Delta Blues Now Available Online

The documentary Delta Blues is now available here for streaming online and to all mobile devices for $4.99:

http://vimeo.com/ondemand/deltablue/.

Tunneling under California's Bay Delta water wars

High Country News looks at the latest on the Delta with Jerry Brown's "I want to get shit done" press conference in July where he announced that he wanted not just one, but two tunnels under the Delta to transfer water downstate. Will it solve the problem of delivering enough water to farms and cities south of the Delta without destroying the fish population? It remains to be seen, and expect many more years of debate, lawsuits and rancor in California's most persistent water war.

Socal Water War

Not the Delta  (although the Delta should be mentioned as part of the overall California water scheme), but an interesting piece in the New York Times on the fight over water in Southern California, particularly in San Diego. 

Little Knowledge of the Delta in New Study

Statewide survey finds 78 percent clueless about Delta

I always thought ignorance about the Delta was high (it's one of the reasons I made the documentary), but this is stunning.

Here's the article in The Record.

DVD Available

After a film festival run and educational sales window, Delta Blues is available for purchase here for $14.95.

Federal judge disagrees on delta smelt plan

New ruling from Judge Wanger on salinity levels and the Delta Smelt. Two things not mentioned: Wanger - who's made most if not all significant rulings about Delta water flows and the ESA - is retiring. Also, no mention of the role of climate change in increasing salinity.

Here's the article from the Fresno Bee.

Delta Blues Screens Saturday, April 2nd

at the Sacramento International Film Festival at 4pm.

LA Times on the Delta Smelt

 A trip into the Delta with scientist Peter Moyle in search of the Delta Smelt. We filmed one of these research trips and an interview with Moyle for Delta Blues. On our day on the boat, the trawls brought up a nice haul of small stripers and split tail, but no Smelt. Moyle and his team hadn't seen one all year. We also filmed at the Smelt lab described in the piece.

See the Bay Area premiere of the film at the San Francisco Green Film Festival on March 5th. Click here for more details.

Delta Blues at San Francisco Green Film Festival in March

Check back for screening dates and times.

A Puzzler

From the Chron: "U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger will consider restoring the water supply and ordering government biologists back to the drawing board during a hearing today that could decide the fate of the state's beleaguered salmon."

It's a puzzler because Wanger is the judge who ruled that diversions were hurting salmon and his rulings are the primary reason why strict water restrictions were placed on Central Valley farmers the past few years.

And it's sad because it means endless legal battles into the future. Farmers and fish won't benefit, only lawyers will.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/19/MNFT1DGOGD.DTL#ixzz0oQZqE4dX

Salmon Summit in San Francisco

Here's an article about the summit in the SF Chronicle.

Rep. George Miller's speech at the Restore the Delta symposium

Part One:



Part Two: