Mighty Mokelumne's worth the visit

With a decent snowfall and early May rains, the Mokelumne River's really flowing this spring. Salt Springs Dam may spill soon. If it doesn't, that will only be because PG&E is releasing a huge amount of water into the river to keep the flow high and temperature cold (which has to do with foothill yellow-legged frogs, but I'll spare you the details).

If you've never seen the North Fork running high, now's a good time to do it. Ellis Road, Panther Creek and Tiger Creek Road are all open (see maps).

Downstream at Highway 49, the Mokelumne's Electra-Middle Bar run is also flowing fast and high. Normally the run is a forgiving, friendly river, a nice float trip with some fun rapids, plus a challenging, bouncy Class III rapid below the Highway 49 Bridge. People come from all over to learn to kayak there. In high flows, it's another river entirely -- definitely not a place for beginners.

We ran Electra-Middle Bar yesterday in a flotilla of four large rafts captained by experienced guides. It was a great trip, if a short one: It only took us 40 minutes to get from the put-in to the Middle Bar takeout. Normally the trip is close to two hours long.

During the safety talk before we headed downstream, our lead guide, David "Chicken" Nesmith, charged us with one main task: "stay in the boat." With the high flows, cold snow-melt water, and many "strainers" along the river's edges, the river's no place for a swim right now. Visualize trees and shrubs as a colander and rafters as spaghetti and you'll understand what strainers are all about.

Before we headed out, we had to rig boats, send vehicles to the Middle Bar takeout, and have lunch. As we went through these steps, we talked to other folks coming down to the river. I met one threesome of local men who are very familiar with and love the Mokelumne. They recognized that their skills were no match for the river at this flow.

And then there was another group. These folks had three rafts, none of which was really appropriate for whitewater river use. Two were little more than pool toys. BLM river ranger Scott was there, and took time to warn the would-be rafters about the dangers of the river at this high flow, especially considering their obvious lack of expertise and appropriate gear.

But these "we know the river" folks headed downstream anyway. All three boats flipped at the first little rapid. Scott was following them on land and went down to help, but a good Samaritan visiting the river reached them first. Everyone was OK, but we spotted one of the boats a good ways downstream, stuck in the trees. Truth is, they were very lucky to crash and burn early on before things got sticky.

We had a great trip, and a more successful one. It was quick, and pretty exciting at times (especially for the two people who briefly poured out of the rafts and into the Devil's Toilet Bowl rapid). We paddled hard. But we also had time to enjoy this beautiful river right here in our backyard.

The entire Middle Bar reach and nearly a mile of the Electra run would be drowned if East Bay MUD were to expand Pardee Reservoir as proposed. Let's hope that all of the foothill outcry, and continued good work by Foothill Conservancy and others, keeps that from ever coming to pass.

It's time to secure National Wild and Scenic River designation for the Mokelumne so that in the future, other folks like those in our group can experience the river first-hand, and in doing so, better understand our nation's history and culture as well as its environment.

Electric Electra flowers

Today we went walking on Electra Road. The flowers are fantastic this year, and nearly at peak right now. Some things have yet to bloom, but the poppies and various kinds of lupine are fantastic.

We also saw blooming:

• Phacelia (scorpion flower), lots and lots of phacelia
  
• Popcorn flower (isn't it fabulous this year?)
• Moth mullein, just starting
  
• Dudleya
• Globe lillies
• Purple owl's clover
• White owl's clover
• Chinese houses
• Jewel flower (streptanthus)
• A couple of different pinks
• A yellow composite
  
• Fringe pod -- great year for that, too
• Blue dicks
• Two different onions, one blue, one white
• Native clover
  

Plus others I now can't recall. Photos soon, but get out there and see it for yourself. Photos don't begin to do the riverside experience justice. You also need to hear the birds, the bugs, and of course, the river.

Meanwhile, here are some great photos by Dave Skinner of the Electra flowers and nearby poppies on Highway 49, which are now a bit past peak.

Sacrificing rivers for growth

I've walked along the Mokelumne River's Electra Run many times. It's a beautiful spot year-round. It's also the part of the Mokelumne used most by local residents. They come there to fish, picnic, and pan for gold. They come to teach their kids about rivers.

They are people of all ages, from all walks of life. What they have in common is a love of nature, and especially of rivers.

It's no secret that I love rivers and advocate for the Mokelumne. And it's no secret that I support keeping the portions of the Mokelumne that are still a river flowing for future generations. Because of that, I support National Wild and Scenic River designation for the Mokelumne. It's simply the only way to keep our river a river.

