Restore Hetch Hetchy has deep historical roots and an inspiring vision for the future.
We promote restoring Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite Valley’s lost twin, to its natural splendor; a majestic glacial carved valley with towering cliffs and waterfalls where river and wildlife run free. Hetch Hetchy can be a new kind of national park, with limited development, an improved visitor experience, shared stewardship with Native peoples, and permanent protection of its natural and cultural heritage for future generations.
We recognize the history of Hetch Hetchy’s destruction, as we build our campaign to realize this vision. twenty years ago, historian Robert Righter said it well when he titled his seminal book “The Battle over Hetch Hetchy: America’s Most Controversial Dam and the Birth of Modern Environmentalism.”
Now we have yet another outstanding book. The University of Exeter’s Laura Smith has just published a compelling, thoroughly researched, treatise on five pivotal writers in American conservation. Ecological Restoration and the U.S. Nature and Environmental Writing Tradition: A Rewilding of American Letters weaves the writings of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and Edward Abbey into a common thread. Walden Pond, Hetch Hetchy, Leopold’s sand farm, the Everglades and Glen Canyon are different pieces indeed but all bring us closer to the magic of our natural world. Do yourself and Earth Day favor and get yourself a copy.
And many thanks to the author for sharing our inspiration to restore Hetch Hetchy and turn it into a new kind of national park.