A VOTE FOR RIVERS

My favourite places on earth are the wild waterways where the forest opens its arms and a silver curve of river folds the traveller into its embrace. --- Rory MacLean

Election 2020

 "Elections are like rivers, framed by what has happened in the past and full of possibility for the future. This year’s election is no exception," wrote American Rivers' President Bob Irvin on the nonprofit organization's website this week. He was being hopeful for the country and its rivers that he pledged to protect.
We certainly see his point in comparing the 2020 election to a river. A wild river at that, fill with its share waterfalls, rapids, whirlpools, and rocks. And even now that it appears that Joe Biden is our president-elect it is still not a smooth ride. President Donald Trump is doing everything he can to obstruct and delay the transition of power. However, the voters have spoken, and their message was clear. The Trump presidency will end on Jan. 20, 2021.

Expect the Biden administration to restore scientific integrity and take action on climate change, environmental justice, biodiversity, and other pressing concerns. That's goods news, advocates say for our rivers and waterways after four years of substantial damage to rivers and clean water done by the Trump administration and their policies.
Irvin says that the election of Joe Biden presents a historic opportunity to protect and restore the nation’s rivers and ensure clean water for all.
"By uniting around healthy rivers, we can improve public health and safety, create jobs, and improve lives in communities nationwide,” wrote Irvin.

Rivers Win!

The presidential election grabbed all the headlines, however a few waterways came away as winners during this election as voters in Florida, Colorado, and California endorsed new protections for waterways or property taxes that will fund water projects.
Residents of Orange County, Florida, voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing the county charter to give legal protection to rivers. Passed with 89 percent of the vote, the amendment applies to the Wekiva and Econlockhatchee Rivers and other county waterways. It grants the waterways the right to be free from pollution and the right to exist. It allows citizens to file lawsuits on behalf of the waterways to enforce those rights.
Similar to the Lake Erie bill of rights that Toledo, Ohio, that voters approved in 2019 and a federal judge threw out for being “unconstitutionally vague.” The Orange County amendment will also face challenges after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in July that prohibits local governments from recognizing the legal rights of the environment. 

In Colorado, residents of the state's 15-county Western Slope region approved a property tax increase proposed by the Colorado River District by nearly 73 percent of the vote. The property tax increase will provide nearly $5 million annually for protecting water supplies for farmers and ranchers, drinking water for Western Slope communities, and rivers for fish, wildlife, and recreation.
“This is a big win for the Colorado River, the two River Districts, and the future of Colorado’s water supplies," Matt Rice, American Rivers Colorado Basin Director, told American Rivers, "The overwhelming support for these measures shows that Coloradans value healthy rivers for our environment, economy, and our future. In a polarized election season, we proved that water, and rivers, connect us.”
According to American Rivers, the Colorado River drives a 3.8 billion dollar recreation economy, generates over 26,000 recreation-related jobs, and irrigates thousands of acres of farmland.
While in Santa Clara County, California, preliminary results show that voters have renewed a property tax that funds watershed projects. Measure S had 75 percent support as of Wednesday morning, needing a two-thirds majority to pass. The tax, which does not have an expiration date, provides about $45.5 million annually for Santa Clara Valley Water District’s flood protection, wildlife habitat restoration, and pollution prevention. It will also assist with repairs to Anderson Dam, which is at risk of failure in an earthquake.

Let's Howl

Along with those victories came one for wolves, too. Colorado voters narrowly approved a ballot initiative, Proposition 114, which will require the state's parks and wildlife department to develop a restoration and management plan for the reintroduction of gray wolves that were hunted to extinction by the1940s.

“Reintroducing wolves will restore Colorado's natural balance,” Jonathan Proctor, a conservationist with the group Defenders of Wildlife, which assisted the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund in passing the measure, told  National Geographic.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department will lead the effort to establish a sustainable population of the animals in the western part of the state beginning in 2022 or 2023. It is the first time a state has voted to reintroduce an animal to the ecosystem. It comes less than a week after the Trump administration removed federal protections from gray wolves across the country.

Do You Have The Correct Time?

California voters determined to participate in our democracy and make their voices heard showed up at the polls this year in record numbers. But as the old saying goes, the wheels of government turn slowly but grind exceedingly fine. Case in point, California voters did pass Proposition 7 in 2018 by 62% to change daylight saving time. We'd stay on the spring-forward schedule year-round and paddle later in the light of day.

But keep your headlamp handy, because even though Californians did vote to end the clock switching, the California State Senate needs to pass this by a two-thirds vote and they haven't yet. And even if it did get passed in California, the federal government then needs to approve it. This year, we switched back to standard on Nov. 1  and will once again spring forward on March 14, 2021.

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