As an alpine ski instructor for over twenty years and the son of a golf professional, I’ve always struggled to reconcile my job as a river advocate with my passions for skiing and golf. Let’s face it – both activities consume a lot of land and water.
So when I first got involved with water issues in the booming resort community of Big Sky, Montana over a decade ago, I wondered if there might be some way to protect the rivers I love while also maintaining the world-class recreational pursuits that local residents and millions of visitors come here to enjoy.
I had a chance to answer that question through American Rivers’ participation in the Big Sky Sustainable Water Solutions Forum over the past 18 months. The forum, which was comprised of a broad spectrum of stakeholders ranging from conservation groups to irrigators to developers and the two local ski resorts, was charged with coming up with a set of recommendations for how Big Sky can meet its future water supply and wastewater disposal needs while also protecting the Gallatin River and other local waterways that make the area such a spectacular natural wonderland.
As a headwaters community, Big Sky has a special responsibility to ensure that its growth and development don’t adversely impact those who live downstream. After all, what happens in Big Sky not only affects everyone who lives and recreates in the Gallatin Canyon, but also all the farmers and ranchers who irrigate their crops with river water and the 100,000 residents who live in the Gallatin Valley.
The elephant in the room at the forum’s monthly meetings was the specter of direct discharge of treated wastewater into the Gallatin River. The sad fact is, virtually every community in America dumps its treated wastewater into local waterways. Such is the case with my hometown of Bozeman, which discharges five million gallons of treated wastewater per day into the East Gallatin River. Not surprisingly, the river is nearing its tipping point in terms of nutrient pollution.
Gallatin River | Scott Bosse
Fortunately, the members of the forum agreed from the onset that rather than taking the easiest route, Big Sky should strive to become a model mountain community by reducing its water use and recycling as much water as possible so it can be put to other beneficial uses. At the end of the day, the forum stayed true to its goal when its members agreed, after some vigorous debate, to pursue alternative options for disposing of treated wastewater rather than just piping it into the Gallatin River. Those options center around upgrading the existing wastewater treatment plant so its end product attains, or comes close to attaining, a drinking water standard and using it to irrigate local golf courses and make snow at the local ski resorts.
While the forum was meeting to discuss water supply and wastewater disposal issues, the greater Big Sky community has rallied around the idea of protecting its most cherished local waterways under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The Act, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2018, is our nation’s most effective tool for protecting a river’s free-flowing character, clean water, and special values. Among the Big Sky area waterways that local residents and businesses want to see protected are the public lands reaches of the Gallatin River, Taylor Fork, Porcupine Creek, and Upper Madison River.
So while there’s no denying that Big Sky’s development has consumed a lot of land and water over the past four decades and its footprint will continue to expand in the coming years, the community has made a powerful statement that its growth must not come at the expense of the Gallatin River and other local waterways that make it such an attractive place. That’s a high bar it has set for itself, but our rivers deserve nothing less.
Eleven years ago I backpacked up the Elwha River and over the Olympic Mountains’ Low Divide with two friends, women who also work in conservation. We brought along the account of the Press Expedition, the group of men who hiked and rowed their way upriver in the winter of 1889. We laughed at their repeated journal references to their “abundance of grit and manly vim” and so of course we made ‘womanly grit and vim’ the mantra for our little adventure.
At the time of our trip, two big dams still blocked the Elwha, preventing wild salmon from reaching the upper parts of the river. Today, thanks to the commitment of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and advocacy from conservation groups, the dams are gone and the Elwha River flows free, mountains to sea. The final chunk of dam fell in 2014. I carry a tiny piece of Elwha Dam in my bag. It may look like just a broken bit of concrete, but I know what it symbolizes.
2017 has been a rough year for rivers and clean water. The Trump administration and Congress are cutting protections for the places we love and the water that flows through our faucets and our veins. Whether it’s the drive to repeal the Clean Water Rule, slashing the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget, or shredding National Monument protections, the cuts and rollbacks threaten to have long-term impacts for our health, families, and communities. Our country’s most vulnerable communities – including black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and low-income white Americans – will be disproportionately impacted.
As we look to the year ahead, I asked women who work at American Rivers to share what gives them hope and what keeps them fighting back, working for healthy rivers every day, despite many challenges. Their responses are below.
