Press Room
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Contact: General media inquires may be directed to the staff person on the release or to FOR's Policy Director Ron Stork, (916) 442-3155, ext 220 or by email to Ron Stork
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FOR's Press Releases
FOR In the News Subjects:
Uncategorized
Merced River
Levee Trees Suit
CA Water Legislation
Delta Issues
Auburn Dam
Klamath
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July 24, 2012
State Hides the Ball on Delta Water Tunnels Upstream Impacts and Costs
June 20, 2011
FOR Sues US Army Corps of Engineers over vegetation policy
June 7, 2011
FOR Sues Federal Government and Westside Irrigators over selenium pollution
June 1, 2011
Evans to Focus on Wild Rivers Protection
February 8, 2010
FOR withdraws from Klamath Settlement Agreement
February 8, 2010
FOR sues to block backroom water deal
June 9, 2008
House Approves Protection for Southern California Rivers
June 3, 2008
Judge Rules in Favor of FOR in Free Speech Case
May 23, 2008
Eastern Sierra Wild & Scenic River Bill Introduced
May 6, 2008
Friends of the River names new leader
February 21, 2008
Friends of the River files lawsuit to help salmon on the South Yuba River
February 20, 2008
Friends of the River files First Amendment lawsuit over Klamath River ad
December 13, 2007
Friends of the River Opposes Budget-Busting and Destructive Water Bond Initiatives
November 13, 2007
Pacific Power customers can save money and save salmon on the Klamath River
September 10, 2007
Friends of the River played an important role in earning an award for the American River Parkway
August 8,2007
FOR Presents Fish Friendly Farming Awards to Wineries
August 7, 2007
From Monterey to Mexico, rivers get a second chance
May 10, 2007
Friends of the River joins in filing amicus brief supporting National Park Service in Yosemite
May 1, 2007
Dugout canoes generate second-glances at Rocky Mountain Power; Pressure builds for largest dam removal project in U.S. history
April 27, 2007
Traditional dugout canoe appears on Capitol Steps bearing message for Warren Buffett: Tear down Klamath dams
April 26, 2007
Fishermen, tribes depart from S.F. Fisherman’s Wharf to deliver a message to Warren Buffett in Omaha
March 19, 2007
Friends of the River Gathers More Than 70 Groups to Sign Letter to Governor Opposing His Plan to Build New Dams
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Sacramento levees fail federal maintenance standards
Sacramento Bee - August 24, 2012
House Votes to boost Merced River Water Storage
Fresno Bee, June 19, 2012
With FOR annotations by Ron Stork
Editorial: Corps should revise its policy on levee trees
Sacremento Bee, August 31, 2011
When it comes to trees and levees, the...Corps...needs to revise its one-chainsaw-fits-all policy.
Trees strengthen levees in some case, study finds
Sacramento Bee, August 27, 2011
...a new study by the Army Corps itself has found that trees actually strengthen levees in some situtaions.
Exchequer Dam relicensing: FERC panel backs changes to scope of ...
Merced Sun-Star - Merced, December 9
While the panel only makes recommendations, in the past FERC has ruled with the majority of such recommendations, said Ron Stork with Friends of the River, ...Read more >
Santa Ana sucker fish may get more protection
Press-Enterprise - Riverside, December 8
But four environmental groups -- California Trout Inc.; the Center for Biological Diversity; Friends of the River; and the American Fisheries Society's ...Read more >
MaLode Crew Celebrates Conservancy's 20th
Mother Lode ECOS Blog, November 30
Fortunately an intrepid "band of boaters" represented by Friends of the River, The American River Recreation Association, the outfitters, and such familiar figures as Bill Center and Scott Underwood who appear in the video to tell the tale, worked together to defeat that project only to discover that saving the river was only part of the story. Read more >
EBMUD Pardee Dam proposal draws lawsuit
Ledger-Dispach - November 27
Plaintiffs include Friends of the River and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. Plaintiffs argue that the distinction between program and ...Read more >
Pardee expansion plan faces suit
Union Democrat - Sonora, November 24
The lawsuit was filed in Amador County Superior Court on Nov. 19 by the Foothill Conservancy, Friends of the River and California Sportfishing Protection ... Read more >
Advocacy groups sue EBMUD over Pardee expansion
Lodi News-Sentinel - Lodi, November 20
The Foothill Conservancy, Friends of the River, and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance filed the lawsuit Thursday in Amador County. ...Read more >
Groups Sue EBMUD Over Proposed Expansion of Pardee Reservoir
Bay Area Indymedia - November 19
The Foothill Conservancy, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, and Friends of the River will file suit on November 19, 2009 in Amador County ...Read more >
Representative Sam Farr Introduces Big Sur Wild Rivers, Lands Bill
prAna Blog by andre@prana, November 12
“The rivers that will gain protection are not only ecologically significant waterways, they also provide a source of clean water for communities in the region,” said Steve Evans, Conservation Director at Friends of the River. ...Read more >
Canyon trail gets one step closer
Napa Valley Register, November 6
Barry Christian, who belongs to the American Canyon Open Space Advisory Committee and Friends of the River, raised the idea of opening the loop in 2004. ...Read more >
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| Merced River Wild & Scenic Defense |
Editorials:
News Items:
- Bid to remove ws stirs controversy (Greenwire 1-13-2013) highlighted.
