ENVS 77 - Deep Dive Course into the California Waterscape
Last Fall’s ENVS 77, Deep Dive course into the California Waterscape made quite a splash. Led by Professor Stewart-Frey, students were immersed in the dynamic interplay of water, land, and human influence across California’s most vital river systems. On an early overnight trip, the class camped near the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir—a scenic yet storied site that set the stage for big conversations about resource management, environmental trade-offs, and the politics of urban thirst. Surrounded by granite walls and the remnants of past wildfires, students explored fire ecology and watershed resilience firsthand, led by community partners from the Tuolumne River Trust. They even took to the skies—well, with a drone—to explore how drones can be used to map fire scars and regrowth patterns..
From the heights of the Sierra to the meanders of the Central Valley, the class followed the current of the Tuolumne River both literally and metaphorically. On another weekend, they paddled alongside the greatly diminished Fall run Chinook salmon, getting an up-close look at the rhythms of a river under agricultural withdrawals and climate change. Another trip led them to Dos Rios, California’s newest state park, where the Tuolumne meets the San Joaquin in a confluence of water, history, and hope. Throughout the course, students built community as they explored questions of water justice, Indigenous stewardship, and climate resilience. It was a quarter of deep thinking and deeper wading—where boots got muddy, ideas flowed freely, and the waterscape became a living classroom.
Photo caption: Hiking around Hetch Hetchy.
Photo caption: Survey and learning about fire ecology - including a talk by the Tuolumne River Trust.
Photo caption: After the drone experiment.
Photo caption: Day trip paddling in the Central Valley on the lower Tuolumne.