This 2-day, 1-night tour explores challenges associated with
restoring flows and a Chinook salmon fishery to the San Joaquin
River from below Friant Dam to the confluence with the Merced
River.
From the Natural
Resources Defense Council (NRDC) staff Switchboard blog, in a
post by Monty Schmitt:
This week I had a chance to travel by kayak down 23 miles of the
San Joaquin River just south of Mendota, CA, with CNN reporter
John Sutter, who is undertaking an ambitious journey to explore
the River’s entire 360 miles – from high Sierra to the sea.
“In California, water flows uphill toward money and power. That’s
a well-known maxim out here, especially in the Dust-Bowl-ready
Central Valley — that forgotten stretch of California that grows
40% of U.S. fruits, nuts and other table foods.”
“Environmentalist Jeremy Terhune will talk about the restoration
of the San Joaquin River on Friday, part of the Oak Grove Nature
Center’s ongoing ‘Nature Nights’ program.”
“The Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
on April 17 to 18 are releasing 54,000 hatchery produced juvenile
spring-run Chinook salmon into the San Joaquin River as part of
the implementation of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program.
“Biologists this week helped 54,000 Northern California salmon
become San Joaquin River inhabitants — launching the river’s
largest experiment to rejuvenate a long-dead salmon run.”
From the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) staff
Switchboard blog, in a post by Monty Schmitt:
“Despite California’s drought, today [April 17] the San Joaquin
River Restoration Program (SJRRP) is releasing 54,000 juvenile
spring-run Chinook salmon to the San Joaquin River.”
“The San Joaquin River is America’s most endangered waterway this
year, says the national advocacy group American Rivers, known for
annually picking the country’s 10 most troubled rivers.”
“Clued-in Californians should quickly check out the Obama
administration’s proposed Fiscal 2015 budget, because it won’t
last long. …
“Some specific California projects also get a budget shout-out,
including $37 million for restoring the crucial San Francisco
Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“The Agriculture Department on Tuesday offered new aid to
water-starved California farmers, while lawmakers tussled over
competing anti-drought proposals.”
“Federal authorities are shutting down water releases for the San
Joaquin River restoration, making the water available for 30,000
people in small communities who face the possibility of summer
with dry taps.”
“House Speaker John Boehner and three San Joaquin Valley
Republican congressmen on Wednesday called on their Senate
colleagues to approve emergency drought legislation they say
would bring more water to the region.”
“In a sign of increasing political pressure to address
California’s drought, south San Joaquin Valley congressmen on
Wednesday said they will introduce legislation to ship more water
out of the Delta and temporarily block plans to restore the San
Joaquin River.”
“House Speaker John Boehner stopped by California on Wednesday,
claiming he wanted to open the spigot for drought-stricken
farmers, while doing a little rainmaking for the National
Republican Congressional Committee amidst the lush, irrigated
golf courses of Palm Springs.”
“It’s been almost eight years since the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation began its program to restore the San Joaquin River.
But after spending $100 million on the program, it’s still behind
schedule and running into problems.”
