The All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting California River Blog » River Conservation and California Water Politics http://blog.aorafting.com Read up on everything related to whitewater rafting on California rivers with All-Outdoors Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:00:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting California River Blog http://blog.aorafting.com/feed-logo.png http://blog.aorafting.com 100 100 The All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting California River Blog - http://blog.aorafting.com Friends of the River Needs Our Help and Your Help http://blog.aorafting.com/friends-of-river-needs-our-and-your-help/ http://blog.aorafting.com/friends-of-river-needs-our-and-your-help/#comments Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:20:10 +0000 Malina http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=4027 It all started in 1973 when a group of friends came together to try and stop a dam that would drown the Stanislaus River.  Ten years later, as the water of the New Melones Reservoir rose, their worst fears came true.

Nearly 40 years later,  that initial group of friends has grown into the largest river protection organization in California–Friends of the River.  After that first bitter defeat, the organization learned a thing or two and went on to permanantly protect 2500 miles of river in the Golden State.  Rivers that you, as a rafter, might know well:  the Tuolumne, the Merced, the  South, Middle Fork and North Forks of the American, the Klamath . . . among many others.

Without F.O.R’s expertise and energy, it’s quite possible we wouldn’t be in business.  Sure, some of these rivers would still be flowing, but in what form?  What kind of canyon do YOU want to raft in?  Do you want to raft past a bunch of houses?  Do you want to hear the drone of dredges, smell sewage and gasoline, and be afraid to let your kids go in the water?  After a river trip you remember the thrills of the rapids, of course, but don’t you also remember the quiet of the canyon at night?  I saw my first eagle, bear, and swarm of ladybugs on a river trip–and I’m betting you did too.  I’m betting your kids came home talking about not just the rapids, but the blackberries they picked and the Mama Merganser duck and her babies swiming in an eddy.  It all adds up together to make river trips the magic things they are.

Friends of the River is one of the things that makes all of this possible and right now, this very moment, they really need us to return the favor.  As with so many instititutions, F.O.R is having to tighten the ol’ belt and make due with less.  But we’re hoping they don’t have to cut back so much that they literally cease to exist.  The risk of that is real.

This is why we’ve decided to help–and we hope you, as a rafting enthusiast, will join us.  For any–yes ANY– full fare 2011 or 2012 river trip purchased by October, 31 2011, we will pay your one-year $35 membership fee for F.O.R.  It’s a pretty good deal when you think about it–you raft for the regular price and you help F.O.R for free.  There are no black-out dates, no river restrictions, and no limit on how many memberships we’ll pay for–this is how serious we are about helping F.O.R in their hour of need.  Can’t do it without you, though.  If you’re rafting in the next year, we hope you’ll join us.

Learn more about the benefits of membership, how to donate, and what campaigns F.O.R is working right now at their website.

Above:  Early FOR campaign Middle Left:  A Merganser Duck family like you might see on a South Fork raft trip Middle Right:  A first fishing trip! Bottom: The Wild and Scenic Merced, protected by FOR

Get all the details on our membership drive offer at our website.

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/friends-of-river-needs-our-and-your-help/feed/ 0 Environmental Film Festival: Jan 15th-17th Nevada City, Ca http://blog.aorafting.com/environmental-film-festival-jan-15th-17th-nevada-city-ca/ http://blog.aorafting.com/environmental-film-festival-jan-15th-17th-nevada-city-ca/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:07:44 +0000 Malina http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=2391 foodincI just learned about the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival coming up in a few weeks and it sounds awesome.  The two day festival is an incredible hodge-podge of mini-films that range from five minutes long on plastic bags and growing asparagus, to half-hour presentations from the guys that made “King Corn,”  to full, feature-length giants like Food Inc.  The topics are wide ranging too, from sustainable seafood, to river conservation, to  families living off the grid and growing their own produce.  There are local issues and activists in the mix but the line-up is global in scope.  Wonder what people in Africa and the Pacific Islands are doing about environmental problems?  You’ll find answers in Nevada City this January!

