Foothill Conservancy Acts to Preserve our Rivers and Lakes
At Foothill Conservancy our passion is, protecting our lakes and rivers for their fish and wildlife habitat, our enjoyment, and that of future generations. The following are examples of threats our lakes and rivers face, and what we are doing about it together:
At Lower Bear River Reservoir, the lake level would rise and drop daily as water is pumped back and forth from Salt Springs through a massive new tunnel and power plant if the proposed GreenGen pumped storage project is approved as proposed. We think the hazards to boaters and fishermen would be unacceptable, don’t you?
This impact was recently revealed in an operations study Foothill Conservancy requested during our participation in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) review of the proposal. This daily filling and draining of the lake would cause the shoreline location to advance and retreat by as much as a total of 72 feet at Camp Winton and 33 feet at Pardoe’s Point when combined with existing PG&E operations (average values would be less). Imagine moving your lakeside picnic to avoid inundation, or dragging your rafts across muddy or slippery shore-do you want this damage to our recreation enjoyment? We don’t!
On the Mokelumne River, we are also objecting to the disturbance of our Wild and Scenic North Fork below Salt springs Dam, where the reconstruction of roads and powerlines for the GreenGen proposal risks harm to wildlife, water quality, and degrading the quality of experiencing this remote and sensitive area we treasure. We will remain engaged in the FERC review of this massive project and will continue to advocate for protecting our environment. To get involved and register your concern, contact us at (209) 223-3508.
Two more lakes we love, Pardee and Camanche, are up for review by the FERC as well. If you love to boat, fish or picnic at these lakes, now’s the time to get involved in the FERC re-licensing process.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to swim in Lake Pardee? Or have a quiet boating day once a week for sailing and kayaking only on Camanche? Let us know if you do, and together we will make the request a part of the re-licensing of these popular lakes.
The Foothill Conservancy has had success by engaging with the FERC re-licensing process in the past. When PG&E’s Mokelumne Project 137 facilities, like Salt Springs and Lower Bear Reservoirs were up for re-licensing in 2000, retired Conservancy Board members Pete Bell and Katherine Evatt successfully worked with many concerned advocates to establish sufficient fishery and recreation flows for the upper Mokelumne and its tributaries. In addition, three small and outdated dams, on East Panther Creek and two other tributaries, were removed to improve fish habitat as part of the licensing agreement. We believe we can make a similar difference by engaging with the East Bay MUD process this time as well.
Do you have ideas for improvements at Camanche or Pardee? Problems you’d like to see addressed? Contact the Conservancy Office at 209-223-3508 or fhc@foothillconservancy.org to get involved. Everything is on the table, but something might not get addressed if we don’t raise it.
2024 Annual Dinner Recap
- Sponsors:
- Imperial Hotel
- Lynn Morgan & Pat Minyard
- East Bay Municipal Utility District
- Mosquito Gulch Studio
- Amador Olive Oil
- Robert Hartmann & Mel Welsh
- Nancy & Ken Nieland
Many thanks to everyone who attended our annual fundraising dinner this year on Saturday, June 29th. Over a hundred and twenty tickets sold, a tremendous level of support. Out on the lawn at the Kennedy Mine 
Museum made for a lovely evening, and we were incredibly lucky to dodge the heat wave that struck just a week later.
Attendees heard great tunes from local artist Those Windburn Brothers, and were treated to a delicious dinner from UpCountry Catering. Thanks to all our sponsors, and to all of the great local businesses for their donation of items for the auction and raffle. Several local wineries, including Terra Rouge donated fine wines for the dinner. We also saw great youth contributions, with dinner service from the Scouts of Troop 63 of Sutter Creek, and help from the Amador High Environmental Club for help both setting up and tearing down.
Special thanks to Nancy Nieland, Marta Johnson, Carolyn Schooley, and all the Conservancy’s Board of Directors for all their help in making the annual dinner a success.
A Cleaner Environment and Community
The Foothill Conservancy’s work helping keep our communities and waterway clean continues. Despite some non-luck with the weather, the Watershed Protection Alliance has been active all year, with a cleanup event along Jackson Creek near Highways 88 and 49 in Jackson, and two cleanup events at Sutter Amador Hospital. Most recently, the Conservancy held its annual cleanup on the Electra Run of the Mokelumne River on September 21st. Congratulations to volunteer Jennie Moiso, winner of this year’s “Weirdest Trash” contest, 
for her discovery of a puffy sticker of a clownfish. That’s right ladies and gentlemen she “Found Nemo”. We also pulled hundreds of pounds of less-interesting trash, including a full six-person inflatable raft that had been abandoned.
Thanks to all the volunteers who have been coming out and working so hard. Special thanks to the Jackson Lions Club for their helping hands and backhoe, ACES Waste Services for their donation of bins and trash disposal and the Jackson Rancheria for their generous sponsorship of the cleanup program.
Better Know a Species:
Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog
The Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog, or Rana Boylii for you scientists out there, were originally found in rocky streams and rivers from the California Central Coast to Oregon but are now absent from around half of their original range. They feed on insects and other invertebrates, and their raspy, one-note call will never win them a singing contest. Listed as endangered at both the Federal and State levels in the Southern Sierras, an area which includes both Amador and Calaveras Counties. The Mokelumne River is a critical habitat for these frogs and many other species. (Source – californiaherps.com)
Mark Your Calendars
The Foothill Conservancy is going to be active this fall and moving into the holiday season, and you are invited! With the move to the new office at the Monteverde Store Building complete (pay no attention to those extra boxes stuffed under the conference room table.) we are ready to receive company. We held a Fall Open House at the office in conjunction with the first annual Witches Walk in downtown Sutter Creek on Saturday October 26th. There was free candy and cider, along with wine sales to help support the Conservancy. Come check out our office, take the Monteverde Store tour and take in all of downtown Sutter Creek in full Autumn. The office will also be open for Sutter Creek’s Holiday Open House on Friday December 6th. Bring the good cheer, we’ll bring the hot chocolate and have wine & beer available. These events are great opportunities to visit the new office in downtown Sutter Creek.
And while you have that calendar open, don’t forget to mark down Giving Tuesday. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving falls on December 3rd this year. Giving Tuesday is organized through the Amador Community Benefit Foundation and represents one of our most important fundraisers, not just for the Conservancy, but for non-profit organizations doing good work all over Amador County. Any donations made through the Amador Community Benefit Foundation on Giving Tuesday, will receive bonus matching funds. It is quite literally the very best day of the year to support the Foothill Conservancy and all its work. Hope to see you soon!
Keep your eye open for a Friends of Foothill Conservancy survey coming soon.