• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice

The Valley Citizen

Pursuing truth toward justice
  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About

Adam Gray Delivers for Valley Rivers

September 1, 2022 By Eric Caine 6 Comments

Elated nature lovers celebrated the end of August with news that California Assemblymember Adam Gray had acquired $40 million to further enhance development of wetlands and riparian forests at the confluence of the Tuolumne, San Joaquin and Stanislaus Rivers. Led by River Partners, the project will restore natural habitat and add tremendous value to the nearby San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge.

With over 90% of Valley wetlands lost to urban and agricultural development, restoration of any of them represents a giant leap forward toward a more sustainable water future in a region threatened by climate change, depleted aquifers, and ongoing loss of wildlife. In addition to the aesthetic, recreational and wildlife values at Dos Rios Preserve, a location slated to become the first new state park in thirteen years, wetland restoration will play a significant role in flood control, carbon sequestration, and groundwater recharge.

There may be no better organization than River Partners to bring the three rivers back to their natural state. With a staff including Restoration Ecologists, Biologists, and Field Technicians, River Partners applies science, natural history, and technical expertise to every aspect of river restoration.

“What I like about River Partners is that they don’t look at the plight of fish and our environment then wring their hands. They get their hands dirty, doing the work to make things better,” said Gray. “And they invite everyone to the table – from farmers to farmworkers to scientists to tribal leaders and everyone else who wants to join in.”

Haley Mirts at Dos Rios Preserve July, 2022
Restoration Ecologist Haley Mirts, Dos Rios Preserve, July, 2022

Long the neglected step-child of federal and state funding, the San Joaquin Valley features a drastically damaged environment, including one of the largest areas of land subsidence in the world, an ongoing problem as farmers continue to pump groundwater. With the almost certain future events of torrential rains and flooding, wetland restoration offers one of the most cost-effective ways of controlling floodwaters and restoring aquifers.

A future of river restoration will be a vital necessity as Valley leaders secure funding that will help us adjust to new climate realities.

“The science couldn’t be clearer,” said River Partners President Julie Rentner. “The San Joaquin Valley is ground zero for both more intense and frequent climate-driven floods and droughts on the horizon. Expanding and restoring the Valley’s floodplains provides significant benefits on both fronts.”

Computer modeling by scientists at the University of California has shown that atmospheric rivers will become more intense and occur more often in the near future, increasing the odds of a mega flood event like the one that submerged vast areas of the Central Valley in 1862. Among the recommendations by climate scientists, ecologists, and hydrologists for flood control, restoration of natural floodplains ranks number one.

Javier Sandoval Dos Rios Preserve, July 2022
Stanislaus Audubon Board Member Xavier Sandoval, Dos Rios, July, 2022

Scientists have also warned that unless we greatly increase state and federal funding, the Valley will face increasingly perilous conditions as floods endanger towns, cities and suburbs. Flood events like the one that has deprived residents of Jackson, Mississippi, of drinking water could become a common occurrence.

Currently a candidate for office in US Congressional District 13, Assemblymember Adam Gray has shown again and again he can deliver for his Valley constituents, while Republicans in Congress have shown again and again that they’re in the pockets of climate change deniers.

Twenty years ago, Republican Senator John McCain was among the leaders of a bipartisan effort to address the consequences of climate change. Republicans like Olympia Snowe, Lincoln Chaffee, and Susan Collins signed on to efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of heat-trapping pollutants on the earth’s atmosphere. Today, it’s easier to find a barnyard chicken with canine teeth than to get any Republican Congressmember to accept the need for fast action on climate change.

Delivering for Valley rivers isn’t just a boon for a nature and wildlife, it’s become a necessity if Valley citizens hope to avoid disastrous floods and threats to water quality throughout the region. Adam Gray delivers.

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Adam Gray for Congress, Assembly Member Adam Gray, Dos Rios State Park, Haley Mirts Restoration Ecologist, River Partners, River Partners Dos Rios restoration

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Babette & Gary Wagner says

    September 2, 2022 at 7:38 am

    As decades long supporters of Tuolumne River Trust, we’re delighted to see that government funds are being appropriated to continue funding this critical joint-effort project. The needs are great, the money and volunteer manpower are applied judiciously, but progress, albeit steady, has been slower than we’d anticipated.

    Hope this gives things a boost….we’re running out of time to make things right!

