As we prepare for our living history experience, some conflicting perspectives about the Hetch Hetchy system - found at the California Museum - help get us thinking critically about how resources are used. The quotes below were a few found that illustrate the very strong feelings about building a dam in the Hetch Hetchy valley. Doing so destroyed, perhaps forever, a valley considered twin to Yosemite Valley, yet created a water system that kept San Francisco safe from destruction such as that wrought during the 1906 fire and ultimately harnessed essential resources without which the Bay Area would not have grown to the point it is today.
As a Yosemite lover and a former SF Water Department employee, I happen to feel very strongly about this particular issue and moment in history, so it was great to see the perspectives laid out, inviting critical conversation and ongoing conversation. It will be interesting to see the kids begin to absorb and appropriate this debate. If it were easy, it wouldn't be interesting....
As a Yosemite lover and a former SF Water Department employee, I happen to feel very strongly about this particular issue and moment in history, so it was great to see the perspectives laid out, inviting critical conversation and ongoing conversation. It will be interesting to see the kids begin to absorb and appropriate this debate. If it were easy, it wouldn't be interesting....
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