was really nervous. Things didn’t go very smoothly down the rapid, and we ended up high-siding on a rock, and dumping the camp director from the boat (of course, the one time he was in my boat, I dump him!)

Afterwards, I was a mess. I was worried I wasn’t a good guide, that I couldn’t do this, and was generally just feeling sorry for myself. My counselor came and told me a story about how his father had gotten in a car accident, and the best thing that he did afterwards was to drive again. That’s how you overcome your fear, and gain the courage to try again. It took some doing, but he managed to convince me to get into the back of the boat again and guide, and I’ll be forever grateful. I love guiding, and the lessons it (and the river) will continue to teach me.

arkansas

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 1 Comment
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

Celebrate Clean Water: Finding Your Voice

Posted on October 16, 2007 | Filed Under Clean Water, Healthy Waters, Southwest, Stories

baerKatherine Baer, Director
Healthy Waters Campaign

I met Gina Salazar from Thornton, Colorado at our recent River Action Day. You can see from her story, the 3rd in our Clean Water series, that she has a passion for rivers that runs deep.

Gina Salazar & Fisher Guide Extraordinary. Sawan Nail The invitation to join advocates from around the country to attend the 2007 American Rivers Action Day was very timely. A few months prior, I decided that I wanted to find a way to return to a passion developed in my youth and fulfill some of my personal dreams and promises.

As a child, my mother would tell me colorful stories of her childhood in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. These stories were often connected to the stories she heard about her ancestors throughout their lives. Her family was among the adventurers who left Spain with land grants to explore and settled new lands in an area that would become part of the United States. Her family came from different communities in “El Valle,” including a very small township bearing her family name, Garcia.

Almost every story included water.She played in the clear waters of the local river, Conejos. Her family for generations enjoyed one of our state’s premier fly-fishing areas. She talked about the wells that provided water for the family.She talked about the crops that grew on their small parcel of land that depended on the small creeks for irrigation. She described how the water mixed with clay and straw made the adobe bricks that housed her family. She reminisced about the delicious flavors of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and fish.

Her simple life living off the land changed when the patterns and flow of the local waters changed. When she was entering her teens, her family moved to Denver to crave out a new life. The story of having to move away from her roots, from the valley her family knew for generations was not a happy tale. It was a story that marked both of our lives. It was a story she recalled even as she died from a brain tumor nine years ago.

That is how a child in grade school decided she wanted to fight and protect Colorado’s water.In the early ’60s the only way I thought I could do this was to be an attorney. I took every law class offered from junior to high school, as well as a graduate level water law course as an undergraduate at Colorado State University.

In college I took courses in natural resources, policy, sciences and communications. I even volunteered to join a team of graduate students who were annotating the new Clean Air and Water Acts. Back then we thought these Acts would protect our air, water and public safety for generations to come.

Despite decades of preparation, I did not go to law school after graduating from college. Life opened another door, and I helped build a U.S. business with operations in Greece. For the past two and a half decades, I have used my business and communications skills to foster many social initiatives for corporations and nonprofits.

But it was just months ago, I asked myself, “What happened to my dream to be a voice for our rivers?” I still don’t know today how I received the invitation from American Rivers to attend their Action Day. I signed up immediately without knowing the specific issues that I would discuss.I just wanted to get back into the flow and see where the current would take me.

When I learned that I would speak about the Clean Water Restoration Act, I knew I was at the right place at the right time even though my life took a different path to get here. The Clean Water Restoration Act reaffirms the original intent of the Clean Water Act by ensuring that small streams and big rivers are protected alike. Here in Colorado, small streams help provide water during times of drought and are endangered from pollution and destruction without Clean Water Act protections. 72% of streams in our state do not flow year round - but it is these streams that are the lifeblood for clean water and for the fish that captivate me for hours on end. The DC trip reminded me that rivers are in my blood. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life.