    Reply
  2. Richard Anderson says

    September 2, 2022 at 9:54 am

    Eric:
    Very informative piece, thank you.
    Some MJC friends and I are documenting our LOCAL CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS. As part of this, Philosophy prof. Bill Anelli and I visited the three bridges that go across brnches of the Delta Mendota Canal just south of Dos Palos.
    The rapidly subsiding lands there have sunk so far that the Canal rises, and it could come up over the bridges.
    Interested readers can view our 4 minute video report about how drought-> increased San Joaquin groundwater pumping-> land subsidence has happened there. A major respponse of the water managers there is to decrease water delivered into the canal branches, to prevent the bridges from acting as dams:

    Subsidence of the Delta Mendota Canal 3:43: https://vimeo.com/649346322/

    Reply
    • Eric Caine says

      September 2, 2022 at 1:54 pm

      As always, Richard, thank you for the great work and public service.

      Reply
  3. Bruce Frohman says

    September 2, 2022 at 9:55 am

    I would like to see the Mapes ranch added to the refuge. Given the number of birds that visit each winter, the potential benefit to wildlife would be tremendous.

    I am grateful that the stewards of the Mapes ranch welcome and accommodate the birds. My desire is not meant as a criticism in any way. I would expect the owner to be well compensated for his land.

    Reply
    • Eric Caine says

      September 2, 2022 at 1:52 pm

      Bruce: Parts of the Mapes Ranch are under conservation easements and are a tremendous boon for local wildlife.

      Reply
  4. Lourdes L says

    September 2, 2022 at 12:43 pm

    Xavier Sandoval is that you ???

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

Gimme Shelter: Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness and the California housing crisis
Gimme Shelter: Mayor Karen Bass on homelessness and the California housing crisis
Liam Dillon and Ben Oreskes of the L.A. Times interview Mayor Karen Bass about homelessness and housing problems in California.
calmatters.org
Judge Luttig Has a Warning for America
Judge Luttig Has a Warning for America
Our democracy is “under vicious, unsustainable, and unendurable attack” from within…
morningshots.thebulwark.com
Rupert Murdoch has fuelled polarisation of society, Barack Obama says
Rupert Murdoch has fuelled polarisation of society, Barack Obama says
Former US president tells Sydney audience that media coverage has helped exacerbate divisions and that we no longer have a “shared story”
www.theguardian.com
California faces catastrophic flood dangers ? and a need to invest billions in protection
California faces catastrophic flood dangers and a need to invest billions in protection
A new state plan for the Central Valley calls for spending as much as $30 billion over 30 years to prepare for the dangers.
www.latimes.com
Oakland will get millions for the ?inhumane? crisis at one huge homeless encampment. Officials say it?s not enough
Oakland will get millions for the “inhumane” crisis at one huge homeless encampment. Officials say it’s not enough
Gavin Newsom’s administration has awarded Oakland a $4.7 million grant to come up with…
www.sfchronicle.com
Alaska?s Fisheries Are Collapsing. This Congresswoman Is Taking on the Industry She Says Is to Blame.
Alaska’s Fisheries Are Collapsing. This Congresswoman Is Taking on the Industry She Says Is to Blame.
Mary Peltola won her election by campaigning on a platform to save the state’s prized fisheries. A powerful fishing lobby is standing in her way.
www.politico.com
Jimmy Carter's final foe: A parasitic worm that preyed on millions in Africa and Asia
Jimmy Carter’s final foe: A parasitic worm that preyed on millions in Africa and Asia
One of former President Carter’s biggest hopes is wiping out an infectious parasitic disease that’s plagued humans for millennia. How close is he?
www.latimes.com
Climate Extremes Threaten California?s Central Valley Songbirds - Eos
Climate Extremes Threaten California’s Central Valley Songbirds – Eos
A “nestbox highway” in California’s Central Valley is guiding songbirds to safe nesting sites and giving scientists a peek at fledgling success in a changing climate.
eos.org
Alaska Republican touts benefits of children being abused to death
Alaska Republican touts benefits of children being abused to death
Republican David Eastman suggested the death of child abuse victims could be a “cost savings” to wider society.
www.newsweek.com
Editorial: Newsom's drought order amid wet winter threatens iconic California species
Editorial: Newsom’s drought order amid wet winter threatens iconic California species
Gov. Gavin Newsom has effectively ended environmental regulations protecting California rivers and migratory fish by extending drought-year waivers.
www.latimes.com
Two-thirds of McPherson Square homeless remain on street, D.C. says
Two-thirds of McPherson Square homeless remain on street, D.C. says
As of Thursday, just two of the more than 70 residents of McPherson Square had been placed in permanent D.C. housing.
www.washingtonpost.com
More Building Won?t Make Housing Affordable
More Building Won’t Make Housing Affordable
America’s housing crisis has reached unfathomable proportions. But new construction isn’t enough to solve it.
newrepublic.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design