Event 1: Field Trip

Water

Kim Stringfellow et al., There It Is –Take It!: Owens Valley and the Los Angeles Aqueduct, 1913-2013, https://thereitistakeit.org/#section-about.

This field trip creates the opportunity for site-specific, place-based, and experiential learning that complements Event 1’s focus on water.

Event 1: Water provides an overview of water use in California before exploring how dams have impacted local communities and ecosystems in two instances: the St. Francis Dam and the Klamath River dams. While California saltwater and oceans have shaped much of the geography in the coastal regions of the state, our emphasis on freshwater stems from its sustained use as a source of energy. Here, we look specifically at how water is conceived as an energy source and contributes to development of the state. We also introduce the harms this development has caused over time.

Stringfellow et al. craft an immersive, detailed self-guided car audio tour along U.S. Route 395 through Owens Valley, California. The tour examines the history of the Los Angeles Aqueduct system and includes a diverse set of perspectives that outline the various understandings and viewpoints surrounding the Aqueduct and its history. Through the tour, listeners can experience a more substantial, immersive history of water in Southern California, including the often erased history of “stolen water” from Owens Valley Paiute communities. The creators include a mobile tour as well.