Foothills Water Network

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Mission
Objectives
Organizational Structure
Steering Committee
Working Groups
• Yuba-Bear Working Group
• Middle Fork American Working Group
Interested Stakeholders

Mission

The overall goal of the Foothills Water Network is to provide a forum that increases the effectiveness of conservation organizations to achieve river and watershed restoration and protection benefits for the Yuba, Bear, and American. This includes negotiations at the county, state, and federal levels, with an immediate focus on the upcoming FERC relicensing processes.

Objectives

The objectives of the Foothills Water Network include:

  • Facilitate a dialogue on cross-basin issues and strategies to enhance overall watershed balance with special attention to an interbasin framework with which to address the FERC relicensings.
  • Identify and avoid potential conflicts among watershed groups in order to work towards a common “vision” for overall watershed health across the basins.
  • Analyze the Yuba, Bear, and American (NF and MF) as the “problemshed” in order to explore constructive interbasin solutions.
  • Conduct public outreach to raise awareness of water supply issues and the unique opportunities in the three interlinked watersheds. To this end, the Network will collaborate with established watershed groups to disseminate outreach materials.

Organizational Structure

The Foothills Water Network is a forum, rather than an organization in the traditional sense. This forum is convened by a Steering Committee consists of local conservation leaders. Assisted by a Network Coordinator, the Steering Committee is dedicated to providing a forum in which to address cross-basin issues with the intent of enhancing environmental water flows.

Organizational Diagram:  To see how the Foothills Water Network is structured and relates to the California Hydropower Reform Coalition with regards to relicensing, please click here for a diagram.

Steering Committee

The Foothills Water Network Steering Committee members have been environmental activists for decades and occupy leadership roles in conservation organizations. Steering Committee members include:
  • Allan Eberhart, Chair, Sierra Club California Conservation Committee
  • Barbara Rivenes, Nevada County Conservationist
  • Marilyn Jasper, Founder, Clover Valley Foundation and Chair, Sierra Club Placer Group
  • Gary Estes, Protect American River Canyons
  • Steve Rothert, Associate Director, Dams Program, American Rivers

Working Groups

In July 2005, the Foothills Water Network formed two working groups — one each for the Yuba-Bear and the Middle Fork American. The working groups are comprised of six to seven members from the local conservation community. This makes for manageably small groups so they can convene regularly. The overall objective of these two working groups will be to define a framework within which the conservation community can advance the restoration of ecosystem health in the Yuba, Bear, and American watrsheds through multiple planning processes including hydrorelicensing, integrated regiona water management planning, and water contracts. In terms of hydro-relicensing, the Working Groups will streamline communication with the agencies and the licensees, as well as receive and share input from a range of our Network members and other stakeholders. Please click here to see the members of the Middle Fork American and Yuba-Bear Working Groups.

The initial members of the working groups include:

Yuba-Bear Working Group

  • Steve Rothert, American Rivers
  • Bob Center, Unaffiliated
  • Allan Eberhart, Sierra Club - Mother Lode Chapter
  • Jason Rainey, South Yuba River Citizen’s League
  • Katrina Schneider, South Yuba River Citizen’s League
  • Keith Nakatani, California Hydropower Reform Coalition
  • Elizabeth Soderstrom, Natural Heritage Institute
  • Lynn Campbell, Unaffiliated

Middle Fork American Working Group

  • Gary Estes, Protect American River Canyons
  • Bill Center, American River Recreation Association
  • Bill Templin, American River Watershed Group
  • Nate Rangel, California Outdoors
  • Kieth Nakatani, California Hydropower Reform Coalition
  • Larry Goodell, Auburn Flycasters
  • Heath Wakelee, Granite Bay Flycasters
  • Monte Hendricks, Angler

The Foothills Water Network has also invited CHRC members to join our efforts on the hydro-relicensings including: Trout Unlimited, American Whitewater, and Friends of the River. These organizations are currently involved in other relicensings; therefore, it is likely they won’t fully engage in the Yuba-Bear and Middle Fork American relicensings until further along in the process.

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Foothills Water Network  •  PO Box 713  •  Lotus, CA  •  95651  •  530-622-8497