Celebrate the Stanislaus River … Lost and Found

May 19, 2009.

Spirit of the Stanislaus Event In Angels Camp ~ Sunday, June 7th ~ Activities Begin 2:30 p.m.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the filling of the Stanislaus River Canyon, which flooded a unique limestone river canyon that used to attract over 70,000 whitewater rafters, hikers and other visitors every summer, the “Spirit of the Stanislaus” event is planned for Angels Camp, California, on Sunday, June 7.

The event will be held at Utica Park between 2:30 and 6:00 p.m., with live music, food and beverage vendors, speakers and a raffle to benefit Friends of the River (FOR), one of the event’s official sponsors. An evening showing of historic and contemporary river films, including the recent IMAX film “Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk,” will conclude the day’s festivities, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

The grassroots effort to preserve the Stanislaus River spanned the 1970s, and included ballot initiatives, lawsuits and court hearings, public information campaigns and congressional legislation, all of which contributed to the founding of Friends of the River in 1973. The movement was brought about by the construction of New Melones Dam, whose reservoir waters inundated the Stanislaus River canyon despite strong local opposition.

By 1979, tens of thousands of volunteers had been drawn into the struggle to save the Stanislaus. The fight culminated when Friends of the River co-founder Mark Dubois chained himself in the canyon with the promise to drown if the filling continued, in late May 1979. His action drew national media attention, and led to a temporary stay in the reservoir’s rising waters. Dubois and FOR advocated a compromise fill level that would have permitted the continuance of the river run and the preservation of the canyon while still allowing the reservoir to serve its other purposes.

“It was the culmination of what at the time was the largest river campaign in the country,” said Mark Dubois recently, “and helped change water policy decision-making in the nation.” A new documentary film on the controversy is in development.

The reservoir was filled to its limit in 1983, ending the commercial and private rafting industry for Angles Camp and other Calaveras and Tuolumne county companies.

Dubois and several fellow FOR organizers plan to be at the afternoon picnic in Angels Camp, to share their recollections of the time. Don Briggs, a river guide and filmmaker who was involved in the grassroots efforts, will also be in attendance, to screen his 1979 movie “Parrott’s Ferry is the Limit.”

Other veterans of river running era on the Stanislaus are invited to attend, as well as younger recreation enthusiasts who want to learn more about the region’s once-thriving rafting tradition.

Music from local groups will headline the afternoon’s entertainment, and beer, wine and food from local vendors will be available. Other sponsors of the event will have informational booths at the park. Raffle tickets will be sold throughout the week, culminating in the 6 pm raffle awards.

Event Schedule:

2:30-6:30 pm: Picnic in the Park: Utica Park, South Main Street
Live Music • Old Friends • New Friends • Booths • Beer & Wine • Stage
Raffle of donated gear, trips and other items to benefit FOR
7:00-9:00 pm: Stanislaus River movies and discussion

Movies at the Elliott Smart Performing Arts Center at Bret Harte High will include: “Lady of the Mother Lode”, “Parrott’s Ferry is the Limit” and “Grand Canyon Adventure”. Admission will be $5 and children under 12 may enter for free.

Sponsors and Supporters:
• Friends of the River • Outdoor Adventure River Specialists (O.A.R.S., Inc.) •
All Outdoors • Zephyr Whitewater • Sierra Nevada Adventure Center (SNAC) • Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC) • Foothill Conservancy • MacGillivray Freeman Films