Tuolumne River Trust

Seeking nominations for Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards

Jessie Raeder — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:09:38 -0800

A coalition of 20 organizations - including water agencies, business networks, and nonprofits - has begun accepting applications and nominations for the 4th Annual Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards. The Awards are presented to organizations, agencies, businesses, and individuals whose programs and leadership have advanced water conservation in Silicon Valley (San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, and Alameda County from Hayward south).

2012 Award Categories Include:

Government Agency / Water Utility
Business
Organization
Agriculture
Greenscape Management
Education
Water Champion

Additional information and application/nomination forms can be found at www.WaterAwards.org

The application/nomination process will close on February 3, 2012. Winners will be recognized at an Awards Ceremony on World Water Day - March 22, 2012.

Congratulations to our 2011 Award Winners

Government Agency/Water Utility
Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA)

Large Business
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Small Business
Brandenburg, Staedler and Moore Mobile Home Communities
Organization
San Jose State University
Greenscape Management
ET Water Systems

Education
Our City Forest

Water Champion
Ken & Sally Coverdell

The coalition sponsoring the Awards includes: Acterra, Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, City of Cupertino, City of Hayward, City of Mountain View, City of Palo Alto, City of Redwood City, City of Sunnyvale, Clean Water Action, California Native Plant Society, Imagine H2O, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Sustainable San Mateo County, Sustainable Silicon Valley, Tuolumne River Trust, and Wholly H2o.

Now Hiring: Job Opportunities

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:00:00 -0800

Want to join a fun team working for a great cause? Read below to see how you can work to protect and revive one of California's premier waterways.

Tuolumne River Trust currently has 2 internships available:

Attention Bay Area Kids: Essay Contest!

Karen — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:37:00 -0700

The Tuolumne River Trust is proud to announce our 2011-12 Kid's Essay Contest! This year's theme is "Protect the Tuolumne River, Save Water!" and is open to all 4th and 5th graders in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda Counties.

EPA lists Tuolumne as impaired for temperature: announcement comes on the heels of plan to divert more w

Karyn Barnes — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:18:47 -0700

The Environmental Protection Agency today listed the Tuolumne River as an impaired body of water for high temperature - a key indication of poor water quality. The river was already listed as impaired for mercury, pesticides and other chemicals. The addition of temperature signals a growing concern regarding water quality on the lower Tuolumne River. This comes on the heels of a recently revealed plan that could divert more water from the Tuolumne.

here to read the full release (.pdf file)

Fall River Cleanup Pictures now on Facebook!

Karlha — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:00:00 -0700

Over 268 volunteers, 5 river miles, nearly 2 tons of garbage and 3 hours of fun on the river and at Legion Park for this year's river cleanup! Thank you to all the wonderful amazing volunteers, sponsors and members and friends! Don't forget to check out all the great pics on our facebook! Make sure you send us your favorite pictures too. Email karlha@tuolumne.org

See you all soon!!

Get Your Copy: Natural History Guide to the Tuolumne River

Karyn Barnes — Thu, 05 May 2011 12:41:00 -0700

HOW DOES THE DOWNLOAD WORK?

STEP 1: CLICK HERE to make your $10 donation.
After you input your information you'll be redirected to a confirmation page that asks if you'd like a copy of the Natural Hisotry Guide to the Tuolumne River. Select "YES".

STEP 2: Once your donation has processed, The Tuolumne River Trust will send you an email with a link to download the guide. Please add Chris@tuolumne.org to your approved senders list to avoid email bounceback.

STEP 3: Enjoy!

ARE YOU MAKING THIS A GIFT? If you'd like to purchase the Guide as a gift for a friend, please include a note in the "feedback" section of the online donation form indicating your wishes, and include that person's name and email address in the "donation dedication" section of the form. We'll send them notification of their gift with the Guide attached as a .pdf file.

QUESTIONS? Email chris@tuolumne.org

Buy a song, benefit the river

Karyn Barnes — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:13:00 -0800

PATAGONIA AND BRETT DENNEN PARTNER TO BENEFIT THE TUOLUMNE RIVER TRUST

Ventura, Calif. � Patagonia Inc., the environmentally minded apparel company, and some of music's most talented artists, including Oakdale native Brett Dennen, have come together to form the Patagonia Music Collective in an effort to fund environmental activism.

The collective brings together musicians, fans, and grassroots environmental groups. Artists, such as Dennen, have donated unreleased tracks that will be sold for $.99 with net proceeds going directly to the artist's favorite environmental group.

Brett Dennen and Patagonia have joined together to benefit the Tuolumne River Trust, a 501c3 working to protect and revive the Tuolumne River, which provides drinking water to 2.5 million people in the Bay Area, water to grow crops in the Central Valley, power for homes and businesses, habitat for fish and wildlife, and world-class recreational opportunities. When a fan, activist, or customer purchases Dennen's new track "Little Cosmic Girl" for $.99 via the Patagonia Music Collective, net proceeds will directly go to the Tuolumne River Trust in Dennen's name.

Patagonia is always looking for unique ways, above and beyond the 1% of sales we donate annually, to help fund the environmental movement," notes Rob BonDurant, Patagonia's VP of Marketing, "Musicians have been approaching Patagonia for years asking how they can be involved in the enviro work we do. This is our answer. Artists generously donate unreleased tracks � and the enviro group receives money from the song's sales to fund its work. We are very excited about facilitating a direct connection between an artist's fans and the grassroots groups working to save the planet. We're hopeful fans will learn more about the group and cause their favorite artist supports and personally get involved."

The tracks will be available at www.patagonia.com/music, through a dedicated iPhone^� app and a web widget player on participating artist's websites. Fulfillment will be handled by iTunes^�.

