8-Year old girl marches to help save Yosemite National Park
Allison is an 8-year old living in Fresno, California. This wide-eyed girl is on a mission to see Hetch Hechy Valley in Yosemite National Park restored. Allison explains, "A long time ago people put a dam on the Tuolumne river and flooded Hetch Hetchy under 300 feet of water. It is another Yosemite Valley that we can’t see or enjoy. I want to tell people about this place that was once wonderful and wild. I hope to see it fixed during my life."
Allison is more than your typical 8-year old. She is determined to do something to help Yosemite. In February, she started training with her dad for Muir's March, a backpacking trek through Yosemite to raise public awareness and funds to bring Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Valley back to life.
In 1913, the federal government approved San Francisco's request to clear-cut and flood the valley for use as a reservoir, despite the urgent pleas of John Muir and other wilderness-lovers. The decision prompted the creation of the National Park Service and the international environmental conservation movement. Prior to Hetch Hetchy Valley being destroyed, Muir described it as "one of nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples.”
Even Indiana Jones (AKA Harrison Ford) has been involved in the fight for Yosemite in a recent video. He asks, "How would you feel if someone suggested building a dam in Yosemite Valley, flooding a priceless treasure under a giant lake?"
On July 28th – August 3rd, 2013, Allison and her dad will literally and figuratively follow in Muir’s footsteps, marking the 100th anniversary of the federal government’s decision to clear-cut and flood Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley. They will experience Yosemite's pristine wilderness in a unique way, taking them on a journey through the beauty of less-traveled trails with stunning mountain views. They hope that their trek will make a powerful statement of support for the restoration of this natural treasure for all Americans.
While Allison's hike will be very low-tech, her web efforts to raise awareness and funding is anything but. Her dad has launched a crowdfunding campaign found at http://bit.ly/muirsmarch with integrated social media and 'perks' for contributors, such as a signed copy of the book The Battle over Hetch Hetchy: America's Most Controversial Dam and the Birth of Modern Environmentalism, by Robert W. Righter.
Allison and her dad hope to see their campaign site reach many people to raise the $4,800 needed to march to restore Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Valley. The fundraising campaign ends Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 at midnight.
ABOUT MUIR'S MARCH: Muir’s March is part of non-profit group Restore Hetch Hetchy’s ongoing mission to return the Hetch Hetchy Valley to its natural splendor, while continuing to meet the water and power needs of all communities that depend on the Tuolumne River. Restore Hetch Hetchy is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization.
