Until recently, a sixty mile span of the San Joaquin River ran dry every year, no matter how wet or dry the year. Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Trout populations declined precipitously. But because people got informed and involved, a more natural flow cycle has been restored for fish and fisheries. Salmon and Steelhead are returning to the river. Over eighty percent of the water from the Tuolumne River has […]
San Joaquin River Restoration
Restore the San Joaquin River for Jobs, Farms, and Fish
Mike Wade, Executive Director of the Farm Water Coalition, is an outstanding advocate for farmers. He always has a good command of facts and is ever-vigilant for threats to farmers’ water supplies. Recently, however, he’s been too narrowly focused on the needs of a few farmers at the expense of farmers in general, especially those who farm the San Joaquin Delta. Wade’s recent criticism of a study that shows […]
Does the Modesto Bee Really Favor Federal Assistance for the Valley?
A recurring theme in Modesto Bee editorials over the years is the lack of assistance the San Joaquin Valley receives from our federal government. These editorials have always seemed ironic to those who’ve noticed the Bee’s consistent support for anti-government politicians like Jeff Denham. Now the Bee has a chance to show its readers where it really stands on federal assistance. Federally mandated restoration of the San Joaquin River will […]
River Wars, Episode I: The San Joaquin
October 1, 2009, water flowed down a sandy segment of the San Joaquin River that had run dry for more than sixty years. Though it was a major historic event, it was noted mostly by a small group of insiders who follow water policy like an investor follows the stock market. Almost three years later, Valley citizens are scarcely aware of the escalating battle over California’s second largest river, but […]
Why Jeff Denham Must Go: Jose Hernandez for Congress
Jeff Denham must go. There are countless reasons why he must go, but they can be summed up in his unrelenting assault on public values and public resources. Once in Washington D.C., Denham became yet another point man for corporate America—one of his first acts as a newly elected congressman was an attack on the “Wild and Scenic” status of the Merced River. Denham’s latest effort is devoted to overturning […]