John Muir Gets a Second Chance to Save Hetch Hetchy

John Muir died in 1914, his heart supposedly broken by his failure to save Hetch Hetchy Valley from its flooding by the City of San Francisco, when they built a dam on the Tuolumne River watershed north of Yosemite Valley.

But we've got Lee Stetson, channeling Muir's passion for the environment this Sunday at the Sebastiani Theater for the Restore Hetch Hetchy movement. He will present his one-man performance of Muir's fiery last battle in "Conversations with a Tramp: An Evening with John Muir," beginning at 7 p.m.

Also on the program are two short films about the Sierra Nevada watershed, "Discover Hetch Hetchy" with Harrison Ford, and "Restore the Hetch Hetchy!" by Gabriel Vasquez and Dylan Norris.

Stetson has been portraying Muir for over 20 years, even playing the part in Ken Burns' documentary series "National Parks" (see video). The long-bearded actor (and Mariposa County Supervisor), produces his own "interpretive stage productions focusing on the themes of land use, environmental ethics, and the concept of engaging wilderness," as he stated in an interview with Sierra College.

This production has been presented every summer in Yosemite National Park since 1983 — and throughout the country and around the world as well, including in Muir's native Scotland.

David Bolling, at one time director of the environmental organization Friends of the River, has written a rich perspective on the political background of the Restore Hetch Hetchy organization on SonomaNews.com. The article appeared in the Sonoma Index-Tribune this week, where Bolling is editor and publisher.

The Restore Hetch Hetchy organization has put a measure on the November ballot in San Francisco that asks voters to approve a mandate requiring the City to spend $8 million to develop a new water plan independent of Hetch Hetchy - a first legal step in their eventual goal of removing O'Shaugnessy Dam, and restoring the glacial valley.

The Sunday event is a fundrasier for Restore Hetch Hetchy, as well as an entertaining and educational one for anyone interested in California's history, water rights and the environment.

General admission is $18, or $45 for VIP seating and a 5:30 reception with Stetson. Tickets are available at Reader's Books, the Sebastianai Theater box office or online at www.hetchhetchy.org.