- Battle Over the W&S Merced (WSJ 1-9-2013)
- Merced Sun-Star: Slippery Slope - Dec. 27, 2012
- Stockton Record: Dangerous Precedent - Dec. 27, 2012
- Merced Sun-Star: Contested McClure reservoir expansion project inches forward - June 26, 2012
- Fresno Bee: House votes to boost Merced River water storage despite 'wild and scenic' status - June 19, 2012
- Modesto Bee: House OKs plan that could increase Merced River storage - June 19, 2012
- Merced Sun-Star: Denham's water storage bill passes out of committee, moves to House floor - October 5, 2011
- Modesto Bee: Critics blast bill to expand McClure - October 5, 2011
- Leroy Radanovich's Mariposa Life: April 22, 2011 (on Dropbox @900k)
- KMNJNow (News-talk radio): Feinstein Harvests Donations From Valley Farmers - April 12, 2012
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| Levee Tree Suit Against the USArmy Coprs |
Latest news:
Suit against Corps tree policy to go forward
Sacramento Bee – April 28, 2012
Editorial: An Army Corps of contradictions
Sacramento Bee, April 17, 2012
Even as it clings to a policy requiring state and local agencies to clear trees from levees, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has granted one of its own districts a variance to plant 30,000 trees along the levee-lined Sacramento River.
Despite policy, Army Corps to plant 30,000 trees on Sacramento River levees
Sacramento Bee , April 14, 2012
Editorial: Corps should revise its policy on levee trees
Sacremento Bee, August 31, 2011
When it comes to trees and levees, the...Corps...needs to revise its one-chainsaw-fits-all policy.
Trees strengthen levees in some case, study finds
Sacramento Bee, August 27, 2011
...a new study by the Army Corps itself has found that trees actually strengthen levees in some situtaions.
Past stories and more...
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| Controversial Water Legislation |
- Schwarzenegger Signs The Delta's Death Warrant
Bay Area Indymedia, November 16
The water package was opposed by the Sierra Club California, Planning and Conservation League, Friends of the River, Butte Environmental Council, ...Read more >
- The Conversation: Water pact falls short on protections
Sacramento Bee, November 15
By Steve Evans Legislative supporters and some environmental groups hail the ... Friends of the River, the Sacramento- based statewide river conservation ...Read more >
- Legislature Approves Controversial Water Package and Budget Busting Water Bond
Bay Area Indymedia, November 8
Steve Evans, conservation director of Friends of the River, provides a superb analysis of the controversial water package and budget-busting ...Read more >
- Groups Battle Over Water Legislation
truthout - Los Angeles, November 5
"Unfortunately, the governor has already said he wants to build the largest peripheral canal he can, tomorrow," said Evans of Friends of the River. ...Read more >
- State Legislature approves comprehensive package to overhaul water ...