We’re part of an incredibly strong network of people nationwide working for rivers, clean water, public lands, and environmental justice. Together, we’re a powerful force. Let’s keep telling our success stories. Let’s find inspiration in the pieces of busted dams we hold in our hands. Let’s draw on our shared strength and build new connections.
2018 is going to be a critical year. We’ve got grit and vim and we’re fired up. Will you join us?
What Gives Us Hope:
“It has been a tough year, and I’m thankful to feel recharged after spending time on rivers this fall. Our River Council tours on the Elwha and the upper Colorado both focused on hope and possibilities. These experiences were made even more meaningful because I was able to see some of our most generous donors and volunteers witness how their support has/is making a difference.”
– Mandy Hughes
Senior Director, Major Gifts
“Every day in my job, I come together with a team of people who truly care what happens to our environment. People who care that my son has clean drinking water, even if they have never met him. People who care that fish and wildlife have access to the habitat they need to thrive, even if they don’t hunt or fish. People who value science, and trust in the researched wisdom of scientists to recommend caution when needed. People who will stand up and say they won’t tolerate ruining our treasured air, water, and beautiful landscapes for the benefit of a few pockets. As long as I have these people standing by my side, I will show up and fight the good fight. Because I care too. And I believe that together we can do things better and make a difference.”
– Jessie Thomas-Blate
Associate Director, River Restoration and Coordinator, America’s Most Endangered Rivers
“What keeps me going is knowing that what I do helps people – whether that is reviewing a partner’s grant proposal, listening to residents’ concerns about their drinking water, or figuring out new ways to change policy with likeminded individuals. Every small step is making a difference to me and hopefully to our rivers, streams, and lakes and the people who enjoy them throughout the year.”
– Katie Rousseau
Director, Clean Water Supply, Great Lakes
“I have always liked the phrase ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ – in order to make change, I feel like each of us has a choice, whether we will drive the ship or be a passenger. By working at American Rivers, I feel like I am taking an active role toward ensuring a future I want to see for our planet and our rivers – not just for me, but for my kids, too.”
– Jodie Goldberg
Director of Development, Foundations
“I find hope in humor. What keeps me going are the friends, family and colleagues that make me laugh and who join me in laughter through some of life’s most ridiculous situations. The reality of current decision making patterns in DC is actually quite serious and a bit depressing, but I’ve found that in my day to day communications and outreach efforts, that seemingly enormous gaps are bridged by humor and an ability to laugh at ourselves and each other.”
-Kascie Herron
Northern Rockies Conservation Associate
“What fires me up is my generation, the so-called “millennials.” Growing up during the age of rapid expansion of TV and Internet gave us a better sense of the world. While we grew up watching and reading stories of terror and destruction from around the world, we also saw the good and uplifting stories as well. Now, I can’t speak for every millennial out there, but from what I’ve seen, and what studies have shown, millennials are more progressive than any previous generation. From basic civil rights, regardless of skin color, gender, or sexual orientation, to animal rights and the environment, there seems to be a gap between what we believe is right and what those in positions of power in the U.S. believe. Just the other day, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein (et al.) investigation, my brother and I had a discussion about how growing up, we didn’t blink an eye at a woman in power. We couldn’t imagine any man our age ever trying to take advantage of women in the workplace like those men did… Who knows what the future will hold, but my hope is that my generation will make a positive change.”
– Rebecca Long
Marketing and Communications Associate
“The people I get to work with at American Rivers are some of the smartest and hardworking I’ve met and I constantly find myself learning new things from them – about rivers and otherwise. I’m equally inspired by the people I work with outside American Rivers. Through National River Cleanup, I’ve gotten to know several cleanup organizers and individuals across the country who commit their time and energy to keeping our rivers clean for all to enjoy. I’ve talked to individuals who go out on their own to pick up trash because they genuinely enjoy it and see the power a single person can have within a community. I’ve talked to nonprofit staff and leaders who go unpaid and unfunded but continue to host cleanups because they have identified high need areas and engaged community groups. I’ve gotten to know cleanup organizers who have been holding events longer than I’ve been alive and don’t plan on stopping any time soon. While it can be disheartening to read or watch the news, or see how much trash there is on the side of the road and in our communities, I’m always reassured that we’re on the right track when I talk to our staff and cleanup organizers.”
