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Tuolumne River Trust Sponsors Paddle to the Sea

by Dan Bacher, editor of the FishSniffer
March 17, 2009 -- The Tuolumne River Trust is announcing Paddle to the Sea – a three week journey down the Tuolumne River from May 15 to June 7, 2009.

"We are making this epic journey from Yosemite to the Golden Gate with hundreds of people to demonstrate the need for better stewardship of this majestic river that we all depend on," said Jessie Raeder, Bay Area Organizer for the Tuolumne River Trust. "We hope to introduce new people to this incredible river that is the lifeblood of many communities from the Sierra to the Sea – and we are actively seeking paddlers to join us along the way."

Different options for paddler participation include whitewater rafting and kayaking, non-white water rafting, kayaking, and canoes, and sea kayaking. "You can bring your own boat, you can reserve a seat on one of ours, go on a whitewater trip led by a professional outfitter, or we can help you coordinate a boat rental," Raeder stated.

This information is available at: http://tuolumneriver.dojiggy.com – for more information about paddling click on the “Paddling Info” link at the top of the page.

The Paddle to the Sea is taking place as the fish populations of the Tuolumne River, other Central Valley rivers and the California Delta are in their greatest-ever crisis, due to rampant mismanagement by the state and federal governments. Scientists estimate that only 66,264 fall Chinooks returned to the Sacramento River basin in 2008, the lowest spawning escapement on record. Commercial and recreational fishing in ocean waters off California and most of Oregon and was closed for the first time in history in 2008 and is expected to be shut down again this year by the PFMC. This closure is devastating to coastal and inland communities dependent upon commercial and recreational fishing for much of their income.

Respected scientists, recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, environmentalists and members of California Indian Tribes point to massive increases in water exports and the mismanagement of Central Valley dam operations, combined with poor ocean conditions, as the key factors behind the decline.

Meanwhile, delta smelt, American shad, Sacramento splittail and threadfin shad abundance estimates are the lowest in 41 years, according to the DFG 2008 midwater trawl survey on the Delta. The longfin smelt abundance is the fourth lowest on record and the juvenile striped bass abundance estimate is the sixth lowest. As with the salmon, record water exports and mismanagement of dam operations by the state and federal governments, along with increases in toxics and invasive species, are the primary reasons behind the collapse of these species.

Here is the press advisory from the Tuolumne River Trust:  

PRESS ADVISORY March 16, 2009
Contact: Eric Wesselman 209-996-4652  

Paddle To The Sea
A 3-week festival celebrating the Tuolumne River
from Yosemite to the Golden Gate

WHAT: Paddle to the Sea is a three-week festival to foster stewardship of the Tuolumne River. Hundreds will join in making this epic journey from the Sierra to the Sea. Kayakers and rafters will begin on the upper stretches of the Clavey and Tuolumne Rivers, travel through the Central Valley where canoers will take the lead, pass the confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin Rivers, and continue on to the San Francisco Bay.

Events along the way will involve hundreds more:
• Sierra Nevada—we will send the kayakers off in-style and offer a campout between the first and second legs of the whitewater sections on the Tuolumne.
• Central Valley—we will welcome paddlers on the banks of the Tuolumne at the Tuolumne River Regional Park in Modesto.
• Bay Area—we will celebrate the completion of our journey at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.

WHEN: May 15 – June 7, 2009

WHY: The Tuolumne is a majestic river and the lifeblood of communities from the Sierra to the Sea. It connects the fly fisher in Yosemite, to the farmer in Modesto, to the thirsty family in San Francisco, to the salmon fisherman in the Pacific. Our reliance on the Tuolumne also comes at a price as dams, water diversions, and developments have taken their toll on the River. The Salmon population has plummeted from tens of thousands to just a few hundred, the Lower Tuolumne no longer meets Clean Water Act standards, and the recreational value of the River is starting to fade. Paddle to the Sea will build public support that is critical to reversing these trends.

WHO: The Tuolumne River Trust is the voice for the river; ensuring that it is healthy, vibrant, and teeming with fish and wildlife. We seek to hold it safely in trust as a refuge for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. Founded in 1981, the Trust won Wild and Scenic designation for 83 miles of the Tuolumne in 1984, saved the Clavey from being dammed in 1994, and won higher flows for salmon in the Lower River in 1995. In 2008, we organized thousands of citizens to defeat a plan by San Francisco to divert 25 million gallons of water per day from the River.

REGISTER TO PADDLE: http://tuolumneriver.dojiggy.com/

One River, One Cause