The Upper Tuolumne River Ecosystem Program: Glacial retreat story on KQED's California Report

Monday, November 10, 2008

Glacial retreat story on KQED's California Report

KQED reporter Sasha Khokha hiked to Yosemite's Dana Glacier in the Upper Tuolumne River watershed to discuss climate change and its effects across the Sierra Nevada Range with Hassan Basagic of Portland State University. The story includes an interview with Greg Stock, Yosemite National Park Geologist. Listen to the "shrinking glaciers" story on KQED.

About the Program

The Tuolumne River is located on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in central California. With headwaters in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne flows westward 150 miles to its confluence with the San Joaquin River in California's Central Valley.

The Upper Tuolumne River Ecosystem Program (UTREP) is a collaborative, long-term, science-based river management program led by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC).

The UTREP monitors river ecosystem conditions and develops recommendations for river management downstream of Hetch Hetchy Project facilities to support broad river ecosystem values, while maintaining water supply reliability for 2.6 million San Francisco Bay Area customers and providing clean hydropower for San Francisco municipal facilities.

Scientific collaborators include Yosemite National Park, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Stanislaus National Forest, consultants, researchers, and academics.

STATUS: UTREP efforts are currently focused on technical review and revision of the O'Shaughnessy Dam Instream Flow Management Plan and routine annual monitoring.