– Lowell George
Associate Director, National River Cleanup
“The places we work to protect provide us all, no matter what political affiliation, with restoration and balance in an often hectic world. The resolve of my colleagues, our partner organizations and the hundreds of thousands of people who have called their representatives or sent them a letter standing up for the health of our environment give me hope for our future.”
– Karyn Bryant
Director, California Major Gifts
What gives you hope? What will you fight for in the new year? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
– George Santayana
These words were first spoken over 100 years ago. At this time, the salmon fisheries of New England were still intact and the Pacific Northwest salmon were thriving. Lewis and Clark described “almost inconceivable” numbers of fish as they made their way down the Columbia River in 1805 – this was likely the largest salmon run in the world at the time. Today, a small fraction of these fish remain. Since then, the American dinner table has shifted from salmon to beef, and salmon populations have slowly marched toward oblivion across the continental United States.
Alaska is home to the world’s last great salmon fisheries, accounting for 80% of the salmon caught in North America, and 80% of the high-value salmon caught across the entire world. The Bristol Bay fishery is valued at $1.5 billion and supports of 14,000 American jobs and a world-class recreational fishery. The majority of Bristol Bay residents are Native Alaskans, and salmon comprises 52% of the average Native family’s diet, the way of life associated with this harvest is invaluable.
Can Salmon and Mining Coexist?
After 10 years of hearing fishing stories about Alaska from family and friends, I finally made the leap of faith and quit my job to go fishing this past summer. I have no ancestral knowledge of the salmon runs of yesteryear, but I read books and watched movies to prepare for what I expected to be the great debate of Bristol Bay: can salmon and mining coexist? One might imagine my surprise when I arrived in Dillingham (the regional center of governance for Bristol Bay) to discover a town absolutely united on an issue that is supposedly so divisive. I discovered that the Native Alaskans and the commercial fisherman agree. Republicans and Democrats agree. The old and young agree. The American and non-Americans agree. And they all have the exact same red and black sticker:
Pebble Mine
The Pebble Mine, proposed in the headwaters of the rivers of Bristol Bay, could become North America’s largest open pit mine and would include the world’s largest earthen dam – all in a seismically active region where the 2nd strongest recorded earthquake in the world occurred in 1960. The mine could end up bigger than the island of Manhattan and nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon. The Pebble Mine would create about 1,000 temporary mining jobs while threatening 14,000 fishery jobs. A three-year, twice peer reviewed scientific study concluded the Pebble Mine poses “catastrophic” and “irreversible” risks to the region.
In May, 2017, EPA settled an important lawsuit with the mining company, Pebble Limited Partnership, agreeing to withdraw proposed protections in the watershed. Since then, the EPA accepted public comment on whether or not to withdraw the proposed restrictions and received over 750,000 comments supporting the proposed restrictions. In Dillingham, Alaska, over four hours of public testimony in mid-October demonstrated unanimous support of the proposed protections. Pebble Limited Partnership released plans for a smaller environmentally-optimized plan in October, but critics contend that this is just their strategy to get a foot in the door. The Pebble Limited Partnership is hoping to file the permit application in late 2017, and construction of the mine could begin as early as 2020.
The Fate of the World’s Salmon
While Alaska can seem far off and distant at times, it is truly America’s Last Frontier, and this is our last chance to be stewards of this mighty fish. Yet, this is more than a fight about fish. It’s about the economy. It’s about wild food. It’s about native cultures and their right to be stewards of their own environment. It’s about the livelihood of my family and friends.
With this decision on th horizon, the world stands at a precipice. Will the fate of salmon be bargained off to Canadian mining interests? Or will we learn from the past, and act to save the last great salmon run? Only time will tell.
The fight goes on. Will you join us?
Learn more and get involved:
http://www.savebristolbay.org/
About the author: Jeremy Diner is a commercial salmon fisherman in Bristol Bay and an active volunteer at American Rivers. He has spent nearly a decade working for clean water, and the people that rely on it for health, happiness, and a way of life. He can be reached anytime at jjdiner@gmail.com.
Today, December 14, 2017, U.S. Representative Greg Gianforte (R), Montana’s lone congressman, introduced legislation to protect East Rosebud Creek as Montana’s next Wild & Scenic River. Rep. Gianforte’s bill, H.R. 4645, mirrors existing legislation in the Senate (S.501), introduced earlier this year by Montana’s senior Senator Jon Tester (D) and co-sponsored by Senator Steve Daines (R).
