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Op-Ed: Heidi Hall and Kim Milligan: Renewal on the South Yuba River
Published on Dec 6, 2009 - 7:53:01 AM
By: South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL)
NEVADA CITY, Calif. Dec. 5, 2009 - In this season of celebration and renewal, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) Board of Directors would like to share some reflections and successes from 2009 and our vision for the coming year.
Like countless businesses and nonprofits around the state and country, in 2009 SYRCL faced enormous financial challenges just to keep our doors open and our sights on our mission: to protect and restore the Yuba River and greater Yuba Watershed.
One year ago, SYRCL was one of the thousands of businesses and nonprofits stuck with unpaid invoices when the State of California froze payments on completed contracts (in SYRCL's case, for river restoration). To make matters worse, the state froze existing contracts, which left much of our vital river protection work suddenly unfunded. As a result, SYRCL was forced to reduce staff, office hours, and office space and pare our budget to the bone.
It hasn't been easy, but thanks to the leadership of Executive Director Jason Rainey, our extraordinary staff, and the enthusiasm and generous support of thousands of donors, members and volunteers, SYRCL had a great 2009:
* Keeping the Yuba clean: In 2009 SYRCL won tougher water quality standards from the Donner Summit Public Utility District, which discharges treated sewage into the headwaters of the South Yuba.
* Restoring salmon habitat: SYRCL secured major federal and foundation grants for habitat rehabilitation on 4 miles of the lower Yuba River.
* Partnering with other conservation organizations and public agencies for long-term solutions, SYRCL remains a lead voice in the most important decision-making process in nearly 50 years -- the re-licensing of scores of dams throughout the Yuba and Bear Watersheds.
* Great events: The community is the heart of SYRCL, and 2009's events prove it: a superb Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival, our annual Auction, and River Cleanup, to name a few.
Ten years ago, SYRCL and our allies achieved a major victory when the South Yuba was designated a "State Wild & Scenic River," thwarting plans for more dams. Because our wild and scenic river deserves wild salmon, SYRCL's "Yuba Salmon Campaign" will continue working to reintroduce these majestic fish to their native waters by protecting the wild Chinook salmon that currently spawn in the lower Yuba River and advocating their reintroduction into the Middle and South Yuba Rivers.
Why? Because wild, native salmon both indicate and contribute to healthy river systems.
It may be a stretch, but imagine three-foot-long "Spring King" salmon, as Chinooks are known, congregating in your favorite summer swimming hole. Their survival as a species may depend on it: fisheries scientists say reintroducing these fish to the upper Yuba Watershed may be necessary to pull them back from the brink of extinction. We may never restore the abundance of the estimated 100,000 salmon that once ascended the Yuba each year, but the annual return of salmon is one of the few ways that nutrients replenish our mountain rivers and watershed lands.
For more than 25 years, SYRCL has been organizing citizens and collaborating with agencies to monitor river water quality, conserve resources and safeguard a healthy Yuba. As this work continues through dam re-licensing, the Yuba Salmon Campaign, and our annual events, we at SYRCL increasingly see our long-term success measured by the improvement of habitat and river conditions so that they might once again support wild salmon.
The Yuba's salmon are one of hundreds of stories from around the world featured in SYRCL's 8th annual Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival, January 15-17th. Through the film festival, SYRCL educates and inspires attendees and brings substantial tourism dollars into our local economy, but it is not a significant fundraiser for SYRCL, and we rely on the support of many local individuals and businesses to make it happen. The 2010 Fest' would not be possible without the support of our members and sponsors, particularly our new Presenting Sponsor, AJA Video Systems.
This year's festival theme – "Fresh, Local, Wild" - will be unveiled at our "Sneak Peek" preview at the Center for the Arts on December 6th. Wild & Scenic tickets make great holiday gifts and SYRCL members receive a discount -- so please join or renew today! And visit us on the Web at www.YubaRiver.org for the latest news and events.
Heidi Hall and Kim Milligan
SYRCL Board of Directors
Heidi Hall is the incoming President of the SYRCL Board of Directors and Kim Milligan served as President from 2007 through 2009.
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