Op-Ed

North American river otters forage, hunt and play along the lower American River. Coyotes trot along the biking and hiking paths. Western pond turtles sunbathe on logs. 

Mule deer seek camouflage in meadows of sedge grass and willow trees. Wood ducks nest and hide in wooden groves.

Fox, jackrabbits, muskrats, opossums, raccoons, beavers and skunks find refuge. Hawks, eagles, egrets, herons, owls and cormorants are among the more than 200 bird species.

The parkway’s “river-rich basin, coupled with marshes teeming with life, provides vital habitat for hundreds of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish,” reports the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Destruction of miles of riparian habitat, including hundreds of trees, along the lower American River is scheduled to begin this fall.

The Central Valley Flood Protection Board approved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ latest erosion-control project, despite pleas by engineers, biologists, scientists, geologists, professors, environmentalists and community activists to rethink the devastation.

Contract 3B stretches from the Howe Avenue bridge to east of Watt Avenue. The erosion-control work is part of the Corps’ plan to protect the city from floods.

Bulldozers will demolish as many as 700 trees, including 300-year-old oaks, and established vegetation. Trucks will deposit tons of jagged rock and rubble along the banks and into the water. The river’s south and north sides will be fenced for equipment staging.