October 28, 2002
Together we saved South and Middle Forks!!!
Welcome to our STOP THE DAMS Website!
An oil refinery engineer naively hoped to build two dams on the Sacramento River above Lake Siskiyou. There's not much water available for fish and wildlife in this part of the river during the dry season and there would have been even less in places had the dams been built.

Click here for Mt. Shasta activist Donna Boyd's Brief History of the Proposed Dams
on the Tributaries of the Upper Sacramento. Read below to learn more about local grassroots efforts to stop the hydro project.

ABOVE: The Pacifc Fisher is listed as a sensitive species by the Forest Service, and the Bald Eagle has only been recently upgraded from endangered to threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Both animals currently live in the area once proposed for damming. RIGHT: During the spring snowmelt the South Fork of the Upper Sacramento is an exciting run for expert kayakers. (right photo by Eric White)

One Person's Opinion      "These dams should not be built. Our society already has in place more than enough electrical generating capacity and stored water facilities. The problem is we have become a nation of energy gluttons taken in by power dealers. We use vastly more than our share, more than we need, of the world's resources. There is no power shortage in the country, but there will be if we continue to develop and use power like there is no tomorrow. Conservation does not detract from, it improves, the quality of our lives.       Meanwhile, we stand to lose yet another stretch of natural river, pristine, a jewel of nature and an actual artery of the flow of terrestrial life--reduced to a trickle. The challenge before us is to learn to get along with what we have already, and to stop disrupting nature for pure profit." - a concerned citizen at the 9/17/02 meeting in Mt. Shasta

JUST THE FACTS WHO: An oil refinery engineer living in Antioch, CA. WHAT: A project featuring two hydroelectric dams. One 90 foot long, 25 foot high concrete dam on the South Fork and another 60 foot long, 15 foot high concrete dam on the Middle Fork. Plus a powerhouse and tailrace, a main penstock, a Middle Fork diversion line, and a new 12 KV power line. WHERE: On the Middle and South Forks of the Upper Sacramento River in Siskiyou County, just a few miles upstream from Lake Siskiyou on our publicly-owned, Forest Service land. WHEN: The developer had 36 months from September, 2001, to perform the required studies. He had budgeted a mere $50,000 to cover the cost of his complying with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) was to decide how many and which types of studies Williamson would have been required to complete. WHY: "My motive is personally positive cash flow...I think it can be done profitably," developer Richard Williamson, Mt. Shasta Herald, August 8, 2001, page 2. Williamson's optimistic estimate was to produce 50.4 GWh per year. "The California energy crisis is a crisis alright, but not about the lack of energy. It's about the lack of proper management," said Donna Boyd of Mt. Shasta. HOW WE PROTESTED THE PROJECT: 1) Wrote to FERC and assertively requested that they require the developer to complete environmental studies important to local citizens. CLICK HERE to learn more about writing letters. 2) Attended tmeetings in Fall 2001 in Mount Shasta. 3) Donna Boyd attended more meetings and delivered large packages of letters to the appropriate agencies. Thanks to all who helped stop the Upper Sacramento Dam Project! Relevent Links Removing Dams and Restoring Rivers in California About California's Energy Crisis | Friends of the River Upper Sacramento River Exchange | California Wild Heritage Campaign Drop by again for an update; this site is...