>
> > I have read unemployment in the central valley is close to
> 30% because of last years water restrictions over possible extinction of a
> minnow. A  minnow? I am a member of the Sierra club and at times upset
> fellow members when I say let the minnow go extinct! People first!


California already diverts some 80% of its water prior to flowing into the
Pacific.  The question is not about the minnow, it is rather about aquatic
ecosystems that have existed since before humans arrived in North America.

Given free rein, California interests would siphon off every last drop of
fresh water, and zero would ever flow to the sea.  All salmon runs estuarine
ecosystems would go extinct.  Forever.  As opposed to a year of unemployment
for a few folk who moved here during some sort of shortsighted economic
bubble.  Water will always be a huge issue for the San Joaquin Valley, with
its saline soils, and no amount of damming or diversion will prevent us from
hitting a wall at some point.

So the real issue is not about jobs or extinction, it is rather about where
we draw the line in the sand:  will we set a point that ensures that some
minimal amount of water remains in our rivers, even if it may cause some
folk hardship?  I for one, thrill to see wild salmon returning from the sea,
and I would regret the loss if my grandchildren were deprived of that joy,
not to mention that I feel that all species have a right to exist, whether
or not they compete with humans for some resource.

Randy Oliver

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