If it passes, East Rosebud Creek will be Montana’s first new Wild & Scenic River in over 40 years. This bipartisan bill, which would protect 20 miles of the stream on the Custer Gallatin National Forest, has received robust local support from area ranchers, business owners, sportsman, and conservationists who want to permanently protect the creek in its clean and free-flowing condition. With the introduction of Rep. Gianforte’s bill today, Montana’s entire congressional delegation shows again that it can transcend partisan politics to unanimously support protecting East Rosebud Creek under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
What You Can Do
Please call Rep. Gianforte’s Office today at (202) 225-3211, and…
- Thank him for introducing the East Rosebud Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, H.R. 4645.
- Ask him to work with Montana’s U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines to pass this bill in the current Congress, and to consider designating additional Wild and Scenic Rivers in Montana in 2018.
Not a Montanan? Contact your Representative and ask him/her to support H.R. 4645 by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Background and Future
East Rosebud Creek, MT | Mike Fiebig
East Rosebud Creek is one of Montana’s most rugged and picturesque streams. Its watershed provides important habitat for fish and wildlife, as well as incredible recreation opportunities including hiking, paddling, climbing and fly-fishing. Hydropower dams have been proposed on a public land section of the creek three times in recent decades.
A bipartisan, statewide natural resources poll conducted in 2016 shows that two-thirds of Montanans want to see more public lands streams protected under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. That’s roughly 700,000 people across the state that support more Wild & Scenic river designations. In the past two weeks, the East Rosebud Creek Wild & Scenic bill has received editorial endorsements from the Billings Gazette and Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
50th Anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act
Passed on October 2, 1968, the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act is our nation’s strongest form of river protection. The Act turns 50 years old in 2018, and we can think of no better way to celebrate the anniversary of this bedrock environmental law than by designating new streams like East Rosebud Creek. Join American Rivers and partners in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act by visiting 5000 Miles of Wild.
The North Cascade Mountains in Washington State are defined by their majestic beauty—wild forests, wild rivers, and stunning vistas. The jewel of North Puget Sound, the Nooksack River, is the backbone of Bellingham and Whatcom County’s outdoor industry supporting a $705 million-recreation economy that includes hiking, rafting, fishing, climbing, hunting, skiing, mountain biking, backpacking, and kayaking. And the Nooksack is one of a few river systems in our state that provides freshwater habitat for all five species of Pacific salmon, including endangered Chinook salmon, as well as endangered steelhead and bull trout.
Show, Don’t Tell
Mt Shuksan can be seen over the North Fork Nooksack River. | Wendy McDermott
Sure, I can tell you all about the Nooksack River’s beauty, splendor, and myriad recreation opportunities. Or describe what it’s like to run a raft through the thrilling Nozzle rapid on the North Fork, hike through the fern forest at Horseshoe Bend, or swing a fly in freezing January rain searching for that one wild, winter steelhead. It’s challenging to explain the exact reaches of the 113 river miles and nearly 35,000 acres of riverside land American Rivers is working to permanently protect in the upper Nooksack River system as Wild and Scenic. Sometimes it’s best to just take you there. So aside from an in-person tour of the watershed, we’ve put together a Story Map to show the why and the where of the work we’re doing in the Nooksack River basin.
A Guided Tour
As you scroll through the Story Map, you’ll see the river from top to bottom, from the high-gradient, glacially influenced North Fork, where whitewater boating and fishing are the norm to the steep, forested canyon of the Middle Fork where mostly expert kayakers lay claim, to the spring water fed, low gradient South Fork which flows through the agriculture landscape of the communities of Acme and Van Zandt. It’s about as close as you can get to the guided tour of the river Nooksack River basin and the natural, cultural, and recreational wonders that make it worth lasting protection under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act.
Mapping It All Out
With such a diverse landscape and the multiple classifications within this potential Wild & Scenic designation, a static map won’t capture the entire story. The Nooksack Basin is a living landscape with diverse stakeholders, communities, and recreation opportunities, each with a particular interest in the basin. The Story Map shows in detail the 113 river miles proposed for Wild & Scenic designation, which include portions of the North, South, and Middle Forks of the river as well as the nine important tributaries.
