Oakland, CA (PRWEB) February 09, 2015
Restore Hetch Hetchy today announced that Martha Davis, who led the Mono Lake Committee during its historic and successful campaign for restoration, will keynote its 7th annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, April 25th. The dinner, which celebrates Restore Hetch Hetchy’s plans for returning Hetch Hetchy Valley to Yosemite National Park, will also honor water restoration leaders California Senate Majority Whip Lois Wolk and UC Professor of Environmental Practice and Director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center, Richard Frank. The annual fundraising event will be held at the historic Berkeley City Club, a stunning venue designed by famed architect Julia Morgan, who also designed Hearst Castle.
“We are excited to share our 2015 plans with supporters -- plans that we believe will considerably advance our mission of restoring Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley,” said Restore Hetch Hetchy Executive Director Spreck Rosekrans. “A responsible approach to water supply reliability is core to that mission, so we are especially excited to welcome Professor Richard Frank, Senator Lois Wolk and Martha Davis to this year’s dinner. All three of these champions have made meaningful change in California water management – helping to guarantee reliable supplies while simultaneously achieving environmental protection and restoration.”
Keynote speaker Martha Davis served as Executive Director of the Mono Lake Committee from 1984 through 1996, during which time the State Water Resources Control Board ruled that Los Angeles must take action to restore the lake. She has also served as Assistant General Manager at the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and worked closely with state agencies to ensure that communities develop reliable water supplies as they also accommodate restoration of California's rivers and wetlands. Restore Hetch Hetchy has followed the Mono Lake Committee's campaign closely and, in many respects, sees it as a model for success.
California Senate Majority Whip Lois Wolk, a longtime supporter of Restore Hetch Hetchy whose work on California's 2014 water bond helped save taxpayers billions of dollars while protecting the Sacramento Delta, will be presented with The John Muir Heritage Award. The John Muir Award is given annually to an individual or individuals who have had a lasting impact on the campaign to realize John Muir's dream of a restored Hetch Hetchy Valley.
Richard Frank, Professor of Environmental Practice and Director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at UC Davis, will receive the Stephen Mather Visionary Award, named in honor of the founding director of the National Park Service who played an instrumental role in ensuring that what happened to Hetch Hetchy Valley would never again be replicated within the boundaries of a national park. Frank was co-counsel in a landmark case in Siskiyou County - successfully arguing that the extraction of groundwater must be limited when it results in the dewatering of rivers and streams.
The 7th annual Restore Hetch Hetchy Dinner will take place on April 25th at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, CA. Reception begins at 6:00 pm, followed by dinner at 7:00 pm.
For information on purchasing tickets, contact Julene Freitas: julene(at)hetchhetchy(dot)org / 510-893-3400 and for more information on Restore Hetch Hetchy, go to: http://www.hetchhetchy.org/
INTERVIEWS: We will gladly arrange interviews with Restore Hetch Hetchy Executive Director Spreck Rosekrans.
ABOUT RESTORE HETCH HETCHY: The mission of Restore Hetch Hetchy is to return the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park to its natural splendor while continuing to meet the water and power needs of all communities that depend on the Tuolumne River.
Contacts:
Media Relations
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie(at)mwebbcom(dot)com
Elizabeth Johnson, mWEBB Communications, (213) 713-4865
elizabeth(at)mwebbcom(dot)com