Greetings, friend! As we've adjusted to the new normal of life during a pandemic and experienced the beginning of a terrible wildfire season, the River Parkway Trust's work hasn't stopped. The properties that we steward still require management, plants require water, and the River Center grounds are still open daily for visitors. If you are feeling challenged by the many things that you can't do right now, here are a few good things that you CAN do on the San Joaquin River Parkway.  1. Bring a child out for a walk around the Hidden Homes Trail. 2. Picnic by the River at Sycamore Island. 3. Drop a line in the river at Friant Cove. 4. Take a walk or bicycle ride on the Lewis S. Eaton Trail. 5. Paddle a canoe or kayak in the river at Sycamore Island. Boats and lifejackets are available to rent every weekend. Before heading outside, check the air quality through the air district's Real Time Air Quality Advisory network at https://www.valleyair.org/myraan/ or the purple air network at https://www.purpleair.com/map?opt=1/mAQI/a10/cC0#9.38/36.9632/-120.0423. If the air quality is good, take a break from the screen and enjoy some time outdoors during these first crisp days of fall.

RiverSpeak: Stories that Ripple We're excited to announce the debut of a new podcast focused on river conservation. RiverSpeak is created and hosted by the Trust's former Executive Director Dave Koehler. Dave retired from Sonoma Land Trust last year, and put his free time to good use with the curation of these river stories. The first five episodes are being released this week, and include the following rivers and conservationists:  1. September 23: Sara Press, Russian River and Gualala River 2. September 24: Julie Rentner, Bringing Life back to Rivers 3. September 25: Sharon Weaver, San Joaquin River Parkway 4. September 26: Monty Schmitt, Water for the Navarro 5. September 27: Kristina Ortez, Rio Fernando de Taos You can find RiverSpeak on your favorite podcast player or on the web at http://riverspeak.org/. Check it out!

Fresno River West Settlement Agreement The settlement agreement on the Fresno River West project was released in late August. As we feared, the settlement agreement links all of the access points together, and at least temporarily prevents any implementation of the River West Extension of the Lewis S. Eaton Trail. We do not believe that any public or private agency has the resources or desire to construct and maintain the Alternative 5b access point that was a final-hour addition to the EIR. But don't take our word for it - download and read the agreement yourself here: http://sjrc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Settlement-Agreement-and-Mutual-Release-01140471.pdf.

Sycamore Island Improvements Under Construction Exciting things are happening at Sycamore Island in Madera County. The San Joaquin River Conservancy, California Department of Water Resources and California Department of Fish and Wildlife are working on an improved boat ramp and accessible boat dock on the Trout Pond at Sycamore Island. The new dock is already in place, and it looks amazing! The island portion of the property is closed to visitors during construction to ensure visitor safety. The project will be completed by the end of this year, and ready for use in 2021.   Enjoy the fall weather and take care, Sharon Weaver Executive Director

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