I've been distressed by some of the discussion in recent Amador County general plan hearings. There are people in our county who want to sacrifice our rivers on the altar of unlimited growth. They are willing to destroy the Electra run, and the other special river places in our county, to grow more subdivisions and fuel more gridlock. And they don't understand that conservation and efficiency is the cheapest source of additional water supply.

The general plan is about the future -- what we want our county to be. I, for one, want it to be a place where people can enjoy and learn about rivers just like they can today.

The general plan is far from done. But those of you who care about the Mokelumne need to speak up now.

There are two good ways to show your support for keeping the Mokelumne a river. One is to sign on to support National Wild and Scenic River designation for the Mokelumne.

The other is to let the Amador County Board of Supervisors know what you think. Call or write and tell them what the river means to you. If you use the river, tell them how. If you come here from somewhere else and spend money while you're here, let them know that as well.

To some folks and officials in Amador County, the river is simply an abstract source of water. To many of us, it is a powerful force of nature, a source of pleasure, challenge, inspiration or rejuvenation -- and it's up to us to keep it that way.

As April begins

As April begins, there is good news. The flowers are starting to bloom on Electra Road. The poppies are lovely now, and the bush lupine should be fabulous in a week or two. A few phacelia are joining in, and the alders are leafing out in the green that simply shouts "Spring." It is a lovely place to drive, walk, or sit and watch the Mokelumne flow by. And the black phoebes that live at Electra year 'round will keep you company.

Then there is bad news. SPI is trying to abandon the local rail line -- the former home of the Amador Central Railroad. Once abandoned, rail lines do not come back -- ever. It would be a true tragedy for our community to lose that possible rail link to points west.

To make things worse, Amador County Transportation Commission staff say that part of the rail line should be abandoned to make way for a road through Martell! A road. Incredible. They say that if the Wicklow Way and Gold Rush projects are developed, building a new road through Martell on the rail line would save millions and help with local traffic. That might be true for a while -- but only until the next big project comes along and further clogs our roads.

Lousy subdivisions are one thing, but giving up a rail line for the traffic they will bring is the height of folly.

We need to join with the Amador Historical Society on this one and keep that rail line intact. Bad enough that SPI is clearcutting our forests. Now they want to strip us of our history, too.

A walk on Electra Road

Pete and I went for a nice walk today on Electra Road, along the Mokelumne River. We were out there last weekend, too. Aside from having to keep an eye out for traffic on the narrow road, it's a wonderful place to take a spring foothill river walk.

Electra's always beautiful, but in spring it's especially so. The leafing-out alder and willow stand in bright contrast to the deep blue-green river, and the flowers are fabulous.

Many more flowers were in bloom this week than last. We saw countless California poppies, three kinds of purple lupine, the first Chinese globe lilies, abundant scorpion flowers (phacelia), fringe pod, dudleya, Chinese houses (collinsia), fiddlenecks, popcorn flowers, a couple kinds of brodiaea, some yellow monkeyflowers, and the promise of more to come in the next few weeks.

In addition to the flowers, we watched a pair of common mergansers, a number of black phoebes, and numerous butterflies. Some we knew -- mourning cloaks, swallowtails -- some we didn't, but looked up later.

The mergansers, called "river chickens" by rafting guides, are interesting because the males and females look so different you could easily mistake them for different species.

The Electra run of the Mokelumne really is a "people's river," used by local residents as well as river lovers of all kinds. Today we saw groups having barbecues on the beach, folks watching the river flow by or soaking up the sun, walkers like us with dogs, families with kids, gold panners, teenagers, three cars full of people from Texas, three generations of guys fishing together, and a couple of whitewater kayakers.

Last week we met an entire family of South Asian-American children from Stockton, six in all, ranging in age from about eight to 21. It was their last day of spring break, and the eldest brother had taken everyone for a final day outside. As we left, they were standing side-by-side on the beach throwing rocks across the river -- girls in bright salwar kameez, boys in jeans and t-shirts, everyone barefoot, everyone happy.

The Electra run is also one of the premier kayak training runs in central California. Across the country, cities are building kayak parks to attract tourists and provide recreation for residents, but we have the real thing just south of Jackson.

The Bureau of Land Management may soon recommend the Electra run for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system. Protecting this section of river for future generations means that on beautiful spring days like today, families, kids, anglers, couples, tourists, wildflower watchers, birders, and paddlers can continue to appreciate the magic our local river has to offer.

I cannot imagine life here without it.

You can look up the flowers listed here -- and many more -- at the UC Digital Library.