Los Angeles Times, November 4
But other conservation groups such as the Sierra Club and Friends of the River have fought it, complaining that the policy overhaul is anemic and the bond's ...Read more >
- Historic Water Reform Package Passes Calif. Legislature
New York Times, November 4
Firmly against it were the Sierra Club, Friends of the River, and Planning and Conservation League. To Steve Evans, conservation director of Friends of the ...Read more >
- Blasts Steinberg for Sponsoring Peripheral Canal Legislation
Bay Area Indymedia, November 3
"Without express protection from the impacts of the proposed peripheral canal, ... Friends of the River, Butte Environmental Council, Restore the Delta, ...Read more >
- Update on California's Water Situation
California Progress Report - Oakland
For those who oppose, such as the Sierra Club and Friends of the River, the question is - what is your alternative and how do you pay for it? ... Read more.
The Legal Battle Against the Dam
East Bay Express - October 21, 2009
In addition, the Sierra Club, Friends of the River, and the Foothill Conservancy all are seriously considering filing lawsuits against East Bay MUD to challenge the agency's environmental impact report. Among other things, the groups ...Read more.
EBMUD likely to move ahead with dam plan today
Contra Costa Times - Walnut Creek
"We can't drought-proof California," said Steve Evans, conservation director for Friends of the River. "When we have drought, people are going to have to ...Read more.
EBMUD to vote on water supply, Pardee Reservoir
San Francisco Chronicle - October 10, 2009
"Imagine our surprise that just a few years later, EBMUD is proposing a project that would put all that underwater," said Steve Evans, conservation director ...Read more.
Calitics:: Historic Klamath Dam Removal Agreement Released
By Dan Bacher, October 1, 2009
... restoration of the Klamath River, the draft settlement provides little certainty that PacifiCorp's fish-killing and polluting dams will be removed by the proposed target date of 2020," said Steve Evans, FOR Conservation Director. ...Read more.
PRESS RELEASE: Dam Removal Uncertain In Proposed Klamath Settlement
September 29, 2009
...releasing a draft settlement agreement on Wednesday, September 30 that could lead to the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River and restoration of the river’s once fabled salmon runs.But the defining characteristic of the complex 130-page agreement is “could.” Read more (pdf).
Water interests argue new state dam proposals
The Chronicle, September 29, 2009
Dubois lost that fight: New Melones had been approved in the 1940s and was well under way when he and the nascent Friends of the River got involved. But he and hundreds of others who celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Stanislaus Campaign next month believe their work is echoing through a new generation as another dam debate emerges in California....Read more.
For San Joaquin River, a historic reawakening
By Mark Grossi / The Fresno Bee, September 27, 2009
But the restoration probably will not return the river to a pristine state with robust salmon runs, said Ron Stork, senior policy expert for Friends of the River, a statewide advocacy group. There’s not enough water in the settlement for big salmon runs, he said. Stork’s group also was among the 14 environmental, fishing and conservation organizations that filed the 1988 lawsuit...Read more.
Fresno County's Capitol display to target water crisis
Fresno Bee - Fresno, September 15, 2009
Steve Evans, conservation director at Friends of the River, a Sacramento-based organization, said the video is biased, and overstates the effects pumping ...Read more.
Legislators come up dry at water talks
Enterprise-Record - Chico, September 15, 2009
Steve Evans, of Friends of the River, was in the middle of it in Sacramento ... Bettner said the talks about water conservation meant that "if you conserved ...Read more.
PRESS RELEASE: Friends of the River Urges Legislature To Reject Combined Delta Water Package And Water Bond
September 10, 2009 - Friends of the River urges the California Legislature to reject a last minute rush to pass a combined Delta water policy and water bond package before the scheduled recess on Friday, September 11. Read more.
Senator Lois Wolk Withdraws Authorship of Delta Conservancy Bill
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco, September 9, 2009
Wolk's withdrawal of the legislation authorship comes as a huge, ... the California Water Impact Network, Friends of the River, Heal the Bay, Pacific Coast ...Read more.
Fishermen, Tribes Defend Salmon from Agribusiness Attack
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco, August 2009
The groups that intervened in the lawsuit include the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Friends of the River, California Trout, ... Read more.
PRESS RELEASE: California Fishing Communities, Tribes and Conservation Groups ...
August 2009
... but the fishing, conservation and tribal coalition vows to intervene in ... our once bountiful fisheries," said Steve Evans of Friends of the River "The ...Read more.
