Celebrate 25 Years of State Wild & Scenic Designation with “Stories of the Yuba”

As we approach the 25th anniversary of the South Yuba River’s Wild & Scenic designation on January 1, 2026, there’s no better time to revisit the documentary that captured the spirit of the movement that made it all possible. 

Gregg Schiffner’s 1997 film Stories of the Yuba is more than a documentary, it’s a love letter to the South Yuba River and the people who fought to protect it. Shot just two years before the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 496 to grant State Wild & Scenic protection to 39 miles of the South Yuba, the 75-minute film examines the history of the river and our community’s deep relationship with this watershed. 

The Fight That Inspired the Film 

When Schiffner created Stories of the Yuba in 1997, the battle to protect the South Yuba was still being waged. The South Yuba River Citizens League had been organizing since the early 1980s, when state and federal agencies first supported proposed new dams that would have flooded beloved canyons and destroyed critical salmon habitat. For nearly two decades, ordinary citizens had rallied under a simple but revolutionary belief: People can save a river. 

Schiffner’s film captured this movement at a pivotal moment, when years of grassroots organizing were finally building toward legislative victory. Two years after the documentary’s release, Senate Bill 496 passed with the leadership of Nevada County Supervisor Izzy Martin and State Senator Byron Sher. Governor Gray Davis signed it into law on October 10, 1999, and the designation took effect on January 1, 2001. 

Schiffner, who grew up in Nevada City spending countless happy hours at the river, created Stories of the Yuba as a tribute to the place that shaped his life and to the individuals and organizations working tirelessly to preserve it.  

Stories of the Yuba became a time capsule of the activism, passion, and community commitment that made this Wild & Scenic protection possible. His film captures something essential: the connection between people and place. 

Why This Film Matters Now 

As we celebrate a quarter century of Wild & Scenic protection, Stories of the Yuba reminds us where we came from. It documents the grassroots organizing, the coalition-building, and the unwavering belief that ordinary people could save a river. The film preserves the voices of those who refused to accept that dams were inevitable — voices that ultimately changed California water policy. 

Twenty-five years later, the fight continues. The South Yuba faces new threats from climate change, catastrophic wildfire, and declining salmon populations. But the solution remains the same: people coming together to defend what they love. 

Stories of the Yuba shows us what’s possible when a community refuses to give up. 

Watch Stories of the Yuba 

Experience the documentary that captures the heart of the Wild & Scenic movement. Watch Stories of the Yuba here. 

Then join us throughout 2026 as we celebrate 25 years of Wild & Scenic protection—and commit to the next 25 years of keeping the South Yuba wild, scenic, and resilient. 

Become a SYRCL member and be part of the movement protecting the South Yuba River for generations to come.