Water Wars on the Boil Driven by drought and misinformation, California's seemingly perpetual water wars are heating up this summer. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne Feinstein have proposed a new $9.3 billion water bond that would provide up to $5 billion to build new dams or enlarge existing ones and nearly $2 billion to fund a Peripheral Canal. Read more here.
No Water, No Auburn Dam? More than 35 years ago the Bureau of Reclamation was granted water rights associated with the proposed Auburn Dam. Now the state may revoke those water rights. No water, no dam, right? This would be another nail in the Auburn Dam coffin, diminishing its chances of ever reviving. The hearing was July 21, and FOR's Ron Stork, among others, performed brilliantly inteh quasi-courtroom setting. The official decision will take a few weeks yet, but we will let you know as soon as it comes down.
Sierra, San Gabriel Rivers Move Toward Protection Friends of the River has helped move more Southern California rivers toward protection. A bill introduced by Rep. Buck McKeon and Sen. Barbara Boxer would protect more than 52 miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers and nearly 476,000 acres of Wilderness, including some of the most spectacular scenery in the West. Get the facts here.
FOR Names New Leader FOR has chosen Paul Tebbel as its new Executive Director. Some of you may remember Paul's name from his days as Environmental Affairs Director for Patagonia. Learn more about Paul and his passions here.
California Water: 3 Easy Steps California has enough water. Surprised? Find out why building more billion-dollar dams won't work. Learn smart, easy, and efficient ways to manage our water. A little common sense can go a long way toward solving our water "crisis." Read all about it here.
Visit the FOR Bookstore! Friends of the River now has a bookstore! We make it easy for you to browse our virtual shelves. We've picked a handful of the best books about rivers and water. And here's a sweet little bonus. Every time you buy a book through our site, Amazon will give a percentage back to Friends of the River to help us continue the fight for California's rivers. Start browsing!
Dam Facts, Dam Lies, and Statistics It’s a sad state of affairs when good public policy takes a back seat to sound bites that have no basis in reality. So we have gathered a selection of pithy-appearing but less-than-factual sound bites of dam proponents and compared them to the real facts of the matter. Like that factoid that California hasn't seen a new dam in the past 20 years. Not true. Read and decide for yourself.
Thursday July 24, 2008
URGE THE SENATE TO PROTECT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RIVERS! Ask Senator Boxer to push California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act through the Senate before it's too late. Read More | Send Letter
TELL FEINSTEIN: NO NEW DAMS Developers are pressuring Senator Feinstein to support costly new dams. Urge her to say no! Read More | Send a Letter
17,000 ACRES FOR RECREATION Tell Senators Boxer and Feinstein to continue pursuing the Sacramento River National Recreation Area. Read More | Send Letter
DISCOVER -- AND PRESERVE -- THE VENTANA CENTRAL COAST RIVERS Take a hike. Watch a movie. Write a letter. They all help build support for these beautiful rivers. Read More | Send Letter
Driven by drought and misinformation, California's seemingly perpetual water wars are heating up this summer. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne Feinstein have proposed a new $9.3 billion water bond that would provide up to $5 billion to build new dams or enlarge existing ones and nearly $2 billion to fund a Peripheral Canal. 
Friends of the River has helped move more Southern California rivers toward protection. A bill introduced by Rep. Buck McKeon and Sen. Barbara Boxer would protect more than 52 miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers and nearly 476,000 acres of Wilderness, including some of the most spectacular scenery in the West. 
FOR has chosen Paul Tebbel as its new Executive Director. Some of you may remember Paul's name from his days as Environmental Affairs Director for Patagonia. 
California has enough water. Surprised? Find out why building more billion-dollar dams won't work. Learn smart, easy, and efficient ways to manage our water. A little common sense can go a long way toward solving our water "crisis." 
Friends of the River now has a bookstore! We make it easy for you to browse our virtual shelves. We've picked a handful of the best books about rivers and water. And here's a sweet little bonus. Every time you buy a book through our site, Amazon will give a percentage back to Friends of the River to help us continue the fight for California's rivers. 
It’s a sad state of affairs when good public policy takes a back seat to sound bites that have no basis in reality. So we have gathered a selection of pithy-appearing but less-than-factual sound bites of dam proponents and compared them to the real facts of the matter. Like that factoid that California hasn't seen a new dam in the past 20 years. Not true. 
