Chinook salmon in the Tuolumne.

HISTORY - Protection

In 1995, the Trust played a major role in winning higher river flows for wild salmon runs on the lower Tuolumne. Founding board member Bob Hackamack intervened in the re-licensing of the New Don Pedro Dam, ultimately helping to shape the Settlement Agreement to include a strategy to increase the wild spawning salmon population and increased allocation of water downstream of the dam. This action sparked a model collaborative restoration plan for the lower river that is bearing fruit today.

In 1996, the Trust expanded its role as public educator by opening a visitor's center in the town of Groveland. Originally conceived to teach visitors about the wonders of the Tuolumne and Clavey rivers and sells books and maps of the area, the center evolved into the Tuolumne River Exploration Center (TREC) which opened in 2003 and expanded the mission to include more education and involvement opportunities.

With offices in Modesto, Sonora, and San Francisco, the Trust is the only organization working on the entire Tuolumne River, linking Sierra and Valley conservation issues and communities together and forging strong ties with the urban areas that also rely on the river.