Rivers outlast elections: tell California's next governor to choose the river
Every fall, something ancient happens on the Tuolumne, Merced, and Stanislaus rivers. Chinook salmon, fresh from the ocean, push upstream against the current to return to the gravel beds where they were born. They've made this journey for thousands of years.
Each of these rivers once carried runs of more than 100,000 salmon. Today, only a few thousand fish make it home.
This fall, there's a second current running through California. On November 3, voters will choose a new governor. Whoever wins will make decisions that shape the health of Yosemite's rivers for years, and possibly generations, to come.
That's why we’re asking you to send a letter to both candidates for governor before a single vote is counted. Our message is simple: make the health of California's rivers a priority. Choose the river.
Why Yosemite's rivers matter to all of us
It's easy to think of these rivers as something you visit. A summer swim, a weekend hike, a view from Glacier Point. But chances are, they're also flowing through your life every single day.
Drinking water for more than 3 million people. From the San Francisco Bay Area to towns across the Central Valley, water from the Tuolumne, Merced, and Stanislaus fills glasses, kitchens, and schools.
Food on our tables. These watersheds nourish 480,000 acres of Central Valley farmland, the orchards and fields that feed California and much of the country.
A home for wildlife. More than 600 species depend on these rivers and the lands around them, from Chinook salmon and steelhead trout to Great Gray Owls, beavers, and black bears.
Places that renew us. More than 4 million people visit Yosemite each year, and hundreds of thousands more fish, paddle, and camp along these rivers across the wider region.
These rivers aren't a special interest. They're the interest. When they're healthy, families, farms, and wildlife all thrive together.
What's at stake with California's next governor
Rivers outlast campaigns. They outlast terms. They'll still be running long after this election is over. But the choices a governor makes, about how much water stays in our rivers, how we prepare for drought and wildfire, and how we restore salmon habitat, ripple downstream for decades.
California's next governor will face hard calls. Droughts are getting longer. Wildfire seasons are getting fiercer. Demand for water keeps growing. In moments like these, it can be tempting to take shortcuts that trade a river's long-term health for short-term gain.
We've seen what happens when rivers lose that fight. Salmon runs collapse. Water quality suffers. Communities that depend on healthy rivers pay the price.
We've also seen what's possible when people lead. Over more than 40 years, our alliance of volunteers, partners, tribes, agencies, and supporters has planted more than 1 million trees, reduced wildfire risk across thousands of acres, and engaged more than 70,000 young people as environmental stewards. Recovery is possible. It takes leadership that puts rivers first, at every level, including the governor's office.
What the letter asks
Our letter goes to both candidates for governor, equally and directly. It doesn't endorse anyone. Rivers don't belong to one party, and neither does the work of protecting them.
The letter asks each candidate to:
Make the health of California's rivers a priority of their administration.
Protect the river flows that salmon, farms, and families all depend on.
When the choice comes between a river's future and a shortcut, choose the river.
It closes with a reminder that the people writing are paying attention: I am watching this race. So are the rivers.
Add your voice in two minutes
Rivers can't campaign, and they can't cast a ballot. But you can make sure both candidates hear from the people who depend on them. Here's how:
Open the letter. Visit our letter page and add your name and email.
Make it yours. Add a sentence about the river that matters to you. Where did you first see it? What do you want your kids or grandkids to find there? Personal notes stand out, and they're the letters that get read.
Hit send. Your letter goes straight to both campaigns.
Pass it on. Share the letter with a friend who loves clean water, wild salmon, or the Sierra Nevada. Every new voice makes ours harder to ignore.
Election Day is November 3. Letters sent now arrive while the candidates are still listening most closely.
The rivers are counting on us
This fall, the salmon will keep swimming upstream, the way they always have. The question is what kind of rivers they'll find when they get there, and what kind of rivers the next generation will inherit.
We can't answer that alone. But together, we can make sure California's next governor knows that the Tuolumne, Merced, and Stanislaus have millions of people standing behind them.
Send your letter today and help keep Yosemite flowing.
