The Confluence
Spring 2003
River
Restoration Project Set to Begin
The wait is nearly over! The much-anticipated restoration
of the North Fork of the American River at the site of the abandoned
Auburn dam project will get underway soon. The Bureau of Reclamation
has now closed the bidding process for the river channel excavation
work and will award a contract by early June, with the work itself
beginning several weeks later. Project completion is targeted
for April 2005.
Plans are also progressing for construction of a pedestrian bridge
to replace the Auburn to Cool trail crossing that will be lost
once the river is restored. Funding is in place for the bridge
and State Parks is currently working on a scope of work for the
project. A public review and comment period will begin in the
late summer or fall of this year.
Long advocated by PARC, the river restoration work and pedestrian
bridge are key components of our proposed American River Confluence
Parkway. It is gratifying to see these environmental and recreational
enhancements to the canyon becoming a reality!
Third
Edition of Guide Book Ready
PARC wishes to thank the Stamm Family Foundation, the Emigrant
Trails Greenway Trust, the Placer County Visitors Council
and the PARC membership for their generous financial contributions
towards the third printing of the American River Guide Book.
We would also like to add a special thanks to Auburn Printers
for their cover design and fine printing work on all of the 12,500
guide books printed since the first edition came out in 1989.
Whether hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding or paddling
in the canyons the American River guide book is an essential companion.
The guide book offers insights into access, natural history, earlier
generations of Californians and helps us define our sense of place
in community. In the words of Otis Wollan, one of the primary
authors of the book, "We need a place to breathe freely,
to think and dream, and to be grateful for all the beauty around
us...these moments in wilderness reconnect us to the beauty and
complexity of our natural world."
Take a hike for your health!
