Yosemite Falls currently.
The sun was beginning to set. It was after 8 pm but our group was still hiking. Our students weren’t lost and this wasn’t a Final challenge, in fact we knew exactly where we were. We knew because we had been following a thin, solid line of blue on our topographical map, which signified a year-round stream. Yet to our right was a dry creekbed of dusty stones, no water to be seen. This had happened several times that day – we would come expectantly to a known river or stream, only to find a stagnant brown pool or no water at all.
The students were thirsty and exhausted after more than 10 hours on the trail so I ran up ahead to scout a spot where our map showed two creeks converging, hoping silently and fervently for water. As I made my way closer I could hear it faintly, a sweet sound, like wind through the trees. Finally, there it was. Clean, clear water, flowing swiftly, it seemed almost otherworldly after hours of dry creek beds and dusty trail. I darted back to the group, deeply relieved and newly invigorated.
When we talked about this experience with our students over the last few days of the course, it was powerfully telling. Our group of students, more than half native Californians, so accustomed to unconsciously turning on the tap and having water flow unquestioned through the faucet, had finally experienced firsthand the tangible effects of drought. I hoped when they returned home they wouldn’t take water for granted in the same way.
About a week after my return from the course, my 7-year-old nephew was interviewed on the nightly news. The newscaster was asking East Bay residents what they thought the effects of the drought would be. My nephew, earnestly and without prompting said, “I think we’re going to be really thirsty.” I knew what he meant.
The creek bed that runs through the Midpines base camp. It has been dry since early Spring.
Like everyone else in the state of California, OBCA depends upon water to keep us alive and functioning. In the wilderness areas where we lead trips we depend upon runoff from the winter snowpack to keep our streams, rivers, and creeks running through the hot summer months. At our High Sierra basecamp in Midpines our water comes from a well on the property. In San Francisco the majority of our water comes from the Tuolumne River, dammed at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (a part of Yosemite National Park and one of OBCA’s wilderness classrooms).
Understanding the preciousness of this dwindling resource, I proposed a Sustainability Pilot Program to our leadership team as a means of improving our environmental stewardship efforts at the High Sierra basecamp. One of the primary focuses of this program is to reduce water consumption. We have already done a lot as a community this summer to make improvements and work towards this goal. Here are some of our efforts:
– Eliminating car washing for our vehicle fleet
– Decreasing the amount of water flushed down the drain by using water displacement bags in our toilets and going “mellow yellow” (only flushing after #2)
You can reduce your water footprint by taking shorter showers and catching the warming water in a bucket to use later.
– Encouraging shorter showers through 5-minute shower timers and “navy showers” (soaping up with the water turned off).
– We don’t have landscaping or irrigation at our basecamp, a major water consumer for many homes and businesses. We are talking more about the food we consume and considering Meatless Mondays at Scotty’s, our staff dining hall, as meat animals require a large amount of water to raise.
– Meeting with local consultants regarding the possibility of rainwater catchment barrels and a greywater system so that we can catch and reuse our water.
Our staff love the wilderness and are conscious of their environmental impact. In order to build upon this awareness, we have other projects that encompass energy conservation, renewable energy exploration, and efforts to minimize waste. The support and energy that has been building for our various sustainability projects has been inspiring.
Together we are creating a Midpines Sustainability Task Force that will meet periodically to implement projects, discuss progress, and generate new ideas. If our projects are successful we may consider finding ways to expand them to the Bay Area and Joshua Tree.
For suggestions on what you can do at home and work to help conserve water see the Tips of the Month section of this newsletter. The Water Sense page on the EPA website is also a great resource. We also welcome your ideas and suggestions, as well as any contacts and connections. Feel free to email them to me (Caitlin) at [email protected].
