California's Real Water War and Save the Bay Again

Hi All,

I am very excited about the enthusiasm in class around the Drop in the Bucket, Water Cycle, and Composting components that we have been working on. As we move to define and understand "our" Strawberry Creek Watershed, there are two items from the SF Chronicle on August 27th that I would like you to respond to in your notebook.

Due Monday, October 1:

California's Real Water War
Firestone and Vanderwarker identify agricultural practices as the reason that the groundwater in numerous small poor Central Valley farming communities is unsafe to drink.
1. What are your reactions and questions to this issue in California? Cite three things in the article that make you feel this way.
2. Do you think that we can both protect the groundwater for Central Valley residents and keep agriculture productive in these areas? If so, hypothesize about how we might achieve this. If not, why do you believe this?

Saving the Bay Again
Sylvia McLaughlin, co-founder of Save the Bay, argues, "The bay will always need an informed and dedicated stewardship. As Kay Kerr once said, the bay is never saved; it is always in the process of being saved."
1. What are two significant things that you can do as an individual - or as part of a larger group - to help save the bay?
2. After reading Sylvia McLaughlin's piece, what are two questions that you would like to ask her about San Francisco Bay and her work?