###

Clean Water Act’s 35th Birthday Celebration Blog Series -

Part I - Celebrate Clean Water: The Clean Water Act Turns 35

Part II - Celebrate Clean Water: How a Pillow Saved the Clean Water Act

Part III - Celebrate Clean Water: Finding Your Voice

Part IV - Celebrate Clean Water: The Clean Water Act’s Sleeper Provision - Section 401

Part V - Celebrate Clean Water: A Look Into the Crystal Ball

Part VI - Celebrate Clean Water: A Kayaker’s Perspective

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 5 Comments
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

River Activists Provide a Big Boost for Wild and Scenic Rivers

Posted on October 5, 2007 | Filed Under California, Events, Northeast, River Heritage, Southeast, Southwest, Wild and Scenic

Quinn Quinn McKew, Director of River Heritage
River Heritage, Go Wild!

River Action Day Yes, it’s been a while since our official River Action Day in Washington, DC, last week. But I wanted to let people know about the power of dedicated local voices to effect change in the ponderous capital city. In the week since local activists gave up their time to come and speak out on the need to support our Wild and Scenic Rivers, the following has happened:

1. The entire Vermont Congressional delegation introduced legislation that could lead to the first Wild and Scenic River designation in the state on the Missisquoi River

2. Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act, which would designate four new gorgeous desert rivers as Wild and Scenic in Southern California

3. We got our first Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), on legislation to study the Perquimans River for a Wild and Scenic designations

4. Last but not least, after one of our participants, Mayor Tony Gioia of Camp Verde, AZ, flew up to meeting with Senator McCain in the green room of the David Letterman show the day after River Action Day, the Senator agreed to quickly move his legislation to designate Fossil Creek a Wild and Scenic River!

All of this is a testament to the power of dedicated, local voices.

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 2 Comments
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

One Man’s Trash is Another’s… Well, Trash

Posted on August 29, 2007 | Filed Under Cleanup, Events, Southwest, Stories, Wild and Scenic

bradBrad DeVries, National Media Director
River Stories

Late last month I enjoyed a beautiful day out along the banks of Fossil Creek, helping out in a river clean up along the banks of America’s best comeback river story! The cleanup roster read like a who’s who of Arizona conservation: The Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Fossil Creek July Cleanup 2007Chapter, Arizona Wilderness Coalition, Arizona Riparian Council, Republicans for Environmental Protection, Friends of the Forest, Friends of Arizona Rivers, Yavapai Trails Association, Stewards of Public Lands, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Arizona Wildlife Federation, all participated. The Mayor of Camp Verde, Tony Goia, also pitched in.

What I noticed most - aside from the verdant green swath along the creek as it cut through the arid valley - was that rivers and creeks seem to attract people for all sorts of reasons. Fishing and boating, of course, and the simple pleasures of hiking, bird watching and sightseeing.

But rivers across the country seem to attract other activities as well, like illegal dumping.

What is it about a river that someone could look at and see a perfect final resting place for that Dodge Dart that nobody ever got around to getting running again, or an appliance store’s worth of broken washing machines, or just plain old, everyday garbage?

Is it a hope that high water might carry the junk away sometime soon, and make it someone else’s problem? In some places, is it that decades of industrial activity have left riverbanks a wasteland, suitable mainly for more Fossil Creek July Cleanup 2007discards? Or is it simply that rivers, by carving valleys, make for gradient and more convenient roadside tipping?

Whatever the reason, it was obvious that at least one area along Fossil Creek was seen as a dumping ground for decades, and that the presence of old junk along a river tends to draw new garbage and new dumping to itself.

Along with old car parts, we found plenty of old automotive oil cans - opened with either a church key opener or the punch spout I remember from family driving vacations when I was very young. There were also food cans - including condensed milk cans that were sealed with a lead solder plug about a quarter inch across. With lead paint on toys in the news that week, I had to wonder about the effect of using lead for decades to seal milk and other canned foods!

But the new trash was the most vexing - everything from bottle caps, aluminum cans and fishing line to diapers. Hey, just because the box says “disposable,” it doesn’t mean you can throw a diaper out where ever you want!

River cleanups give me mixed feelings. It’s hard to match the sense of accomplishment and connection to your home river that you get when an entire community turns out for a big deal like National River Cleanup Week. But part of me can’t turn loose of the anger and annoyance at people who come to rivers not to enjoy them or clean them up, but to dump things they don’t want to ever see again.