The Conversation: Conditions ripe for climate change brawl
Special to The Sacramento Bee, Extended version published on Concurinc.com, August 2009
California's move toward an environment-friendly future and green economy is being challenged by an unexpected source:...Read more.
Governor Signs Bill Banning In Stream Dredge Mining for Gold
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco, August 2009
“Our native fish, frogs, and other at-risk species are declining statewide,” explains Steve Evans, Conservation Director of Friends of the River. ...Read more.
Delta Community and Environment Groups Respond to Delta ...
California Progress Report - Oakland, August 2009
Representatives from the Sierra Club California, Restore the Delta, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Friends of the River and the ... Read more.
Volunteers, advocates celebrate Piru Creek wild and scenic designation
Special to Western Outdoor News, July 2009
With over 1,000 visitors on a given day during summer weekends, Frenchman’s Flat and Piru Creek needed some help. Carolin Atchison of Friends of the River, a Sacramento based statewide river conservation organization explained...Read more.
Will Peripheral Canal Be Considered After the August Recess?
California Progress Report - Oakland, July 2009
The controversial Peripheral Canal may or may not be included in a package of water bills that the Legislature expects to take up after its arduous budget battle and the August recess. Read more.
East Bay MUD: Growth at Any Cost
Beyond Chron - San Francisco, July 2009
Friends of the River and a variety of other environmental organizations are organizing efforts to stop the expansion of Pardee Dam. ...Read more.
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- Delta Groups Rally Against The Panama Canal North
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco
“The peripheral canal was a bad idea in 1982 and it's an even worse idea today,” said Steve Evans, Conservation Director, Friends of the River. Read more.
- Wednesday's top of the scroll: Delta supporters rally at Capitol's ...
By Aqua Blog Maven
“In a time where the budget is spiraling out of control … it makes no sense to move forward with a multibillion boondoggle idea like a peripheral canal and new dams,” said Steve Evans, conservation director of Friends of the River,... Read more.
- Merced River has a vital role
Merced Sun Star
The Merced is essentially the headwaters of the San Joaquin River said Ron Stork a senior policy advocate at Friends of the River an environmental group ...Read more.
- Delta Advocates Rally Against the Canal at State Capitol
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco
... President Jim Crenshaw, Conservation Director John Beuttler, ... Sierra Club California and Steve Evans, Conservation Director, Friends of the River. ...Read more.
- Capitol rally protests delta canal plan
Fresno Bee
“In a time where the budget is spiraling out of control ... it makes no sense to move forward with a multibillion boondoggle idea like a peripheral canal and new dams,” said Steve Evans, conservation director of Friends of the River, an environmental group. Read more.
- The Budget-Busting Peripheral Canal and The Three Big Lies
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco
... Bay Delta Conservation Plan processes, as well as through the Legislature. ... trying to pay it back, according to Steve Evans of Friends of the River. Read more.
Save the Mokelumne River from a New Dam
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco, June 2009
Our growing list of partners currently includes the Foothill Conservancy.Trout Unlimited, CalTrout, Friends of the River, American Whitewater,... Read more.
Annual Piru Creek cleanup Sunday
The Signal - Santa Clarita, June 2009
Sponsored by the Community Hiking Club, Friends of the River, the Santa Clarita Casting Club, and the Federation of Fly Fishers Southwest Council, ...Read more.
East Bay dam expansion plan raises hackles in Sierra
by Mike Taugher of the Contra Costa Times, June 2009
"For East Bay MUD, which serves water to some relatively sophisticated people, it's kind of a return to a '20s, '30s and '40s mentality," said Ron Stork, senior policy advocate for the environmental group Friends of the River. "You're going to take more water from a river that has nothing left to give." Read more.
Ex-river guide amoung many who fought dam
by Alex Breitler of The Stockton Record, June 2009
The Stanislaus was, as one advocate put it, "the last river lost." Advocacy group Friends of the River said the decade-long fight was "probably the biggest citizen effort to save a river and stop a dam in American history." Read more.
