The Central Valley Flood Protection Board decided today to OK the multi-agency (Army Corps of Engineers and others) project to destroy the riparian habitat along the American River, including 700 trees upstream of Howe and Watt Avenue. The Board's final decision meeting was attended in person by 70 people - with more online - who were passionate and consistent in their strong opposition to the project. Of course, a few "respected politicians" and "knowlegeable  professionals" showed up to praise the project for "protecting" the public from catastrophic floods like the one in 1986 that almost overtopped the American River levees. The project approval process pretended to care about public input; impacted residents were definitely riled up about the project, calling it unnecessary, hasty and poorly analyzed. The trees will grow back, the flood people said, whether or not you live long enough to see it. Never mind that the tinkering around with riverbanks along the waterline is actually the modern-day equivalent of channelizing the river - not unlike how our local Chicken Ranch Slough and Strong Ranch Slough were reinvented as concrete ditches. The promoters said a big flood could rip out large trees, like just happened in Texas, and undermine the levees. They advised people to get ready to tolerate lots of noisy earth-moving machinery and trucks, even at night. Be prepared to have a denuded parkway, they indicated, one like what you can see now by the Fair Oaks Bridge.

Supervisor Rich Desmond told the Board he is commited to public safety and that the County approves of the project . One wonders, though, if the County's response is sincere. The County did not engage when the San Juan Unified School District altered the floodplain at the old Creekside Elementary School, potentially worsening the flood threat for residents on the north side of Chicken Ranch Slough, though still leaving school children at risk of flooding on the south side. The County is also in the process of approving massive sprawl (25,000 residents) in the habitat conservation area of the Natomas Basin west of the airport - arguably highest-risk, flood-prone part of our region. 

The tearful testimony of a Rio Americano H.S. student stood in contrast to Supervisor Desmond's remarks. She said:

• "It breaks my heart to think that a special place can be lost.
• I also heard the Sacramento County Supervisor mention how he and his brother spent their childhood in the parkway, and how he loves it. Which is why I think it is very selfish to support a project that will take away the parkway from me and future generations.
• Future children deserve the privilege to experience the nature and wildlife of the parkway, just like we did.
• We can think of better alternatives that will protect our city from flooding without destroying the trees and the parkway."

In the end, the Flood Board's vote was unanimous. The whole event was just another horse-holding drill in which the decision makers' minds were made up before hearing from the public, whose comments fell on deaf ears. The attendees did not appear to take comfort in hearing the fake gratitude of from the appointees on the Board (which is all of them), who claimed to be ever so grateful that members of the public showed up to express heartfelt concerns.

Something like $1.6 Billion will now be spent on a very large construction project that will give us all a bit more flood protection, as recommended by the engineering outfit that lined the L.A. River with concrete and, were it not for citizens who rose up against it, almost built a dam across San Francisco Bay.  People of the same mentality are  also pushing for a massive pipe under the Delta - a large scale (AKA destructive) public works project for an underground Peripheral Canal instead of the above ground one that state voters soundly rejected in 1982. We seem to be in an era of grand projects like the 1960s, except this time it's all about trying to fix the handiwork of Mother Nature (yeah, good luck with that...).

If you are not OK with the decision to strip out all those trees, you don't have much time left to walk the parkway with your cellphone or bike it or kayak it with a GoPro to video the parkway as it is now. Enjoy the coolness of the shady riparian forest on our beastly hot days. Listen for the sounds of nature - birds and wind rustling through the trees. Soon it will never be the same.