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The FOGHORN
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
August 20 2020
Patrick Tierney
Colorado's Yampa River
Colorado's Yampa River
Article by Joe Brennan
Screen Shots by Dianne Bobko
Dave Dickson Introduced his Miramar neighbor Patrick Tierney With whom he has kayaked locally and rafted some rivers. Patrick teaches recreation and resource management at San Francisco State Universify. HE has also been an Adventure Travel Guide to Africa, Galapagos and more exciting destinations. Patrick wrote the book, Colorado's Yampa River, Free Flowing and Wild from the Flat Tops to The Colorado. A beautiful 45 page coffee table format book.
The Yampa is in north west Colorado flowing wild every which way to its confluence with the Green River at Dinosaur National Park. It provides 65% of the Green River’s peak flow, 20% of the Colorado’s and 13% of the annual flow into Lake Powell. It has bee flowing for half a Billion years through the land of the Ute Indians. It is quite a remote area, so much so that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out there successfully.
Nathan Galloy was the first guide on the river in 1909. The Yampa basin was the cradle of the wilderness idea, where Aldo Leopoldo and Caldwell met and came up with the wilderness concept. The Yampa as a free flowing river still has a huge spring runoff flow reaching 32,000cubic feet per second (cfs). There is a lot of river based recreation in hte area including fly fishing, rafting and canoeing, farming and Steamboat Ski area in winter. One fifth of hte corridor is designated “Critical Habitat”. 15 agencies are involved in its protection and regulation. Repeated threats to dam the Yampa have bee repelled aided by conservation minded ranchers. The spring flow surge causes seasonal flooding of hte Yampa’s flood plane. Roads and ranches have bee built with them in mind so they are not destructive but restorative to the land. The peak flows have a critical role to species survival, sediment transport, farming replenishment.
He showed many wonderful photos and videos of river and area, including the amazing geologic feature of Humpback Chup. The book records his 249 mile trek by llama, kayak and raft from the Yampa’s headwaters at 11,000’ to the Green River. It was a 20 day odyssey all in one go with photographer John Fielder which yielded his book. The Yampa canyon in Dinosaur Park is a famous place including Harding Hole and 2,000’ deep canyon of Warm Springs Rapid. Echo park is a natural wonderland at hte confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers.
The Yampa is once again threatened by a dam, the $5 Billion “Pump Back” project by the North Colorado Conservation District. PAtrick appeals for us to join the Yampa Army to help yet again to conserve the last free flowing river in the west. For more info:
Patrick has experienced 100 trips down the Yampa when he had a guiding company. Now he is doing one or two trips a year (was 5 to 6). He has been on hte Yampa for 40 years and served 40,000 people. A guided trip is 77 miles over 5 days so ther is time for hiking and relaxation. Cross Mountain Gorge is the most wild and crazy portion of hte river run. His areal shots were made possible by Night Hawk Flights who fly for environmental groups and relief. Members wanted to know more about how they could experience the Yampa Nd buy his book.
Club Meeting, August 20, 2020
President Mary Rogren called the Zoom meeting to order
Joe Brennan led the Pledge of Allegiance
Joe Brennan led the Pledge of Allegiance
Rose Serdy offered two inspirational thoughts for the day:
Holocaust survivor Victor Frankie said, "You do not choose your difficulties, but you do select your response to them!"
Poet Maya Angelou said, "In time people will not remember what you said to them, but will remember how you made then feel!"
Social Night was last Sunday with two great guests and Zoom Bingo.
Monday the 17th was the first day back to school on the Coast. Dictionaries were given to all fourth graders who missed getting them at third graders because of the Covid. This was made possible by Paul Wrubel, Larkin Evans, Kevin O’Brien, Stacy Trevenon and Liz Schuck. Big thanks to Warren Barmore for storing them and to Rea of his office for putting on the stickers and helping in every way. Mary asked the small group at the Social Night if anyone could help to get them to the schools in time for the parent/student visits to pick up their supplies. It didn't seem
possible to put it together so quickly during this time during the pandemic, but it happened! What a great, quick response by our members.
Rose Serdy reports that a small donations of $400 was made to the Back To School Backpack program on behalf of the Club.
And she reported that the collection point for fire relief supplies is 719 Johnston Street; they need blankets, food and water for fire victims. HMB HI is a ‘pass through” shelter where meals are needed for volunteers not evacuees. Puente is at the front line of fire relief, make donations through Rotary - TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!
Dianne Bobko won the Marble Draw this week, but the marble was GREEN
NEXT WEEK’S GUEST WILL BE DISTRICT GOVERNOR MARY BATES, ZOOM @ NOON. Plus the Board Meets @11AM
PHOTO GALLERY
