Winnemem Chief Caleen Sisk and Dan Beard Receive 2015 California River Awards

Winnemem Chief Caleen Sisk and Dan Beard Receive 2015 California River Awards

by Dan Bacher

Friends of the River (FOR) honored Winnemem Wintu Chief Caleen Sisk and author and former federal official Dan Beard at the California River Awards on October 23 in San Francisco.

Chief Sisk and Beard received the prestigious 2015 "Mark Dubois Awards" during the evening event at the City Club of San Francisco on 155 Sansome Street.

Caleen Sisk is the Spiritual Leader and Chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, who practice their traditional culture and ceremonies in their territory along the McCloud River in Northern California.

"She has focused on maintaining the cultural and religious traditions of the Tribe as well as advocating for California salmon restoration," according to FOR. "FOR is working with the Winnemem Wintu to save the McCloud and upper Sacramento Rivers from plans to raise Shasta Dam."

Sisk has also been a relentless opponent of Jerry Brown's California Water Fix, formerly the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), to build the Delta Tunnels. This government boondoggle to ship water to corporate agribusiness interests irrigating toxic land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley will result in the extinction of Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species. It will also imperil the salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

She has organized opposition to the Proposition 1 Water Grab and the fracking of California, as well as lead the campaign for the return of native winter run Chinook salmon from New Zealand to the McCloud River above Shasta Dam.

"Right now the existing water projects continue to damage our ecology," said Chief Sisk, in front of the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento, where a "workshop" for the California Water Fix was convened by state and federal officials on July 28. "They have already harmed our fish and driven them to extinction. The tunnels will only complete the job. The tunnels that they want to build are large enough to divert the entire Sacramento River." (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/07/30/18775549.php)

Dan Beard penned the recently released book "Deadbeat Dams: Why We Should Abolish the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Tear Down Glen Canyon Dam." He declared “the dam building era is now over” while serving as the Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in President Clinton’s first term.

"Dan reorganized the Bureau to pivot away from dam-building to promoting water conservation and environmental restoration. He also served as Staff Director for the House Interior Subcommittee on Water and Power where he helped advance the work of river champion, and former CRA honoree, Congressman George Miller," according to FOR Executive Director Eric Wesselman.

For more information about the awards recipients, go to: https://secure.maestroweb.com/CustomInfo.aspx?Page=5&OrgID=1299

FOR also unveiled their "River RATS" River Advocacy and Training School" at the event.

"FOR seeks to build a more powerful grassroots base by launching a new River Advocacy and Training School, River RATS." said Wesselmem. "This semester-long program will train and empower the next wave of advocates and leaders for river protection and sustainable water policy in California. River RATS will learn about water policy, grassroots organizing, river ecology and natural history from experts in the field through a 5-day training at Camp Lotus along the beautiful American River."

After training, this select team of River Rats will be deployed to college campuses and communities throughout the state to engage thousands of people in the river protection movement, according to Wessleman. With this field organizing under their belts, River RATS return to the American River to attend FOR’s Guide School to become a whitewater rafting guide or canoeist.

"There couldn’t be a more important time to launch this program," emphasized Wesselman. "As we all know, this historic drought is driving an intense effort to build new dams and diversions. This is the most serious attack on our rivers since FOR was founded over forty years ago. The River RATS program will help FOR demonstrate prodigious public support for rivers and better solutions that lead to a much more positive vision for California’s waterways.

"FOR's goal is to select 10 or more candidates for this inaugural class. Each participant will cost $2,500, which means they need to raise $25,000 specifically for this effort," he added.

Friends of the River Foundation (FOR) is California's only statewide river conservation organization. FOR is nationally recognized as an authority on the adverse impacts of dams on rivers and ecosystems. Friends of the River's mission is to protect and restore California Rivers by influencing public policy and inspiring citizen action. For more information, go to: http://www.friendsoftheriver.org