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Spirit of the Stanislaus
http://www.friendsoftheriver/spirit
Sunday, June 7, 2009 - Angels Camp, Calif.
The save-the-river movement began in the 1970s in Calaveras & Tuolumne counties, and spread across the country and around the world - when environmental activist Mark Dubois, filmmaker Don Briggs, and other pioneers began one of the largest river conservation fights in the country's history.
The olds friends came together for a picnic in Utica Park to enjoy live music, catch up and reminise on the battle heroically waged 30 years previous. Thirty years ago, between May 21 and May 28, 1979, Mark Dubois was chained to a rock in the Stanislaus River Canyon at an elevation of 808 feet. This was the compromise limit that would have allowed partial filling of the New Melones Reservoir while preserving 9 ½ miles of prime recreational river running in the Sierras and a unique limestone canyon with its history and natural wonders. Mark’s dramatic action gained national attention, and temporarily forced the Corps to halt the filling of the reservoir.
Two years later, in 1982, the canyon was flooded as high winter rainfall backed up the reservoir to its limit, at Camp Nine. Despite occasional drops on the water level and partial floats of the Stanislaus, the river and its canyon will never be the same.
The 30th anniversary of this action was the occasion to gather and regroup for the coming challenges of environmental activism. In 1979 some 70,000 people enjoyed the Stanislaus, learning to enjoy the free-flowing energies of this historic natural resource. When the dam was filled, this treasure of the Sierras was lost forever.
The education, experience and commitment that grew out of the struggle to save the Stanislaus has continued to energize the environmental movement for three decades.