There is no mistaking or denying Idaho’s rugged beauty.  It is a place of vast and magnificent wilderness.  It would be a rare thing for someone not to feel the strong call of nature here.  However, Idaho’s wilderness has a history and on-going record of the call of man and his influence on nature’s order.  There are several examples of this issue we continue to follow as we travel down Idaho’s vast waterways, asking ourselves when is it beneficial for man to manipulate the natural world, and when would it be better to let Mother Earth tend to her own? I don’t propose to have the answers, or even venture forth my opinions, but suffice it to say there is no lack of strong, relevant material to motivate our campfire talks here on the rivers of Idaho.

Reintroduction of the Gray Wolf

Wolf reintroduction occurs by repopulating a previously extirpated area with a group of wolves, with the hope that they will reestablish themselves in the area and ecosystem.  Although wolves are the most environmentally adaptable mammals next to man, they had been hunted out of all of the lower 48 states, with the exception of a few small packs in remote northeastern Minnesota.  Wolves were highly prevalent in North America until westward expansion occurred in the 1800’s – settlers hunted the wild bison, deer, elk and moose, forcing the wolves to then hunt domestic livestock (sheep and cattle).  When this occurred, bounties were issued for wolf kills, and continued as late as the 1960’s. 

Written by Debbie Hausler

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We’d like to welcome new friends to the O.A.R.S. page on Facebook® and do some good in the process, so between now and Earth Day—April, 22nd—we’re donating $1 to the Tuolumne River Trust (up to a maximum of $2500) for every new O.A.R.S. fan.

Write on our wall. Listen in. Post your photos. Join a conversation. Tell us about your adventures. In turn, we’ll share with you timely photos and videos from our trips, as well as interesting news and special offers on some great adventures. Get to know the people behind the company—and help us get to know you.

The Tuolumne River:  Located just outside Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne (pronounced Too-all-uh-me)  offers 18 miles of desolate canyon, thrilling Class III-IV rapids and hikes up side canyons carved by cascading waterfalls. It’s almost hard to imagine finding this kind of remote wilderness just a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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According to a recent communication from The Wilderness Society, large oil and gas companies and lobbyists are trying to kill new protections for Western treasures like Utah’s Red Rock canyon country, Otero Mesa and Wyoming’s Red Desert.

The Wilderness Society and its partners won a recent lawsuit that not only granted temporary protections against oil and gas leasing in Utah’s Red Rock country – it has prompted the Obama Administration to revise Bush-era oil and gas leasing guidelines, which could mean long-term protections for millions more acres of wild lands in early 2010.

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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A member of the O.A.R.S. Family of Companies, Rivers Fiji is a whitewater rafting, inflatable kayaking, multi-sport eco-outfitter based out of Pacific Harbour in the Fiji Islands. Recently honored at the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards for "Best for Preservation of Cultural Heritage," Rivers Fiji was one of 35 companies singled out by the judges. In total, there were more than 2000 nominations submitted by travelers worldwide.

A prestigious honor indeed, but who is Rivers Fiji and why the recognition?

O.A.R.S. is indebted to longtime friends, Nate and Kelly Bricker, for assisting in the creation of Rivers Fiji and the Upper Navua Conservation Area. Nate and Kelly first visited Fiji as tourists in 1993. They returned in subsequent years, exploring deep into the interior of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. In 1997, Nate was working for O.A.R.S.  Having just explored the Upper Navua River, he and Kelly enthusiastically talked to O.A.R.S. founder and president, George Wendt, about their vision of offering guided trips on the Wainikoriluva (‘luva) and Upper Navua rivers.

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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Do you have an opinion about the Merced River? The National Park Service and Yosemite National Park are seeking the public’s ideas for a plan to protect the Merced River, which runs through the heart of Yosemite Valley.

In response to public comments the public scoping period has been extended to February 4, 2010.

According to Ranger Kari Cobb the Park is seeking public comment on how to preserve the pristine beauty of the Merced River but at the same time make it available for visitors to enjoy.

