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www.deltalivingmagazine.com
July – September 2013
ing boat in the distance making its way across
the glassy water. Small birds happily exchanging
thoughts join the chorus.
I am now fully awake and marvel at the
beauty of the day, remembering how I got in-
troduced to the Delta as a boy.
Forty five years earlier, back around 1968,
my father took me on my first sailing adven-
ture.We left San FranciscoYacht Club in Bel-
vedere Cove and headed east toward Berke-
ley, then under the Richmond/San Rafael
bridge (one of four main bridges we'd sneak
under) on our journey to Tinsley Island in
the heart of the Delta. Cruising our 35-foot
sailboat at 6 knots, we travelled back in time
as my father explained to me the history of
the net depot, mothball fleet, naval weapons
station and the C&H Sugar factory.
Over the years, we did that trip back and
forth from the Bay to the Delta over 30 times.
We fished on the Delta, I learned to water ski,
and eventually had my first summer crush on
the Delta as a young teen. For me, the Delta
was an escape from the pressures of school,
swim practice and young angst that builds up.
It was peaceful, fresh and calming.
That eight-hour sail gave my father time
to bond with me and also gave us time to
take in the beauty of the Delta we travelled
through. I didn't know it then, but this beau-
ty has been under attack and now is in danger
of being ruined for generations of families,
farmers, fish and wildlife.
The Delta, with all its beauty, is seen as
a plumbing fixture by some who only care
about moving water from north to south.
These water contractors and water resellers
don't seem to care about the beauty of the
Delta, nor the history of the area. They do
care about money.And the quickest or easiest
path to their goal is to build a tunnel system
under the Delta from the Sacramento area,
taking fresh water that has been flowing from
the mountains and through the Delta to the
bay for generations and sending that water
south.
It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that
the fragile bay Delta ecosystem needs that
fresh water flush to keep the estuary – along
with its resident humans, smaller mammals,
fish and fowl – healthy.
With its rich history and all it provides,
the Delta should be cherished and embraced
as a national treasure.
I wonder what will happen to the beauty
of the Delta if this project is built.And if you
love the Delta, you and your kids should too.
"With its rich history and all it provides,
the Delta should be cherished and
embraced as a national treasure."