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 1 Comment
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

Good day for past endangered rivers

Posted on August 23, 2007 | Filed Under Endangered Rivers, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Outreach, Southwest

ChesleaChelsea Lane-Miller, Associate Director of Outreach
Outreach Events and Activities

It’s not uncommon to see a news article about a river we have previously listed in one of our America’s Most Endangered Rivers reports. But I was sure suprised — in fact elated — to see four positive news articles about past most endangered rivers today.

beaver-GroenfeldtIn 1997, we listed Mill Creek in Ohio because it was threatened and heavily polluted by industrialization, urbanization and channelization. The article today spoke of an art project that will help to restore the river. I’ve never heard of anything like this before, but it sounds like a wonderful — and beautiful — way to attract people back to the river while improving water quality and habitat at the same time.

There was also an editorial about the Susquehanna River (pdf), which we listed as the most endangered river in 2005 because of a proposed inflatable dam. The Army Corps of Engineers has just recently told the dam proponents to consider alternatives to the dam that will help to reconnect people to the river. We support that, and indeed wrote a letter to the corps stating, “the important economic and ecological services that this free-flowing river provides should not be needlessly sacrificed.” There was a similar article which I wrote about a few days ago.

There was an article about the Santa Fe River, this year’s most endangered river. A local company, Seeds of Change, is going to donate all of the seeds for habitat restoration and soil stabilization on the Santa Fe River. The article also mentions that Mayor David Coss has made restoring the Santa Fe River a priority.

Finally, I just heard that Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer have introduced legislation that could block the proposed power line threatening the Upper Delaware River, this year’s fourth most endangered river.

A good day for endangered rivers if I don’t say so myself. And, let’s hope things continue in the right direction for all of these rivers!

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 3 Comments
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

California Dreamin’?

Posted on August 3, 2007 | Filed Under California, Outreach, River Renewal, Southwest, Stories, Wild and Scenic

ChesleaChelsea Lane-Miller, Associate Director of Outreach
Outreach Events and Activities

Fossil Creek cover2.tiffFor nearly a century, the Owens River in California ran dry while the City of Los Angeles diverted the water from the river to meet the needs of the growing city. After what I imagine must have been seemingly endless negotiating, earlier this summer, water flowed through the Lower Owens River again. A dream come true for many, I’m sure.

This article from The Seattle Times indicates that the river might really be coming back to life, and more quickly than expected. It’s really quite exciting to think that a river that has been dead for nearly 100 years could now actually be ‘thriving’. (The Aquafornia blog has a category of posts on the Owens River if you’re interested in reading more.)

It wouldn’t be the first time a river has been reborn. American Rivers played a large role in bringing Arizona’s Fossil Creek back to life — and now there is a good chance that the river will be designated as Wild and Scenic.

The story about the Owens River and the success of Fossil Creek got me to thinking. Maybe restoring the Los Angeles River isn’t just California dreamin’. Perhaps the Los Angeles River could be the next river in southern California to come back to life. Nature Trumps: An L.A. River Blog shows a heron and baby catfish in the L.A. River — sure signs of hope for the River.

What the Owens River and Fossil Creek stories say to me is that if we just give these rivers a fighting chance, nature will do the rest. If that’s not a dream, I don’t know what is.

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 1 Comment
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

Flowing Water in a Dry Land

Posted on July 18, 2007 | Filed Under Dam Removal, Endangered Rivers, River Renewal, Southwest, Stories, Water Conservation

BradDeVriesBrad DeVries, National Media Director
Storyteller

I heard last night that the monsoon had finally begun in the central highlands of Arizona. If the rains keep up, and they should, creeks that have been dry for weeks will run once again.

Fossil Creek ArizonaWhen I was out there two weeks ago, it was a lesson in the power of desert rivers and even dry rivers to shape our cities and our dreams. My guide in Arizona was Ann-Marie Benz of Prescott Creeks who showed me Pine Creek and the natural bridge it cut through a huge travertine dam, the Verde River and the Southwest’s best comeback river story, Fossil Creek, pictured at the left. It was my first taste of the beautiful rivers that cut a swath of green through the vivid red sandstone and dark lava of the arid lands of the Southwest.