Patagonia views the "collective" as a new model for green giving, as well as a way to engage a non-Patagonia demographic in environmental activism. The Patagonia Music Collective launches March 1^st with 24 tracks and additional tracks released each subsequent week from established acts and emerging artists. Exclusive compilation records and more will be available at varying intervals at Patagonia stores worldwide.

Tuolumne River Trust has been the voice for the Tuolumne River since 1981. "This year marks our 30^th anniversary, and Patagonia has been a long-time supporter of our programs to protect the river," notes Karyn Barnes, Tuolumne River Trust's Advancement Director. "Brett Dennen grew up in Oakdale, where the river is a very important piece of the community, and we had the pleasure of getting to know him last year when he played a benefit concert to kick off our annual Paddle to the Sea fundraising event. We're grateful for both of their continued support and leadership as we prepare for the challenges that lie ahead for the health of the river."

Other musicians on board thus far include Jack Johnson, Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt and Jon Cleary, Maroon 5, Philip Glass, Zac Brown Band, moe., Taj Mahal, Toad the Wet Sprocket, O.A.R., Ziggy Marley, Los Lobos, Dawes, and more.

Patagonia, with sales last year of over $333M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. In Fall 2011, the Company's entire product line will be recyclable through its Common Threads Recycling Program. The company also advocates corporate transparency through its interactive website, The Footprint Chronicles, which outlines the environmental and social footprint of individual products. Patagonia was featured as The Coolest Company on the Planet on Fortune Magazine's April 2007 cover.

For more about the Patagonia Music Collective, visit www.patagonia.com/music.

Volunteer with the Bay Area Education Program!

Karen — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:34:00 -0700

The Tuolumne River Trust is now recruiting volunteer environmental educators. If you have a passion for water issues and enjoy working with children, then please consider volunteering for our elementary school education program.

"That's the Tuolumne in my Tap" is an hour-long presentation given to 4th and 5th graders in San Francisco, San Mateo, northern Santa Clara, and southern Alameda Counties. The program is designed to educate local students about where their water comes from and to promote an ethic of environmental stewardship. The presentation focuses on the history and special qualities of the Tuolumne River, the animals that depend on the River, and what we all can do to help protect the River by conserving water.

This year, we hope to reach 400 classrooms and 10,000 students through "That's the Tuolumne in my Tap." That's a big goal, and we need the help of dedicated volunteers to achieve it.

Dennet Dam Removal Effort

Karyn Barnes — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:42:48 -0700

Dennett Dam no longer serves a function, and has been an in-stream partial barrier to fish passage for over 60 years. It has also been a navigation hazard to recreational boating through Modesto due to the powerful hydraulic forces associated with the concentrated overflow near the middle of the dam. This project will greatly improve safety for swimmers, boaters, and anglers who are currently at high risk near the dam, which has tragically been the site of three drowning deaths within the last five years, including two children.

Originally built in the 1930s to create a seasonal recreational lake, Dennett Dam partially failed during high flows within a decade of its completion. The Tuolumne River Trust's involvement has been not only building public, governmental and agency support for its removal, but also pursuing funding for the necessary planning, engineering, environmental studies, and construction necessary for removal. The Trust ultimately seeks to restore the river channel and enhance the surrounding landscape, resulting in a vastly improved native riparian habitat and recreational experience.

Complete removal of Dennett Dam would support extensive coordinated restoration efforts on the Tuolumne, which historically had the largest fall Chinook runs in the San Joaquin River system, by facilitating upstream access during the fall to prime salmon and steelhead spawning gravels between Basso Bridge and Old La Grange Dam (visible on our canoe trips), as well as downstream outmigration during spring high flows. Dam removal would also eliminate conditions conducive to native and non-native predator species that likely feed on outmigrating juvenile salmonids.

With the dam removed, Chinook salmon, steelhead, pacific lamprey, and river lamprey will have unimpeded access to 37 miles of upstream habitat. Central Valley steelhead is an anadromous fish listed under both the State and Federal Endangered Species Act, and Central Valley fall-run Chinook salmon and Pacific lamprey are anadromous species of concern or candidates for listing.

The dam is located just west of the 9th Street Bridge in Gateway Park (Modesto), which is part of the Tuolumne River Regional Park (TRRP). The Trust has supported development of TRRP and its associated trail system as part of the overall economic redevelopment of this Central Valley town. When completed the Tuolumne and Dry Creek trail system will stretch over 16 miles of scenic riverfront, providing Modesto with a fantastic amenity to its quality of life.

Removal would also complement efforts by the Tuolumne River Coalition to complete the Lower Tuolumne River Parkway, a mosaic of 25 park and habitat projects along the 52 miles of the Lower Tuolumne, and support development of a planned boat trail through this portion of the river.

To learn more about the Tuolumne River Trust's efforts to remove Dennett Dam, please contact the Tuolumne River Trust at (415) 882-7252 or (209) 236-0330.

Click here to view the Bay Area's KTVU coverage of this effort.

Click here to view an article in the Modesto Bee.

Paddle to the Sea PADDLERS BLOG

Karyn Barnes — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:18:06 -0700

Track our paddler's journey from the Sierra to the Sea on our Paddle to the Sea 2010 Paddler's Blog.

CLICK HERE
to be linked to the Blog

Want to support our paddlers? Consider making a sponsorship donation today.
Click here to find out how.

Andrew Cushman, Brian Coggan, and Owen Segerstrom are going the distance - 241 river miles and 18 days. Show them your support by making a sponsorship donation to their team or by joining them on the River for a day of paddling or celebrating at one of the riverside events.