THE MOKELUMNE RIVER IS SO CLOSE TO REACHING WILD & SCENIC DESIGNATION!
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE IT A REALITY!

Comment period extended until TODAY (3/8) at 5 pm!

The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) has released for public review and comment a draft Mokelumne River Wild and Scenic River Study Report. The release of the report kicks off a 30-day public comment period that ends February 28, which includes a public meeting in Mokelumne Hill on February 15 at 6 pm. The is an important opportunity for the pubic to demonstrate support for the permanent protection of this magnificent river in the central Sierra Nevada.

The draft study report finds 37 miles of the North Fork and main stem of Mokelumne River from Salt Springs Dam to Pardee Reservoir to be eligible for state protection as a Wild and Scenic River. The report determined that the Mokelumne possesses extraordinary scenic and recreation values and recommends to the California Legislature that it be protected in the state Wild and Scenic Rivers System. New dams and major water diversions are prohibited on state Wild & Scenic Rivers and state agencies are required to utilize their existing regulatory powers to protect the free-flowing nature and extraordinary values of the rivers. Modest local water diversions for local use are allowed provided that such diversions do not adversely affect river values.

The study report was required by 2016 legislation supported by Friends of the River, Foothill Conservancy, and other conservation interests, which directed the CNRA to determine whether the river was eligible and suitable for state protection. A final CNRA eligibility determination and recommendation will likely lead to the introduction of legislation to protect the Mokelumne in the state system. But local development interests who still dream of building a large dam on the Mokelumne or its major tributaries may dispute the CNRA’s eligibility finding and recommendation and oppose any future legislation to protect the river. Which is why the public needs to speak out TODAY in support of protecting the river.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Submit a public comment to the California Natural Resources Agency by Feb. 28th
Public comments must be received by 5PM on Thursday, March 8, 2018.  Feel free to use our sample email/letter and to personalize your comments, particularly if you have visited and enjoyed the Mokelumne River.

Enter your name and email address in the box on the right, then start writing! You will find a pre-written email there which you can edit.