When: Jan 15, 16 and 17

Where: various locations in Nevada City, Ca.frogs

Tickets and more information:  visit the festival website at http://www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/environmental-film-festival-jan-15th-17th-nevada-city-ca/feed/ 0 Reminder: California River Awards Oct 16th http://blog.aorafting.com/reminder-california-river-awards-oct-16th/ http://blog.aorafting.com/reminder-california-river-awards-oct-16th/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:33:09 +0000 Malina http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=2270 Come celebrate the successes and grass-roots triumphs of Friends of the River’s 30-year quest to protect California Rivers this weekend in San Francisco on October 16th.

26291Hosted at the Presidio Officer’s Club (ooooh, sounds swanky!  Get out your fancy Chacos and wash your hair!), the event features a talk by Congressman Pete McClosky–who has been championing the environment since the 1970s.

Learn more about the event at the Friends of the River website.

PS:  Our very own Scott A will be attending so if you want to get the inside scoop on all things AO you can stalk him there…..yikes!

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/reminder-california-river-awards-oct-16th/feed/ 0 Klamath Dam Removal http://blog.aorafting.com/klamath-dam-removal/ http://blog.aorafting.com/klamath-dam-removal/#comments Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:34:37 +0000 Tessa Sibbet http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=2211 Lower Klamath Scenery Pacific Corp, the utility that owns the 4 controversial dams on the Klamath River in Northern California, agreed to decommission the dams by 2020. There was an article on Thursday in the Los Angeles Times that highlights the details of the agreement. Although things are moving in the right direction to remove the dams, the agreement still needs to be approved by the US government and there are some loopholes that Friends of the River is concerned about.
Big Ike on the Lower K
Big Ike on the Lower K

The negotiations have been going on for a while now and 29 agencies and organizations have been involved. A few benefits of removing the dams are improving the (drastically decreased) salmon run and the water quality. If it all goes through, this will be the largest dam removal in the United States.

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/klamath-dam-removal/feed/ 0 Major News for San Joaquin River! http://blog.aorafting.com/major-news-for-san-joaquin-river/ http://blog.aorafting.com/major-news-for-san-joaquin-river/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:00:37 +0000 Malina http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=2204 Rivers flow to the sea, right?  As long as people don’t divert them, or use up all the water before they get there, anyway.

For 60 years, the San Joaquin River hasn’t made it to the sea–but starting yesterday, that’s going to change.  This is a major development in river restoration and huge second chance for creaturePD*28524268s of all kinds, including that tastiest and bravest of fish, the salmon.  From what I’ve heard it will take a long time for Salmon to re-establish themselves in the San Joaquin, but how amazing that they might have a chance now.  Biologists aren’t sure how the enviroment will respond to the river running again and there are many people who are skeptical–or outright angry about the project.  I for one think this will be a fascinating process to watch and hope that it is a great sucess for fish and people alike.

You can see a bunch of pictures and get more info about this very cool project at the Sacramento Bee website.

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/major-news-for-san-joaquin-river/feed/ 0 Tuolumne River featured by Ken Burns TONIGHT! http://blog.aorafting.com/tuolumne-river-featured-by-ken-burns-tonight/ http://blog.aorafting.com/tuolumne-river-featured-by-ken-burns-tonight/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:43:13 +0000 Malina http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=2195 With this cloudy weather we’re having here in El Dorado county today what sounds better than getting a cozy sweatshirt out of storage and curling up on the couch tonight with Ken Burn’s latest documentary? 

Ok Ok I know you aren’t all history nerds like me, but trust me, this one’s gonna fascinate you because it features our beloved Tuolumne River!  No, Ken didn’t call us up and go rafting with us (hello, what is he too busy?  Ken come join us!  You need a break from the archives and dusty old sepia-tone photographs!) but tonight’s segment of his new documentary on America’s National Parks features the T and the fight over Hetch Hetchy.  For rafters of course this is a fascinating and controversial tale because on the one hand, the reservoir gives us a long and reliable season on one of our favorite rivers.  But on the other hand, the dam drowned a magically beautiful canyon and will be difficult to maintain over the long term (a problem with all dams in California).  That’s what you call the horns of a dilema right there!