While no technology can ever replace what it feels like to run a raft down the North Fork or swing a fly to willing bull trout, hike through the cedars in the shadow of Mt. Shuksan, or swim in the cool waters of the South Fork, our hope is that this Story Map shows why the Nooksack River and its tributaries are worthy of lasting protection under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. It should answer any questions you might have about specific information for each reach, maybe inspire you to take a river visit, and most importantly compel you to take action and sign our petition in support of our Nooksack Wild & Scenic River campaign.
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This effort is part of our 5,000 Miles of Wild campaign: In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 2018, American Rivers and partners are working to protect 5,000 new miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers and one million acres of riverside land nationwide. Learn more and get involved: www.5000Miles.org
IN
Having your member of Congress on speed dial
Enjoying the wild Grand Canyon
Defending public health
People
OUT
Deadbeat dams
Not joining the 286,209 people who spoke up for rivers this year
Presidents who attack public lands
Scarring the heart of the Grand Canyon
Trashing streams
Dismantling the Clean Water Rule
Books on tape
Going it alone
Climate change deniers
Building walls
Help us keep the ins in, and the outs out in 2018, please donate today – all gifts tripled through December 31st.
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There are a number of ways that 2017 has been tough on the environment, rivers included. From the proposed repeal of the clean water rule to rolling back protections from mining waste, the fight for clean water and our wild rivers has never been more urgent. But here in Montana, we did achieve a number of victories for rivers across our state. Here are a quick Top Five Conservation victories – and we aren’t done yet!
1) Secured formal endorsements from more than 2,000 Montanans and 1,000 Montana businesses for a comprehensive Wild & Scenic Rivers bill that would protect 50+ rivers in the Crown of the Continent and Greater Yellowstone ecosystems.
2) Won key administrative protections for 105 streams, 1,071 stream miles, and 343,000 acres of riverside lands on three national forests in western Montana.
3) Inspired 9,300 river advocates from Montana and across the nation to submit comments on the proposal by a Canadian mining company to build a copper mine in the headwaters of Montana’s famed Smith River.
4) Played a major role in convincing an influential stakeholder group to quash the idea of discharging treated wastewater from the resort community of Big Sky into Montana’s Gallatin River.
5) Met with, trained, and presented to 5,475 people in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho to build support for our river protection efforts in the Northern Rockies.
Montana’s beloved Gallatin River got some good news just before Thanksgiving. Following a year and a half of monthly meetings, a collaborative stakeholder group released its final recommendations for how the booming resort community of Big Sky should best manage its water supply and wastewater disposal. Notably missing from the recommendations was direct discharge of treated wastewater into the river, which American Rivers has long opposed. Instead, the group recommended that Big Sky seek to become a model community by pursuing innovative solutions such as using highly treated wastewater to irrigate local golf courses and make snow on low-gradient ski slopes in early winter. For more information on the Big Sky Sustainable Water Solutions Forum’s final recommendations, check out this article from Explore Big Sky in which American Rivers is quoted.
The period to submit scoping comments regarding the proposed Black Butte copper mine in the headwaters of the Smith River in central Montana closed on November 16, 2017. According to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the agency received about 10,000 comments during the scoping period. Of those, 8,030 people, or just over 80 percent, commented through American Rivers’ action alert.
The fight is far from over, though. Montana DEQ will use these scoping comments to frame their environmental assessment process throughout 2018. Included in this process will be more opportunities for the public to comment, and we will need your help again.
The Smith River is one of Montana’s most cherished floats. Every year thousands of people apply for a multi-day permit to boat its limestone canyons, sample its world-class fishery, and camp underneath its starry skies with family and friends. Because of the proposed Black Butte mine in its headwaters, the Smith River was named one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® in 2015 and 2016.
Thank you for helping us keep wild rivers like the Smith free of acid mine drainage and other pollutants. We couldn’t do it without you! For more information on the proposed copper mine in the headwaters of the Smith River, and to stay informed, please visit: https://www.americanrivers.org/river/smith-river/
This guest blog by Lin Wellford is a part of our America’s Most Endangered Rivers® series on the Buffalo National River.
Corporate agricultural interests have worked hard to make the environment a wedge issue. They would have you believe that ‘environmental extremists’ (their term for anyone who is actively involved in protecting our shared resources) are anti-farmer and anti-progress. However, I recently came across an article by a third generation farmer and rancher who has seen first-hand how raising large numbers of animals in metal buildings and disposing of tons of concentrated waste on limited acreage has damaged his neighboring land and water.