Army Corps orders thousands of trees chopped down
by Cain Burdeau of San Antonio-Express News, June 2009
"The corps' new edict was regarded as a major change in policy," said Ronald Stork, senior policy expert with California Friends of the River in Sacramento. "Something that is cheap and inexpensive is a chain saw. It was something to do that didn't cost a lot of money that made you feel better." Read more.
U.S. plans to toughen Calif. water restrictions
by Colin Sullivan of The New York Times, June 2009
Steve Evans, conservation director at Friends of the River, applauded the decision to operate the dam in a "gates out" position, but otherwise he found the opinion lacking in terms of salmon restoration north of major dams at Folsom and Mount Shasta and cleanup of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Read more.
Bill Banning Suction Dredge Mining Breezes Through State Senate
by Dan Bacher of IndyBay.org, May 2009
...However, Steve Evans, conservation director of Friends of the River, notes that this legislation will not impact recreational gold panning or non-motorized mining, "just motorized suction dredge mining that disturbs salmon spawning beds, fish and frog habitat, and pollutes the water with sediment and mercury." Read more.
Sacramento City Council committee OKs new outdoor watering rules
Sacramento Bee, April 2009
Ron Stork, senior policy advocate at Friends of the River, supported the rule changes overall but said those watering durations may not be enough to meet ...Read more.
Feds could establish first scenic river in Mojave
'It has been a long time coming, too. Just ask Steve Evans, conservation director for Friends of the River, an organization dedicated to conserving California's rivers.Evans said advocates for protecting the Amargosa first started talking to the federal Bureau of Land Management about the river in 1998.' Read more here. Learn more about Wild & Scenic river protection here.
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Feb
Dead Dam Walking! Yes indeed, the Auburn Dam is back in the news...
Congressional Wild & Scenic River protection legislation: January/February 2009
Auburn Dam Water Rights Revoked: December 2008 articles. FOR Executive Director, Paul Tebbel and Ron Stork are quoted.
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Recent News:
Editorial: Dam Removal Hits Wall, The Columbian 4-8-2013
Hopefull Sign for the Klamath, Register-Guard 4-6-2013
Feds Recomend Klamath Dam Removal, Times-Standard 4-5-2013
Remove 4 Klamath Dams, San Francisco Chronicle 4-4-2013
Klamath Boat Drive:
We have received significant media coverage of our boat drive to Omaha to deliver this message to Warren Buffett: "Tear down the Klamath River dams." The campaign generated almost 200 articles from California to Massachusetts, Canada to Australia. We have selected just a small sample here for your reading pleasure.
"The wizard drops the curtain"
The New York Times (May 9, 2007)
"A moral dilemma interrupts Warren Buffett's love-in"
The Economist (May 8, 2007)
"Sage gets a buffetting with hard questions"
The Guardian (May 7, 2007)
"Protesting a dam on the Klamath River ..."
Motley Fool (May 7, 2007)
"The most moving moments ... were two emotional pleas to Buffett by residents of the Klamath, Ore., area ..."
Forbes.com (May 5, 2007)
Buffett says regulators, not PacifiCorp, will decide dams' future
International Herald Tribune (May 5, 2007)
"Groups to Appeal to Buffett at Meeting"
Washington Post (May 4, 2007)
"Clash with the Titan"
Grist (May 4, 2007)
"Ending a week-long caravan from San Francisco, 60 tribal leaders, commercial fishermen and environmentalists ..."
USA Today (May 3, 2007)
"Protesters Want Dams Torn Down"
Salt Lake Tribune (May 1, 2007)
"Native Americans Want Klamath River Dams Removed"
KCPW Radio, Salt Lake (May 1, 2007)
"Tribes, Fishermen Talk Dam Removal"
Eureka Reporter (May 1, 2007)
"Klamath River interests to take dam concerns to Warren Buffett"
Eureka Times-Standard (April 29, 2007)
"To preserve a way of life, coalition wants river to flow"
Sacramento Bee (April 28, 2007)
"Indian tribes take Klamath salmon plight to financier"
San Francisco Chronicle (April 28, 2007)
"Environmentalists Want N. California Dams Torn Down"
ABC7 and ABC30 (April 26, 2007)
"Group wants Buffett to remove dams"
Omaha World Herald (April 26, 2007)
Learn more about the boat drive here ...
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