Berkeley, CA , July 17, 2018 – Restore Hetch Hetchy is asking nature lovers, Yosemite lovers, National Parks lovers, and adventurers from all walks of life to take a pledge to walk in a restored Hetch Hetchy Valley through its new Pledge to Walk the Valley campaign. Implemented across social media platforms and centered around a stirring video, the campaign asks participants, inspired by the vision of restoration, to post a photo on Instagram or Facebook of a place they like to walk, with the hashtag #restorehetchetchy. The campaign also includes a new video of an original song, “Hooray for Hetch Hetchy,” recorded by Bill and Louise Kirchen.
“Too few people are aware of the buried treasure that is Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley and the very real opportunity we have to restore it,” said Restore Hetch Hetchy Executive Director Spreck Rosekrans. “We believe that restoration of Yosemite Valley’s twin, Hetch Hetchy Valley, is entirely doable and possible – while fully protecting San Francisco’s water supply. The ‘Walk the Valley’ campaign is designed to inspire a new generation of Americans, one that is seeing a continuing loss of their country’s natural treasures, to join in ensuring that this is one treasure they can reclaim, walk in and share with future generations.”
Conservationist John Muir called the Hetch Hetchy Valley “one of nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples.” But, after an unprecedented debate over building a dam in a national park drew opposition from more than 200 newspapers across the United States, the Hetch Hetchy Valley was dammed and flooded by the city of San Francisco in 1913, burying it under 300 feet of water, effectively launching the modern environmentalist movement. Restore Hetch Hetchy is focused on undoing that mistake, while making water system improvements to guarantee that not one drop of San Francisco’s water supply is lost. The organization is currently pursuing restoration through the California courts, while also broadening awareness of the possibilities and benefits of restoration through guerilla marketing campaigns like ‘Walk the Valley’.
To join the “Pledge to Walk the Valley” campaign and to ask others to take the pledge, go here. To view the Walk the Valley video, click here. To view the Hooray for Hetch Hetchy video click here. To access a “Walk the Valley” facebook frame, click here.
The mission of Restore Hetch Hetchy is to return the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park to its natural splendor while continuing to meet the water and power needs of all communities that depend on the Tuolumne River. www.hetchhetchy.org, Twitter: @HetchHetchy