$50M Dam Removal Fund Announced
by Hewlett Foundation & RLF
This 10-year program will "identify and support community efforts to remove obsolete dams and restore rivers across the West".
We commend Hewlett and RLF for this long-term commitment to freeing our watersheds from deadbeat dams, recovering threatened wildlife, improving water quality, safeguarding the public, and reestablishing the flow of sediment to make our coastlines and wetlands more resilient.
Headquartered in Menlo Park, next to our own San Francisquito Creek, the Hewlett Foundation has strong ties to Stanford University and their Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve; the home of Searsville Dam.
We hope that the Open Rivers Fund will both raise awareness and provide an opportunity for Stanford to partner with community leaders and philanthropic organizations on removing Searsville Dam and reviving our shared watershed.
Learn more about the Open Rivers Fund and read our latest newsletter HERE
American Rivers names San Francisquito Creek
one of the nation’s Most Endangered Rivers;
Searsville Dam to Blame
“We are committed to working collaboratively with Stanford and others to address the challenges of Searsville Dam in a manner that benefits endangered species, watershed health, and improves flood protection.”
Matt Stoecker, Director, Beyond Searsville Dam
“Sooner or later Searsville Dam must come down, and the whole San Francisquito Creek watershed can be treated as the ecological treasure that it is.”
Pete McCloskey, former U.S. Congressman, coauthor of the Endangered Species Act, San Francisquito Creek watershed resident and Stanford University School of Law 1953 alumnus. Beyond Searsville Dam Advisory Council.
“Stanford has one of the most important dam-removal and ecosystem-restoration opportunities in the country, and can position itself as a leader in environmental stewardship and make huge progress in achieving its stated goal of being a more sustainable campus. Stanford has got to clean up their own backyard before people will take their sustainability and environmental message seriously. You are what you do, not what you say.”
Yvon Chouinard, owner of Patagonia and Beyond Searsville Dam Advisory Council.
“What happens with Searsville Dam impacts all of us in the San Francisquito Creek watershed, from the mountains to the Bay and beyond. Stanford must collaborate with its neighbors on this dam issue to ensure community safety and watershed health.”
Danna Breen, long-time San Francisquito Creek resident and advocate.
For more on this issue, see our FAQ’s
Download a slide show presentation here.
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Checks can be made out to Beyond Searsville Dam & mailed to:
Beyond Searsville Dam
c/o Friends of the River
1418 20th Street, Suite #100
Sacramento, CA 95811
Your tax-deductible donation will be processed by Friends of the River
(Federal Tax ID: 94-2400210)
Thanks for your support!
