I grew up with the American River in my backyard. Access to the river, the beautiful trees growing along its bank, and the wildlife that inhabits the shade of these trees was never more than a couple steps away.
The American River Parkway is home to a host of native wildlife, such as otters, coyotes, deer and many varieties of migrating birds. A core part of the parkway is the variety of native trees that flourish in the riparian forest, including heritage oaks that are over 200 years old.
This is all at risk due to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers erosion-control project, Contract 3B. This project threatens to bulldoze all of the trees along the American River from Watt Ave to Larchmont Park on the south bank, and Howe Avenue to Estates Drive on the north bank, according to the USACE website.
Removing all the trees along the American River would be devastating, not just for the local wildlife, but also for the community members who live by the American River and use it as a place for recreation. According to the American River Parkway Foundation, there are over a dozen access points to the parkway. Each access point features unique recreational areas where visitors can bike, kayak, and enjoy the natural beauty of the American River. The parkway sees 5-8 million visits each year.
Protection without devastation is the message emphasized by American River Trees, an organization that strives to protect the American River Parkway from the immense devastation that will occur due to the USACE Contract 3B. The project is a USACE plan to lower the risk of flooding in the Sacramento community, however, it comes at the cost of the American River Parkway. The plan will cut down over 600 trees along the American River Parkway near the Watt and Howe bridges, destroying the habitats of the wildlife that live along the American River.
Maintaining the parkway’s natural beauty is important for the community members surrounding it. The parkway is a space where people have access to a truly wild place that would typically be out of reach. Taking out all of the trees along this stretch of the parkway would be an absolute tragedy. Without access to the parkway and its natural and wild scenery, community members lose the small connection to nature they have in an otherwise urban landscape.
“We’re not against flood protection. Many of us live within a quarter-mile of the river. If anybody wants protection from erosion we do,” said Pete Spaulding, a coordinator for ART. “We’re convinced that there are other ways that [USACE] can go about it that are less damaging to the parkway.”
Spaulding, along with other members of ART, have strongly voiced their concern regarding the environmental impact and the lack of public engagement involved with the project. Members of ART have spoken at the Central Valley Flood Protection Board meetings to raise their concern about the project and the alternative method of protection that they have found. It has also raised public awareness and worked on drumming up public support for the cause.
Spaulding urges people who want to help protect the wild and natural scenery of the American River to call and write to their congress people and county supervisors and ask that they look into alternative methods of erosion control and flood protection along the American River.
Going through with the erosion control project without addressing the community’s concerns or looking into alternative, less destructive methods would be disastrous for the American River Parkway. Community members and visitors of the parkway must fight to protect the lush richness of the American River and preserve the natural and wild beauty of the parkway.