Thomas L (Tom) Warner of Decater, Indiana, wrote an article that appeared in the Greensburg Daily News. In it, he details problems caused by an industrial livestock operation that polluted the private lake on his property. As he put it, “I am an aggrieved Indiana resident, voter, and taxpayer, but most importantly, I am an aggrieved Indiana farmer because I know the hazard of hog waste first hand. I know that giving the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Department of Natural Resources directive to protect the state’s environment [while also] increasing the number of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the state is counter-effective, particularly if additional funds for enforcement are not made available at the same time.”
Not one to just complain, Mr. Warner provides a list of changes that would help prevent more damage:
“Here are some specific examples that I believe would strengthen [any state’s] CAFO laws: First, the state could impose greater setback laws, of at least a mile, from residences, schools, businesses, churches, parks, and other places. Those setbacks should include all confined feeding operation (CFO) structures and land application activities. Additionally, there should be greater setbacks from lakes, streams, wetlands, and other environmentally sensitive areas. Second, the state could also strengthen its factory farm laws by setting air pollution limits for CFOs to restrict their emissions of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, amines, volatile fatty acids, and other odorous compounds. Third, Indiana should prohibit construction or expansion of CFOs in karst areas and flood plains. Fourth, the state should impose the same public notice and commenting requirements for CFO permits as it requires under the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act for other industries, which would require IDEM to actually consider and respond to public comments in its decision making on whether to issue a permit. Finally, Indiana’s factory farm laws could be improved with the repeal of Senate Enrolled Act 186, passed in 2014, which requires all Indiana statutes to be construed to protect CAFOs.”
As is seen in Indiana, Arkansas has weak regulations and even weaker enforcement. We also have karst topography that makes it easy for pollution to reach the water table. In the Ozarks, we have hills and valleys, so a 100′ buffer zone around streams, sink holes, springs, and wells without considering the sloping topography makes even less sense. As Mr. Warner noted, our state’s Department of Environmental Protection seems more focused on protecting the rights and opportunities for big business to pollute than doing their stated job of protecting the environment.
The fact that the Buffalo River is also a national park, endowed with all the federal protections that a national park should enjoy, having been set aside by an act of Congress to be preserved for all of us, makes the lack of oversight and care even more incredible. If we are willing to pollute our most extraordinary and treasured waterways, can we expect any of our lakes or rivers to receive the level of protection they so clearly need?
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Author: Lin Wellford
Lin Wellford has made her home in the Ozarks for more than 40 years. A retired author/artist, she now devotes her talents to environmental issues and community causes.
“The Kern Plateau, so green and lovely on my former visit, in 1864, was now a gray sea of rolling granite ridges, darkened at intervals by forest but no longer velveted with meadows and upland grasses. The indefatigable shepherds have camped everywhere, leaving hardly a spear of grass behind them.”
– Clarence King, a member of the Whitney Survey in search of the highest peak in the United States
This past summer, the headwaters team in California was busy assessing wilderness meadows in Kings Canyon National Park. On our last six-day backpacking excursion, we waded through remote meadows perched at 9000 feet, a rugged four miles as the crow flies from the closest trail and ten miles from the nearest potholed dirt road. Throughout the trip, I couldn’t stop wondering about the shepherds and their flocks whose legacies still haunt even the most remote glacially carved canyon in the Sierra. I marveled at their fortitude; lacking such modern luxuries as GPS units, Gore-Tex hiking boots, and titanium trekking poles, these rugged mountain men navigated nearly every nook and cranny in the Sierra Nevada. Though the extreme lengths these shepherds went to are impressive to the modern backpacker, the ecological legacy of sheep grazing is less than admirable. Many Sierra meadows are in poor shape because of the shepherds and their sheep.
Photo courtesy of NPS.gov
Why flock to mountain meadows?
Why did the shepherds traverse rivers and ridges high in the Sierra Nevada in search of remote meadow pastures? A series of floods and droughts from 1862-1864 drove shepherds from the southern San Joaquin Valley to look for higher pastures in the mountains, desperate for a reliable source of forage for their animals. As California’s population grew, so too did the demand for meat. Peak grazing in the park occurred from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. The transhumance – the movement of livestock from one grazing ground to another in a yearly cycle, from lowlands in the winter to high mountains in the summer – became an established tradition in the Sierra for nearly a century. Even after grazing was banned when Sequoia and Kings Canyon became a jointly operated park in 1940, the impacts of overgrazing are visible today.
