The effort to preserve wild and scenic rivers in California and elsewhere has been a major environmental battle for many years. In California the Smith River which drains the northwest corner of the Klamath Mountains is the only river that has entirely escaped being dammed. It really is wild and very scenic.
I was pleased and flattered by the response to my recent diary about Redwood National Park.
In The Forest Of The Giants (photos)
While on that trip I explored parts of the Smith River and took pictures. One purpose of this diary is to share some of them that turned out better than some of the others. Another purpose is to provide a kickoff for a diary series on California and its water resources. The Smith River basin provides us with a glimpse of what California looked like before the settlers of European origin arrived and began their crusade to bend the environment to their will.
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This map shows the basin of the river. As you can see the river has three forks, north, middle and south. These pictures were taken on the south and middle forks. The north fork is the wildest and least accessible of the three.
The Klamath Mountains are a group of mountain chains that cover the northwest corner of the state. Geologically they are related to the Sierra Nevadas. This picture, which I did not take, captures the wild and rugged quality of the region.
All of the pictures below are mine. They come from an area to the east of the redwood forests.
At night the coastal fog creeps up the river valleys. With the early morning sun it begins to burn off.
Preserving the natural beauty of rapids has always been an important issue in the wild river debate.
One of the most striking aspects of mountain rivers is the clear beauty of the water. This is particularly striking in California rivers in the summer when there is no rain to stir them up. They are being feed entirely by springs.
The Rest Of The Series
I plan to explore the history of water in California. It is a subject that I have been interested in for a number of years and done a good bit of reading about. Water has always been central to the state's history and economy. I then plan to look at the issues facing California about its water resources. They present a challenge of balancing environmental, energy and economic concerns that is typical of many other places in the world. There will be three more installments and should appear on a daily basis.
The Natural History Of California And Its Water
The Exploitation Of Water In California
The Future Of Water In California
Humans have been generally poor stewards of the bounty that we received from nature. The river flows quietly through its rocky course and waits to see if we will wake up before time runs out.