Celebrate the River with SYRCL at the State of the Yuba

Join us for SYRCL’s annual “State of the Yuba” on April 21.

Get inspired, activated and involved this Earth Day season.  Come celebrate one day early on Thursday, April 21. Bring your appetite and a friend to the Peace Lutheran Church for a fun evening at State of the Yuba.  Mix and mingle with fellow river lovers while hearing about ways to get involved.

Our “Open House” will take place from 5-6pm where you can meet staff, learn about current projects, and upcoming summer volunteer opportunities. Bring your appetite, because refreshments will be on sale.  Fatbelly Taqueria tacos and Three Forks Bakery and Brewing Co. beer will be available for purchase.  Pick up a drink and a bite to eat, then circulate the room and learn how you can be a part of keeping the watershed healthy.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of SYRCL. Whether it is removing seven tons of garbage from the river in a day, monitoring for greenhouse gasses in meadows, or taking kids on Salmon Tours during the spawning season, SYRCL’s volunteers pack the power in our work.  They make our efforts to protect the Yuba possible!  Join us next Thursday and learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities this summer.” said Jenn Tamo, River People Manager.

The program will begin at 6pm with an awards ceremony in which Kathy Davidson, SYRCL’s Volunteer of the Year, Delphine Griffith SYRCL’s Youth Environmentalist of the Year, and The Sierra Fund, SYRCL’s Partner of the Year, will be honored for their service to the community and the Yuba River.

SYRCL Executive Director, Caleb Dardick, will speak about what is being done to restore wild salmon (see www.fishdontdrive.org); NID’s Centennial Dam proposal on the Bear River; and efforts to educate the public about water conservation and environmentally responsible cannabis cultivation.  Learn about our year-round work to support the global environmental movement with the Wild & Scenic Film Festival’s On Tour program.  Later, hear from SYRCL’s River Science Director, Rachel Hutchinson, who will report on projects currently underway to restore Lower Yuba River habitat. We will hold a Question and Answer session at the end of the program.

Our partners will also be available to provide information about their work. The Foothills Water Network will have a table about NID’s Centennial Dam proposal; The Sierra Fund will have updates on a number of local and regional projects; and if you are not yet registered to vote, you may do so with the League of Women Voters.

Youth Environmentalist of the Year—Delphine Griffith

Delphine Griffith is the recipient of this year’s Youth Environmentalist of the Year Award.  Delphine has shown years of dedication to SYRCL and the Yuba.  She has volunteered in a variety of SYRCL Programs including rafting as a Salmon Tour Naturalist, Teaching in the Classroom with Water Audits, spending a 24-hour overnighter sampling Greenhouse Gases, and helping out at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival.  Delphine’s enthusiasm for activism and the environment is also apparent in her education.  As a senior at Nevada Union High School she is an officer of the Eco NU club and completed the school’s AP Environmental Science course as a junior.  She graduates in June of this year and plans to continue studying Environmental Science.  We know Delphine will continue to make a difference in her future endeavors.

Volunteer of the Year—Kathy Davidson

Among the many volunteers who have dedicated time and energy to progressing SYRCL’s restoration, stewardship, advocacy, and education efforts is one individual with distinguished commitment and dedication.  SYRCL is pleased to be awarding Kathy Davidson the Volunteer of the Year award.

Kathy has been an integral player in a plethora of SYRCL activities over the past three years and her involvement is year-round.  Kathy’s volunteerism at SYRCL has run the gamut from the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, State of the Yuba, Wild for the Yuba, River Ambassadors, the Education Committee, volunteering in the office, distributing event collateral, as well as serving as both a Salmon Tour naturalist and Water Audit docent.

Kathy says, “I have always believed that we as individuals must live the change we want to see in the world and SYRCL as an organization unifies individual’s energy to bring positive change for the Yuba.  SYRCL is building a powerful community to support a powerful river environment.”

We hope you can join us as we honor Kathy and her generous commitment to making the Yuba and this community a brighter place.

Yuba Partner of the Year—The Sierra Fund

For over 15 years, The Sierra Fund (TSF) has partnered with SYRCL to protect the Yuba’s waters.  CEO Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin recently said, “My love of and passion for restoring the Yuba River drives me.”  In fact, when Izzy was a County Supervisor, she spearheaded the campaign to secure Wild & Scenic Rivers Act protection for the South Yuba.

The Sierra Fund successfully advocated for the new state law regulating the damaging effects of suction dredge gold mining.  TSF’s innovative pilot project with NID is removing mercury-contaminated sediment from Combie Reservoir.  TSF is working to reduce the amount of harmful sediment and mercury discharged from Malakoff Diggins.  And TSF provided critical leadership to our watershed, securing millions of dollars for key environmental projects.

Currently, SYRCL partners with TSF in the Mercury Forum with active mercury assessment projects on Spring, Shady and Scotchman Creeks.  We’re posting fish consumption advisory notices so that anglers know which fish are safe to eat.  And with the San Juan Ridge Taxpayers Association, we successfully challenged the proposal to reopen the San Juan Ridge Gold Mine.

Under Izzy’s leadership, The Sierra Fund’s important work has been recognized for work on a local, state and national level, most recently receiving the James Irvine Foundation’s 2016 Leadership Award.

Celebrate Earth Day one day early with SYRCL at the State of the Yuba, and find out how you can get involved to protect the watershed this summer season. We hope to see you there!

For more information contact Jenn Tamo, River People Manager, at jenn@syrcl.org or 530-265-5961 ext. 201