1981 FOR and Friends of the Dam (New Melones) take a Stanislaus canoe trip together, scenes from

In September 1981, Friends of the River organized a get-together with Friends of the Dam (all images here). As our campaign had ended, our motive was simply to get to know them. Richard Roos-Collins called Alex Hildebrand (who was FOD’s most thoughtful spokesman) and suggested a canoe trip on the lower Stanislaus, starting at Orange Blossom. Alex agreed. This was the first time that the two campaign teams had every socialized, amidst a bitter series of campaigns over years. Our conversations mostly stayed away from the campaign, and we had enjoyed a perfect fall day together. The only mishap was that Phil Williams (our hydrologist) and Don Briggs flipped in a riffle. Don claimed this was the only time that happened in his career as a rafting guide.

In this group of photos, clockwise from upper left:  canoe with Don Briggs,  (hands out), Phil Williams in stern, Trudy Wischemann (FOR Foundation staffer);  canoeists (Patty Schifferle and Carl Trost) and  kayaker  (Jennifer Jennings) on trip; Group lunch; Sharon Negri and John Amodio with the Hilderbrands (Alex and wife); and, last, Phil Williams and Don Briggs recovering their canoe in the brushy lower river.