How do you explore North America while reducing your carbon footprint? In the Spring of 1974 my solution was simple- hitchhike! I stuffed my ‘Complete Walker’ Trailwise backpack to capacity in Berkeley, extended my thumb, and caught my first ride on University Avenue. By September I had traveled over 8,000 miles as I arrived to begin my freshman year at the U.C. Davis School of Medicine. My head was filled with vivid memories of desert canyon walls, cities and towns too numerous to count, low tides on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, hot baths in Banff, Canada, giant redwoods that obscured the sky, and snow capped mountain tops that reached up to it. There were funny stories, near misses, chance encounters, and a colorful cast of characters only to be equaled by my future experiences in the Emergency Room. Then a life changing event occurred.
On the wall of the Admissions Office was a poster advertising Whitewater Guide School through the UCD Outdoor Adventures Program. Having grown up surfing, moving water was definitely my thing, so I immediately signed up. I used my last few bucks to pay the fee- only $150 with all expenses paid, best deal ever!
Guide School was on the Camp 9 section of the Stanislaus River near Angels Camp. It was love at first sight. Fall colors, steep canyon walls with sculptured limestone cliffs, caves with stalactites and stalagmites, petroglyphs, Rose Creek and best of all- exciting whitewater rapids with colorful names like Death Rock, Bailey Falls, Widowmaker and Mother. What was not to like? Then came the realization that all this was soon to be destroyed by the filling of the New Melones Reservoir. How could this be? We wrote letters, signed petitions and sponsored a state wide initiative. Mark Dubois even chained himself to a rock to stop the filling of the reservoir. Still, the effort fell short, and the Stan and the Camp 9 run were drowned. That disappointment was the inspiration for Scott Free River Expeditions, a company whose purpose was to help California’s endangered rivers get off ‘Scott-Free’ but whose first decade was marred by this massive fail.
Hold on there, is that the end of the story? What were the names of California’s 80 original rafting companies on the South Fork in 1980, 55 of which have since disappeared? Why is our name now Mother Lode and when did we become a River Center? Why should anyone care?
The primary reason it matters is that in 1974, in addition to the Stanislaus, virtually every river in the Sierras was scheduled to be destroyed by a dam project. This was in a state with over 1400 dams and only one undammed river, the Smith. To understand how out of balance this is, consider that the South Fork of the American River had replaced the now destroyed Stanislaus River as the most popular river in the West. The South Fork already had 13 dams and diversions. The new proposal was to have its last two remaining sections, Chili Bar and the Gorge, each drowned by a separate dam as part of the SOFAR Project.
Meanwhile, California’s second most popular river, the Middle Fork of the American, along with its beautiful and pristine sibling, the North Fork of the American, were both to be destroyed by the Auburn Dam. This dam building frenzy included projects on the Tuolumne, Merced, Kings, Kern, Upper Klamath, West Walker, Big Sur, Mokelumne and Bear Rivers as well as Sespe Creek and Cache Creek. So how does this story end?
The plot is ongoing, however, the good news is that there has not been a major dam project completed in the Sierras since the Stanislaus. Instead, there has been a series of hard fought victories for river conservation. Each victory is unique, but at their heart has been Friends of the River and a broad coalition of river lovers . These range from individuals and organizations representing boaters, bikers, hikers, equestrians, fishing enthusiasts and other recreation users to advocates for indigenous rights, endangered species and open space. The team here at Mother Lode has played an important role in this story. Our participants have hand written over 30,000 letters to help protect these sacred places in an effort that continues. Thank you MaLode letter writing heroes. Please remember that the threat is not over, so please join us in supporting your endangered rivers. After all, only 4% of California’s river miles enjoy protection today!
The New Millennium
In the year 2000 Mother Lode became the River Center. The need was not simply to keep nature’s tree of life from being severed at its trunk, rather it was to plant new river activist trees and allow them to shade and secure the rivers’ banks as well. The addition of the Outdoor Education Programs, the Challenge Ropes Course and the Sustainable Practices Program were intended to reach out to youth, bring them into nature, and help them benefit from nature’s wisdom. It worked! Today the River Center is flourishing and it inspires thousands each year to be better stewards of our planet.
So what of the future? At 20 acres and a half mile of river front, the River Center provides more than enough physical space for our mission. Instead we need to expand the time available. To do this in 2025 we will operate year round while we further refine our educational programs, recruit and train new staff, and enhance our relationships with like minded friends and allies such as FOR, ARC, PARC and SYRCL.
To kick off the 2025 season we are excited to invite you and all our friends and supporters to celebrate with us on Sunday, October 6th, 2024 on MaLode’s first annual Get Outdoors Day and Open House. This Event is FREE! Please RSVP to malode@malode.com
See you on the river October 6th,
Scott, Greg, Rebekah and the MaLode crew
The Mother Lode Mandela