With Arizona and large portions of the region in the grip of a multi year drought, it’s not surprising that people were talking about water. Almost every conversation either started or eventually wound its way to a question, on which everyone had an opinion; do you think the monsoon will start today? Tomorrow? This week?

The current drought on my backyard river in Maryland, the Potomac, has at least a small clique of DC area whitewater kayakers similarly obsessed, clicking “refresh” on the local stream gauge and watching the weather in the vain hope that the river might rise. Last weekend’s Potomac Whitewater Festival was marked by low, low water and a grim search for waves, holes and other river features to host some of the world’s best playboaters. But most people in this area don’t even know the river is low and it is, undeniably, still a river to be reckoned with, as anyone watching the Festival’s Great Falls Race can attest.

It’s different in a dry place. When a brief teaser of a rainstorm rolled through Prescott, Arizona the last night I was there, the crowded bar suddenly emptied as ostensibly responsible adults rushed out onto the sidewalk to smile, laugh, and exult as the rain washed over them. Over us.

Even without water, the creeks that wind through Prescott define the city, as creeks and rivers do in most of our cities and towns. The weekend breakfast crowd at the Dinner Bell Café gravitates to the outdoor deck overlooking then-dry Granite Creek. Cyclists, runners, dog walkers and others seek out the shade and relative cool of the Watson Woods Riparian Preserve.

But even if intermittent, a river isn’t a river without water. That’s why American Rivers identified threats to the Verde River in 2006, naming it one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. That’s why we’re so excited to hear about Santa Fe Mayor David Coss’ support for restoring water in the Santa Fe River, the Most Endangered River of 2007, which currently spends much of the year as a dry, weed-choked gulch.

Mayor Coss knows what all of us understood, standing out in front of The Raven with warm rain in our hair. We felt the water on our parched lips and realized that nothing appreciates flowing water quite like an arid landscape.

The thirsty earth soaks up the rain.

And drinks, and gapes for drink again.

Abraham Cowley (1618-1667), “Drinking,” 1668

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 2 Comments
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

Restoring the Santa Fe River a top priority

Posted on July 16, 2007 | Filed Under Endangered Rivers, Outreach, Southwest, Water Supply

ChesleaChelsea Lane-Miller, Associate Director of Outreach
Outreach Events and Activities

drychannellookingtowardsSangredeChristoMtsLast Thursday, Santa Fe Mayor David Coss delivered the annual State of the City address to the people of Santa Fe. He said he wanted to speak with them about three important things: safety, youth and river restoration. For much of the year, the Santa Fe River runs dry. But now, there is an unparalleled opportunity to bring the river back to life as the city considers a flowing river. (Watch the video from the Santa Fe Watershed Association.)

Mayor Coss announced the designation of the Santa Fe River as America’s Most Endangered River of 2007 at a press conference back in April. It’s wonderful to see that he’s continuing to work toward real restoration of the city’s namesake river.

Here’s a particulalry exciting excerpt from the speech:

Mayor David Coss I am happy to announce to you today that I am proposing 1,000 acre-feet of water be dedicated to the Santa Fe River by next spring through adoption of the city’s Long Range Water Supply Plan. This means that we will have enough water to keep riparian vegetation alive in stretches of the River during the summer months. While there are still many challenges to work through as we strive for sustainable water policies in Santa Fe, this 1,000 acre-feet will be the first designation of water to a river anywhere in the state.

The last sentence about the Santa Fe River in the America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2007 report (pdf) reads: “The city needs to make a clear commitment to restoring the flow to the river, and then take advantage of a healthy Santa Fe River in planning and envisioning the future of the community.”

The Mayor’s proposal to put water back in the river is a great step toward that goal, and we hope the City Council will approve this designation of water to the river and show a strong commitment to bringing the river back to life.

For additional reading, check out this blog post on living in Santa Fe and another endangered list for the Santa Fe River.

About this Post
Permalink | Trackback | | Print This Article | 2 Comments
Like it?   digg | hugg | del.icio.us | furl | reddit

keep looking »