Climate Injustice
Differential Impacts of Climate Change
California's water wars have entered a new phase, with an ambitious plan called CalFed. The proposal to raise Shasta Dam by between 6 and 200 feet has significant impacts on the native people in the area; however their voices have been left out of the debate. After lagging for a decade, Congress has appropriated $395 million to study the feasibility of raising the dam and enlarging the reservoir. "Raising Shasta Dam even six feet will flood most of our remaining sacred sites along the McCloud River," says Caleen Sisk-Franco, spiritual leader and tribal chief of the Winnemem Wintu, whose cultural identity as winnemem or "middle river people" derives from their ancestral homeland along the river. "We feel like Catholics would feel if it was decided that flooding the Sistine Chapel was a good public works project."
Panther Springs Dries Up -
Caleen Sisk-Franco, Spiritual Leader and Tribal Chief of the Winnemem Wintu, discovered last week that the healing spring on Mt. Shasta that is the birthplace of both the Winnemem people and their ancestral river had dried up. Everyone asked why - Global warming? Cremation ashes that have been dumped in the spring by New Age visitors? Forest Service management practices? Water bottling plants sucking water out of the base of the mountain? Please watch our new four-minute film clip
Thanks for visiting - more to come,
Michael R. Meuser
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