The End of an Era on the Tuolumne River
It is with mixed feelings we announce the sale of our Tuolumne River business. We have operated on the Tuolumne since the very beginning of our company in 1972.
We have been involved in two colossal environmental battles to protect the river. Both fights centered around a series of elaborate dams that made no sense to anyone except dam builders. The battle in the early ‘80’s ended with the U.S. Congress protecting the Tuolumne under the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. What a sweet victory.
The second fight was over damming the most pristine of the Tuolumne tributaries—the Clavey River. In 1994 those dams were stopped too, and the Clavey still runs free. But there is some unfinished business because the Clavey deserves the same quality of protection afforded the Tuolumne. With the new Congress and with a corps of dedicated fans of the Tuolumne watershed that could very well come to be.
Dick Linford and I were directly involved in both campaigns. Dick volunteering many hours and numerous trips to DC, and yours truly served for 12 years as president of the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust from 1985 until 1997. Those were hard fights, resulting in some wonderful memories.
But time marches on. The 1970’s, ‘80’s, and ‘90’s have given way to a new century, and we must give way to a younger generation. It has been a fantastic ride! We tip our hats to a great river.
But we are not done with river running. You can still find us heading down river on both the Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho and the Rogue River in Oregon. See you there.
Best wishes to all,
Joe Daly
