The Wild & Scenic Saga Continues

The proponents of this designation tell us that they are preserving this portion of the Mokelumne River for future generations. What self-righteous arrogance allows someone to tell those yet unborn what the water needs, for example, of future gold mining will be? Will we be free enough to trade our gold for the Treasury debt held by often hostile foreign powers or will we have to lose our American souls instead?

How much water will a “green energy” biomass plant require? We now have burn piles everywhere that sometimes get out of control, yet in less time that it takes to burn this waste, it could be hauled to a biomass plant. Shouldn’t those who come after us have the same opportunity to determine their destiny as we do? This designation is simply selfish.

This designation is also being falsely discussed as a stand alone measure. Add up all the wild and scenic designations, conservation easements, carbon capture forests and the like and place them upon a map of the United States.  The result is the land tenure system of the Middle Ages. This is precisely what most of our ancestors chose to leave behind when they came to America.  If the reality of private property and land ownership for too many of us disappears what is the replacement basis for our freedoms? 

These two overriding considerations are as factual, if not more so, that all the discussions of water rights and acre feet. But the argument of who has “their facts correct” is used to obscure these broader issues.  Some have the time, and outside financing, to absorb the minutiae and use this to claim superiority over others in the ongoing public discussion in various local media. This technique was used by Foothill Conservancy in the early 1990’s as it is today. Others of us just don’t know the “facts” or we are just uninformed, or something worse.

The Foothill Conservancy is adamant that the river needs interim protection.  From oil refineries? Chemical plants? If anything is proposed for the Mokelumne the environmental litigation would probably exceed my expected life span. Beyond a blatant exercise of power this demand makes no sense whatsoever to me.  Yet they were able to get this river protection added to the Bigalow/Berryhill bill. This doesn’t surprise me, since both legislators’ districts include valley agricultural interests. They are down river from us just as East Bay MUD is. And all the water released for the recreational benefit of rafters and kayakers ends up under the control of East Bay MUD or others.

When I suggested “That the East Bay folks want our portion of the river to be wild and scenic is perhaps more than a coincidence” I was accused of “…engaging in ‘Big Lie’ propaganda-say it often enough and people will believe it’s true.” A coincidence of interests is abundantly evident. The Bay Area sees us as their recreational resource and little else. Ever try to white water raft down Market Street? They believe only what fits their narrative. The East Bay Express characterized us as “…dominated by conservative Republicans who …tend to oppose all environmental regulations.” What they chose not to see is that almost half of Amador County is registered Democrat, but that many of those Democrats are traditional Democrats and still favor economic development.  The statement that “tend to oppose all environmental regulations” is their self defined conclusion and little else.

While Katherine Evatt of the Foothill Conservancy got her letter to the Editor printed in the East Bay Express, they refused to print my letter criticizing their article. I then submitted my letter to several other Bay Area newspapers, some allegedly “conservative” and was rejected every time. Their view of us, and their right to govern us, was clearly confirmed in this instance. Often, and naturally, those with a coincidence of interests have disagreements. And quite often, that coincidence of interests is so strong that it leaves us pondering the meaning of the word "coincidence".

Note: I am referring to my letter printed here as “East Bay Bias for Wild &Scenic” on 6/13/14.

Copyright 2015, Mark L. Bennett