Celebrating a Wild & Scenic South Yuba
by Dr. Aaron Zettler-Mann, SYRCL’s Executive Director
2026 marks the 25th anniversary of State Wild and Scenic River protection for the South Yuba River. This designation protected 39 miles of the South Yuba River from the threat of dams, permanently securing a cornerstone of the community.
This hard-fought victory only happened because of the dedication and care of a handful of people, many of whom we will be highlighting in the coming months. They educated, inspired, and led this community to come together and fight for what mattered. Without the effort of these heroes, instead of the beautiful emerald pools, granite boulders, warm swimming holes, and world-class whitewater kayaking our community cherishes, we would be left with a long narrow lake large enough that it would have drowned the town of Washington.
This need to protect the South Yuba is also the story of the birth of the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and, later, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. SYRCL was founded on the premise that people can save a river and 25 years ago that dream was realized. The vote to approve Wild and Scenic status for the South Yuba occurred in 1999 with the law formally going into effect January 1, 2000. However, as part of the negotiation process, the law was delayed a year so that a bond could be put forward to help fund much-needed non-dam flood control work for the communities of Yuba City, Marysville, and surrounding areas. With that one-year delay, the South Yuba was formally recognized as Wild and Scenic on January 1, 2001. The following year SYRCL founded the Wild & Scenic Film Festival as a way of coming together to celebrate the river and share inspiring stories of activism from around the world. Like SYRCL, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival is still going strong and will be held February 19-23, 2026.
SYRCL has had many successes over its 40+ year history and remains a pillar of local environmental restoration, inspiration, advocacy, and education. We see this anniversary as a time to reflect on a long history of accomplishments while also looking towards an uncertain future. Global climate change means that restoring natural processes is more important than ever so that this watershed can adapt to the changing precipitation and temperature patterns itis confronting. And, unfortunately, the possibilty of new water projects, mines, and mega-fires is always present. While these threats of tomorrow may be different than those that inspired our creation, with the support of our members, SYRCL remains committed to working towards sustainable proactive solutions and is poised to fight the next challenge to our watershed.
The South Yuba flows wild and scenic because people refused to accept its destruction as inevitable. This optimism and unwavering commitment to the watershed defines SYRCL’s legacy and will carry us through whatever threats lie ahead.
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