GINGER MOORHOUSE: Let's take back our Kern River
| Monday, Feb 01 2010 09:23 PM
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If I could make a wish for all of Bakersfield, it would be to have a real river running through our community. Not a dry riverbed like we have now, but instead a free flowing, beautiful Kern River that would lift our community and bring economic strength and vitality to this place we call home.
We can all argue about what constitutes what Webster's calls "a natural stream of considerable volume," but by any standard a river should have water in it. And that's something the Kern River lacks as it winds its way through our town.
Picture that water bubbling through Bakersfield, encouraging riparian habitat and refreshing all of us with its natural beauty.
We now have a chance to make that happen. The Bakersfield Californian is supporting the city's attempts to take back our river water. We believe this is a crucial milestone in our city's history. Besides beautifying our community, bringing water back to the Kern River will restore our aquifer and provide a viable source of water for generations to come.
We need your help to make this happen. We urge each of you to print out and fill out the coupon next to this story and mail it (make sure to sign it) to the State Water Resources Control Board as soon as possible. Time is of the essence. It needs to be done by noon Feb. 9 in time for the board's meeting on this issue Feb. 16.
The time to weigh in on this mighty issue is now. Let your voice be heard. Together we can take back our river.
Ginger Moorhouse is publisher of The Bakersfield Californian. Her email is gmoorhouse@ bakersfield.com.
