Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
October 17, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Thousands come from as far as Sunnyvale to new Bass Pro Shops in Manteca
Contra Costa Times
A warning on warming
Artists portray environmental harm and hope in 'Cool Globes' exhibit
Press Release:
Water Agencies Welcome New Vision for Delta
ACWA to Remain Engaged as Strategic Plan Moves to Cabinet-Level Committee
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Thousands come from as far as Sunnyvale to new Bass Pro Shops in Manteca
Contra Costa Times – 10/16/08
By Jennifer Gokhman, Tri-Valley Herald
The 120,000-square-foot store is the anchor of the Promenade Shops at
Even with the added traffic, no major problems were reported in the area. Other than minor backups on Highway 120 and nearby streets, traffic flowed smoothly, said
"It's going very well," he said. "We've been real fortunate."
About seven police officers were on duty to help control traffic starting Wednesday evening, when the store held a celebrity-studded party and let more than 7,000 customers in for their first glimpse. Store officials reported that an average of 1,000 shoppers an hour streamed through the doors all day Thursday, and this weekend is expected to be busy.
"Saturday will be off the hook — it will be packed," said Dan Dugger, store general manager. "Weekends, we'll really get huge crowds."
A replica of a giant redwood tree, with a cutout for people to walk through, stands right inside the entryway. Looking all the way to the back, visitors see a scene of
"I can't describe it," said Kelly Foster, 56, of
Foster has ordered from Bass Pro catalogs for some time, and he and his wife even decorate their cabin-style home with items from Bass Pro.
Wednesday night, people stood on a second-floor bridge made with an old railroad trestle and just gazed around, taking it all in. Every square inch of wall space is covered in murals of nature in the Sierra Nevada and the
The store's inventory ranges from welcome mats to fishing boats. People can buy hunter's camouflage armchairs, canoes, archery equipment, paintball guns, duck calls, fishing lures, clothing and a wide array of outdoor gear.
"It's a beautiful store," said Carolyn Mead, 65, of
At Wednesday's party, people waited in line to get autographs from BASS Angler-of-the-Year Roland Martin, 2008 Olympic BMX racing bronze medalist Donny Robinson and former Los Angeles Lakers Brian Shaw and Flynn Robinson, as well as Miss Manteca, Ashley Parker.
Billiards star Jeanette Lee, aka "The Black Widow," demonstrated pool techniques to the crowd and gave individual lessons.
Members of conservation groups were on hand as well.
"This gives us the opportunity to answer a lot of questions," said Harry Morse, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game. "People are interested, and they want to know about licenses and where and when to hunt and where and when to fish."
He said a store such as this is good because it supports hunting and fishing, and a percent of the sales taxes come back to the department.#
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_10738892
A warning on warming
Artists portray environmental harm and hope in 'Cool Globes' exhibit
By Scott LaFee, STAFF WRITER
The globes are cool. The subject, not so much.
A traveling exhibition of worlds artfully rendered to illustrate the diverse consequences of global warming – and how these effects might be mitigated – debuts today in and around the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park.
Called “Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet,” the public art display features 42 large fiberglass globes (5 feet in diameter, 7½ feet tall), each created by a national or local artist focusing on a simple solution to a complex problem.
“The overall message is about the very simple things the average person can do to help stop global warming,” said exhibit founder Wendy Abrams. “Like turning off faucets when you're not using water or washing clothes in cold water. We're not talking about stuff like building wind farms in your backyard.”
Abrams, a Chicago-based environmentalist, got the idea for “Cool Globes” after seeing the success of CowParade, a public display of painted life-size fiberglass heifers that debuted in
Real cows, of course, are part of the global-warming problem, generating an estimated 80 million metric tons of methane gas each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That's about one-third of annual global methane emissions. Abrams wanted her project to be part of the solution by helping people understand the issues and what they can do.
“I realized that political leaders weren't really going to act until the public demanded it,” Abrams said. “But how do you get the public to pay attention to an issue like global warming if they really don't understand it? Climate change is a very complicated subject. People can feel helpless about it, that it's just too overwhelming.”
Her answer was to change the worlds. Or, rather, invite diverse artists to each take a 2,300-pound white fiberglass sphere created by sculptor Matt Binns and decorate it in a way that depicts real and personal remedies to climate change.
Abrams premiered the result in
Two new globes will be created for the
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20081017/news_1n17globes.html
Press Release:
Water Agencies Welcome New Vision for Delta
ACWA to Remain Engaged as Strategic Plan Moves to Cabinet-Level Committee
ACWA – 10/16/08
“As the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force completes its work, we appreciate the sincere effort this group has sustained over the past two years to move toward a new vision for the Delta. Task force members have taken an unflinching look at the Delta and its complexities, and we commend them for their commitment.
“In 2005, ACWA asked the governor to establish a process that would break the decades-old stalemate over the Delta and lead to a powerful new vision. The task force has moved substantially in that direction, and we applaud the out-of-the-box thinking shown to date. We strongly agree with the co-equal goals of ecosystem health and water system reliability that the task force has established as the cornerstone of its plan.
“ACWA members are encouraged by the physical solutions recommended by the task force. We agree with the call for improved Delta conveyance, linked to expanded surface and groundwater storage, to be operated for the co-equal goals. We also support the substantial investments recommended in water use efficiency and local resource development. These are in fact the very elements of the comprehensive water package we have worked hard to advance in recent years.
“We remain concerned, however, about the details of the governance recommendations, as well as potential proposals to take water away from water rights holders without compensation. ACWA will remain engaged as this process moves toward final recommendations to the governor and Legislature by year’s end.”
ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 450 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in
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http://www.acwa.com/mediazone/newsreleases/view_release.asp?ID=689
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