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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The Foothill Conservancy is chartering a bus to East Bay Municipal Utilities District’s (EBMUD) Oakland offices on October 13, 2009. EBMUD will be voting on whether or not to expand Pardee Reservoir, on Tuesday at 1:15 pm. The reservoir would be enlarged by more than 1,200 acres, destroying miles of the Mokelumne River and inundating the historic Middle Bar Bridge.

If you watched Ken Burns’ “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” you’ll remember what an ordeal it was to create Grand Teton National Park. The original Grand Teton National Park, set aside by an act of Congress in 1929, included only the Teton Range and six glacial lakes at the base of the mountains. It took nearly 20 years, many ‘heated’ debates, and one of the country’s wealthiest men to purchase and preserve land in order to create what is now the Grand Teton National Park.

In 1919 the Yellowstone Park Superintendent was practically run out of town when he traveled to Jackson, WY, to promote the park’s enlargement vision. Ranchers worried that park extension would reduce grazing allotments; Forest Service employees feared the loss of jurisdiction on previously managed forest areas; and local dude ranchers were against improved roads and hotel construction. Proposals emerged to dam outlets of Jenny Lake and Emma Matilda and Two Ocean Lakes in 1919. Many in the local community did not support the idea of national park expansion, “because they wanted traditional hunting, grazing, and dude-ranching activities to continue.”

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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For all of you who have experienced a whitewater rafting trip on the South Fork of the American River with O.A.R.S., you have most likely visited Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. The park, in the town of Coloma, includes a museum, a full-scale replica of Sutter’s Mill where the Gold Rush started, as well as a ghost town of restored period buildings and Gold Rush artifacts.

Due to California State budget cuts, this park is scheduled to close soon after Labor Day, Sept. 7. It is the heart of the Coloma community.

The final list of State Park closures has not been finalized – and efforts are in place to lobby for keeping the Park open. Sutter’s Mill, located in the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, is where the California Gold Rush started and led to the formation of California as a state. The park is the lifeblood of the local economy.

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Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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I know I’ve been chatting up the Mokelumne River lately.  It is located just up the road from the O.A.R.S. Angels Camp HQ – and it is under threat from a proposed reservoir expansion. So, it’s on my mind. Even though there are no commercial whitewater rafting trips on the Class II Electra Run, O.A.R.S. does offer a handful of special fundraising trips each summer.  (see previous post)

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) has released the draft environmental impact report for its Water Supply Management Plan 2040. The plan includes expanding Pardee Reservoir. The reservoir would be enlarged by more than 1,200 acres, destroying miles of the Mokelumne River and inundating the historic Middle Bar Bridge.

If you have an opinion about EBMUD’s plans for Pardee Reservoir, whether you support expansion or oppose expansion, tell it to the board members.  There will be a review the water supply plan, including the Pardee expansion, on Tuesday, August 11. EBMUD hearing scheduled for Tuesday, August 11.

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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The “Electra Run” on the Mokelumne River, located just up Hwy 49 from the O.A.R.S. Angels Camp HQ, has been the staging ground for some noteworthy fundraisers. Most recently, O.A.R.S. sponsored a June 28th whitewater rafting trip to benefit the Foothill Conservancy.  The trip raised approximately $5000 – with all funds going directly to the Conservancy. O.A.R.S. arranged for the special-use permits, provided all the logistics, rafts, paddling gear, and of course, stellar guides.

The Foothill Conservancy is working to prevent East Bay Municipal District (EBMUD) from expanding Pardee Reservoir – which would inundate some of the river – destroying the Electra Run, as well as riverside habitat. It is their hope that the Mokelumne River will be designated a National Wild & Scenic River.

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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Join a whitewater rafting trip on the Mokelumne River (near O.A.R.S. HQ in Angels Camp) and join Foothill Conservancy’s efforts in protecting this special stretch of river.

The public will have the rare opportunity to raft the Mokelumne River with O.A.R.S. on July 19th. There will be two, possibly three, special river rafting trips on the Mokelumne’s six-mile Electra-Middle Bar run to benefit the Foothill Conservancy and support its work to protect and restore the Mokelumne River.

Written by Tracy

Writer, Photographer, former Waterblogged Editor

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