Drinking water is good for you...but could be bad for rivers

What does a bottle of water from the store really cost?
...manufacture plastic bottles,extract water,transport bottles to stores,transport the fraction of bottles recycled to recycling plants,then recycled materials are transported back to the factory....sounds like we paying for oil (transportation & manufacturing)...whew...and to think we could have just turned on the tap

Who (or what) pays the price?
What impact have we caused by purchasing a bottle rather than filling one up....did we lose a section of river, habitat for a native fish, food for surrounding wildlife, water supply downstream...?

Did you know...

• 1.5 million gallons of OIL are used each year to facilitate the lifecycle of disposable water bottles.
• Gas is expensive - around $2.77 per gallon. Guess how much bottled water is? $6.20 per gallon Did we mention it comes out of the tap for mere pennies?

Learn more by visiting: www.friendsoftheriver.org/WaterBottles

Bottled Water, McCloud River, Project Tap, Pasadena & Pleasanton Fly Fishing Shows

I don't know if you noticed... but we actually had one or several decent storms in the past week or so. While the needle is still pegged in the red, it was very nice to hear rain on the roof and hear of flakes in the mountains. It was a little bit of good news in these interesting times. Here are a few more little tid-bits I've collected for you:

• There are some really interesting films focusing on water these days. In addition to the two movies about the Klamath (Rivers of Renewal and Upstream Battle), a movie about the murky world of bottled water looks very interesting and is probably an important watch.


• Trout Unlimited’s On the Rise TV show recently aired an episode focused on the McCloud River, a true California gem, and discussed the threats posed by a proposed Nestle water bottling plant


• UNICEF is doing some interesting things around their Tap Project. The YouTube-ized Tap experience is worth a quick watch.


• If you are going to be browsing the booths at either the Fly Fishing Show in Pasadena (February 21-22) or Pleasanton (February 27 – March 1), stop by the Friends of the River Booth
  

Below is a picture of the Merced, just outside Yosemite. A beautiful CA river.

Ca River Protection Update

Hundreds of Friends of the River supporters called and emailed their representatives over the last week. Thank you!

We were sure the final vote would take place yesterday (Wednesday) but it has been delayed. We will stay focused and will keep you updated.

If you did not have a chance to email or call, there still is time, click here for more information.

If we had built Auburn dam, would it be raining?

We are confused - how can you [Congressman McClintock] be anti-spending while also calling for an expensive (inefficient) dam that will do little to help with the water issues of California?
It is a popular misconception that if we build more dams, we will have more water in dry years - that is not necessarily the case. Dams don't create water, they simply capture the run-off from rain and snow. If we don't receive much rain or snow, then there will be little water behind the dams, no matter how many we may build (as evident by the many unfilled reservoirs around our state). Congressman McClintock wants to bring more water security to his district, but more dams are not the answer

Read more here: http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/AmericanHome

The fate of 105 miles of rivers...

The fate of 105 miles of California rivers will be determined this Wednesday. You can make a difference by calling your Representative today or Tuesday. To learn more visit: https://secure2.convio.net/fotr/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=182

Quakes, 1% and Beautiful Fish

A few more odds and ends...

• Dams = another reason that dams are just not such a bright idea in many cases, that big quake in China may have been triggered in part by that big dam they just built. This is something we've known about for a long time and is one of the reasons why the Auburn Dam was first put on hold.
• 1% for the Planet is a very good idea, created by some very good people, talked about on a very nice bit of Montana trout fishing water and shot by some great film makers. Check it out.
• There is a trout/fish guru that lives up in Dunsmuir that not only knows how to catch fish, he knows how to capture them in sculpture. Fred Gordon has donated to our California River Awards auctions for several years and his sculptures are always hot items. See his work here.

From the desk of Bjorn - Development Director and resident fish lover.

More Odds and Ends

A few more random odds and ends...

• Continued talk of drought is enough to sap the strength from an ox (or river loving Californian). Aquafornia is keeping tabs on the water news and commentary.
  
• The River Why, a movie I’m particularly keen to see in theatres, might just have a Friends of the River banner in one scene. Hoping that is so and hoping the movie drives scores of inspired new anglers out to learn to fish… where they’ll discover the beauty of our wild places and become rabid conservationists.

Beer and fly fishing go together very, very well... here are just a few fish/fishing related brews:

• Mad River Brewing Company is very well known for their Steelhead Pale Ale.
  
• 20" Brown is a lovely nut brown ale from Cascade Lakes Brewing Company out of Redmond, OR (couldn't find a web-site for this brewery, oddly enough).
  
• Montana gives us the Double Haul IPA from Kettlehouse (who also make an "Eddy Out" beer) and Dancing Trout from Bayern Brewing.
  
• Fish Tale Trout Stout is just one of many, many fishy beers made by Fish Brewing Company from Washington.

The photo is of the camp water at Ah Di Nah on the McCloud. One of my favorite bits of moving water anywhere... a real California gem.

Bjorn - Development Director and resident fly fishing nut.