Ivan Hurtado, Sociology & Policy Studies | Jefferson Ren, Political Science

This morning, we woke up at 7:15 AM and after breakfast, headed back to the Cosumnes River Preserve. On the drive there, we once again passed by hundreds of acres of farmland and the flooded wetlands full of migratory birds that surrounded both sides of the road. We were excited for another day of service but before we could get our hands dirty, we went back to the visitor center to talk to the staff there about their roles regarding the river preserve and how they viewed their roles impacting the issue of water justice. At 9:30 AM, we talked to Sarah, an ecologist that worked at the CRP for 10 years, and she helped not only explain her role and experiences with the preserve but the importance of the current wet season. With flooded landscapes we saw on our drive there as an example, she explained to us that flooding, although had a lot of negative connotations, was actually a vital part of the wetlands ecosystem. Flooding helps to recharge groundwater, so communities and ecosystems alike will have enough water for the rest of the year. Man-made infrastructure in the forms of dams and levees restrict the natural flow of the river and can cause more water scarcity problems and ecological degradation in the long run. Following our conversation with Sarah, we then spoke to Harry, a preserve manager from the Bureau of Land Management. Harry, with his sardonic wit and dry sense of humor, furthered upon the explanation of how the river preserve interacted with water. He explained to us that before humans arrived in Sacramento, the river valley had a floodplain of 50 miles on either side, but human development restricts the current river flow to just a couple of meters beyond the riverbank. Such a rapid change in the environment contributed to a massive loss of wetlands, so the river preserve in its current state is a man-made creation that protects the habitats of migratory birds by creating seasonal wetlands through the use of pumps and irrigation canals to create wetlands during the winter months. This was definitely news for us because we thought the pristine wetlands around us were all natural. Harry furthered by drawing upon his diverse set of experiences – military, abroad, nationwide - to really drive home the point that human beings are destroying water ecosystems at an alarming rate, which is ironic in his eyes because water is the cornerstone on which civilizations are built upon.

Following these conversations, we went back to the location where we worked yesterday, and our task today was to plant seeds in small pots, where they would hopefully germinate and be replanted back into the nature preserve. First, we went about the process like yesterday, individually filling up each of the pots. However, we soon realized a more efficient way that would allow us to finish the task faster by first arranging the pots in rows first, then put in all of the soil, then seed all the pots, and then put a small layer of topsoil afterwards. With this process, we were able to plant 49 pots at once, and drastically cut our time by probably well over 30 minutes. We worked with Robin, a volunteer at the site. He was an inspiring character, helping to show us that even with a relatively older age, one can still be passionate about changing the world for the better and positively impacting their communities.

When we finished our work at the CRP for today, it was approaching noon and we went back to the visitor center for lunch. Afterwards, we took a walk around the nearby trails and saw the wetlands up close, with the rows of tall grass lining the river banks and bodies of water full of waterfowl. We were also able to see Alex again, and he told us that he had spent the day rescuing 500 sheep on the property. We were very appreciative that even after all of that, he still had energy and time to show us a part of the CRP up close where last year’s groups had planted trees and grasses; we were able to see how the work we had done in the past two days would be impacting the natural environment. In addition, we were able to get a deeper understanding of nature’s role in helping with the restoration of the wetland habitats; on the flipside, we also learned that the surrounding towns were buying up a lot of land for development, so water scarcity would be an even larger problem in the years to come.

The service and learning part of our day officially ended here, but the lessons that we learned today will hopefully remain with us for a long time. It was pretty great to see how a lot of the ideas and topics that we had talked about with our community partners in government organizations were manifested in very natural structures that we could see with our own eyes. Today, we were able to see the large agricultural farms surrounding the CRP and realize that they were the face of a lot of the water pollution that affects marginalized communities around California. On the other side, we were also able to see how local organizations were building, with their own hands, natural wetlands that would help increase the groundwater supply in the years to come. Seeing a more real side of the issue really does ensure that our trip gives us a holistic view of the issue of water justice, from the legislation and regulations down to the rivers and wetlands that the former would be addressing.