Meadows Today
California’s mountain meadows act like sponges – absorbing water during the wet season and slowly releasing it over the dry summer and fall months. In the context of climate change, meadows are an essential component of California’s water supply. As years go by and climate change continues, Californians will likely see less and less snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. Thus, our state will be ever more reliant on healthy meadow systems that act like water reservoirs. In addition to being critical for our future water supply, meadows are biodiversity hotspots and a valuable aesthetic resource.
Why Are Sheep So Baaad?
Overgrazing fundamentally alters how water flows in meadows. In healthy systems, wide stream channels slowly meander through the meadow. However, when meadows are overgrazed, sheep trample stream banks and wipe out the vegetation that stabilizes soil during spring flooding. Without vegetation to anchor down soil, there is widespread erosion and gullying of the stream channel. Once erosion takes hold, spring floodwaters no longer spread out across the meadow surface. Instead, the downcut channel concentrates the energy of high flows, causing a continuous cycle of degradation. When meadow streams incise meadow soils, forming narrow deep channels, the meadow surface dries up. Unhealthy meadows have decreased value in terms of biodiversity, water storage, and aesthetics.
The Role of American Rivers
AmeriCorps member Rachel Friesen and American Rivers volunteer Carson Clark measure a large gully as part of a meadow assessment in Kings Canyon National Park. | Maiya Greenwood
The American Rivers team in California is excited to be partnering with the National Park Service for the first time. Our California Headwaters Conservation team is in the process of performing meadow assessments in order to prioritize wilderness meadows for restoration. Over the last summer, our team has trekked many miles across boulder fields and through aspen thickets to access meadows in remote reaches of the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness. Currently, we have completed 42 out of the 50 meadows that we aim to assess by 2018. Following the initial assessment phase, we will continue to partner with the National Park Service by piloting meadow restoration techniques that are appropriate in wilderness areas.
We hope to pull the wool off our eyes and not be fooled into thinking that remote wilderness meadows are inherently pristine. Here at American Rivers, we know that some systems are not resilient enough to recover on their own; many wilderness meadows need both time and active restoration efforts to heal after a century of overuse.
Scenic Meadow, Kings Canyon National Park Photo credit: Maiya Greenwood
This guest blog by Ginny Masullo is a part of our America’s Most Endangered Rivers® series on the Buffalo National River.
“Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul” – Edward Abbey
I moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1974. My soon to be landlord had been one of the many unsung heroes responsible for the Buffalo River not being damned and becoming our nation’s first national river. She pointed us to the Buffalo and said “go!”
A young mother from urban Texas, the land of asphalt and more asphalt, I had never experienced hiking along or padding down a river as clean and pristine as the Buffalo. The Buffalo River and its trails soon became the respite from a demanding livelihood in nursing.
Who can possibly explain what places like the Buffalo River do for our souls? All I know is that something akin to a cleansing happens when I go to the wild. On the river, time does not exist – only the sound of the rushing water, the cries of the wood thrush and crow and the sight of light dancing on the water.
Now a retired nurse, I see how the Buffalo River played an almost inexplicable role in my life in the repeated healing of the sorrow of daily dealings with chronic illness and death. Trips to the river alone and with family fueled me again and again to return to my work.
I have seen numerous changes in my 40 years visiting the river including an increasing congestion of paddlers. This is fixable by limiting the number of paddlers.
However, there are other threats to the Buffalo River not so easily remedied. Not small among them is a 6,500 hog factory farm within its watershed. When I learned of this hog factory (which had been permitted without public notice), I decided to help with an awareness raising event. Having just retired, at the time I would commit to only that event, then I planned to be on my merry way to paddling and hiking adventures.
However, the more I learned about factory farming and the destruction it had already wreaked in North Carolina and Iowa, the top two hog producing states, the more I felt compelled to work to save a river who had metaphorically breathed life into me over and over.
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Author: Ginny Masullo
Ginny Masullo is a retired RN and a passionate advocate for all aspects of the environment and social justice. She brings a caregiver’s heart and a poet’s eye to all the issues she devotes herself to.