So grab that sweatshirt and the remote and learn something new tonight–it will make your rafting trip on the Tuolumne River next season all the more rewarding.

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/tuolumne-river-featured-by-ken-burns-tonight/feed/ 0 Brew Up Some Love for California Rivers! http://blog.aorafting.com/brew-up-some-love-for-california-rivers/ http://blog.aorafting.com/brew-up-some-love-for-california-rivers/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:39:58 +0000 Malina http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=2082 beerBeer and river lovers unite!  The New Belgium brewing company is putting its money where its mouth and tastebuds are–it has launched a  campaign for water quality and conservation in the West!   They are also allowing people to vote for the recipiant of a $10,000 grant for a water advocacy group–voting ends on Sept 30th so git on over there pronto! You can learn more about what they’re doing at their website.

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/brew-up-some-love-for-california-rivers/feed/ 0 River Activists Take Note: Mokelumne River Meeting http://blog.aorafting.com/river-activists-take-note-mokelumne-river-meeting/ http://blog.aorafting.com/river-activists-take-note-mokelumne-river-meeting/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:11:17 +0000 Malina http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=2024 Scenic-3We recently learned that there are interesting potential developments regarding the proposed expansion of the Pardee Dam on the Mokelumne River; if you’re reading this blog you’re probably a river lover–and a boater of some kind–so you might want to take note!

Friends of the River reports that there will be a public meeting on August 11, 2009 at the East Bay MUD headquarters in Oakland at 8:30 am.  That’s awful early in my world, but since the proposed dam expansion would drown a significant section of river beloved by kayakers and fishermen it might be worth setting the ol’ alarm clock.  Members of the public–that’s YOU–will be given the opportunity to speak at the meeting.  Go freedom of speech!  Bless them Founding Fathers!

Learn more at the the Friends of the River Website.

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/river-activists-take-note-mokelumne-river-meeting/feed/ 0 Mid-July California Rivers Flow Update http://blog.aorafting.com/mid-july-california-rivers-flow-update/ http://blog.aorafting.com/mid-july-california-rivers-flow-update/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:39:42 +0000 Malina http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=1972 Here we are in the height of the summer California River rafting season and you have lots o’ options choose from–great news, but also part of the mixed feelings we in the industry have about dams.  On the one hand we tend to be conservation minded and are well aware of dams’ many drawbacks ecologically.   On the other hand, dams dramatically extend our rafting season and make water flows much more reliable.  We’re able to organize trips and logisitics around scheduled flows and can give guests a pretty accurate idea of what to expect because we are so familiar with rafting the same flows summer after summer.

mf-2dayThe mixed bag of dams aside, the end result is that we have three rivers that flow consistantly all summer–the South and Middle Forks of the American Rivers, and the Tuolumne River.  The Tuolumne is really a two-for-one deal because not only do we get the class IV section of the main T, but we also get the class V section of the Upper Tuolumne, or Cherry Creek, as it’s more commonly known.  We will offer consistant trips on all these rivers for the rest of summer!

(Above:  Summer is the perfect time to explore California Rivers with side-hikes and overnight trips!)

]]> http://blog.aorafting.com/mid-july-california-rivers-flow-update/feed/ 0 The Last Descent Wins People’s Choice Award http://blog.aorafting.com/last-descent-wins/ http://blog.aorafting.com/last-descent-wins/#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:39:47 +0000 Tessa Sibbet http://blog.aorafting.com/?p=1435 Local kayakers, filmmakers, and activists, Scott Ligare, Katie Scott, and Charlie Center recently won the People’s Choice Award at the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, CA. Their film, The Last Descent, aims to “raise public awareness that some of the world’s most beautiful, culturally rich and ecologically significant rivers are threatened by large scale hydropower projects.” The Last Descent delves into the villages and cultures that exist in each river canyon and interviews those people who are being most affected by the dam construction. While the whitewater in The Last Descent is plenty impressive, this is not just another kayak film. The story these boaters tell is both devastating and inspiring and will make you want to get out and protect the rivers you love most.

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