Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
I have regularly surveyed, hiked, and canoed the same 10-mile
reach of the Tuolumne River near LaGrange since 1994. In the
summer, I've stood in 50 cfs [cubic feet per second] of water baking
in 100F+ degree Central Valley heat, and my shoes barely got wet.
In spring, I've tried to stand in a 9,000 cfs roar of icy snowmelt. In
fall, I've seen the cottonwoods color the river canyon yellow, and
drop their leaves on the spawning Chinook Salmon. Even though
this reach of the river is so familiar, there is always something
different each time I return: a riffle shifted, a tree fallen, creating a
new pool; a mining pit filled, or spawning gravels added to help
rebuild river habitats. These things give me a glimpse of a working
river, a dynamic ecosystem still struggling to survive despite the
large dam upstream. It's the same river—whether you put your toe
in at Tuolumne Meadows or Modesto or any place in between—but
the river is never the same, and that gives me hope.
TIM RAMIREZ, NATURAL RESOURCES DIRECTOR, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC
UTILITIES COMMISSION (FORMERLY WITH THE TUOLUMNE RIVER TRUST)
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