Introduction to Water in California book cover

Introduction to Water in California

from the California Natural History Guide Series

by David Carle

(Review by Brett Tillman)
This book is a tremendous resource for educators throughout California, ripe with a rich array of statistics, visuals, history and up to date information on the use and importance of water in California. California has a unique and highly varied landscape, covering nearly 2/3 of the west coast, and ranging from the driest deserts of the south and east to the alpine terrain of the Sierras and northern mountains ranges. Areas barely a dozen miles away as the crow flies may see a ten-fold difference in their annual precipitation.

One of the most important resources, and often one of the most contentious, especially in the West, is water - something every living thing needs to survive. From the giant Sequoias of the Sierra foothills to the desert pupfish, from the mountain lions in the most remote regions to the millions of people who live here, we all count on our precious supply of water. We count on it so much that many, or most, Californians get much of their water supply from hundreds or even over a thousand miles away.

A major strength of this great resource is its focus on cause and effect. Interconnectedness is a running theme. It does not claim to have all of the answers - just lots of questions, lots of possibilities, and lots of information. Where does your water come from and how does it get to you? How does water affect and interact in California’s ecosystems and what effects are our water choices having? What does the future of California’s water landscape look like?

It is important in Environmental Education to keep it relative. Kids and adults - your students - should know how the choices they make affect the earth and how the earth affects them. And the story of water is a major chapter in our everyday lives. David Carle’s Introduction to Water in California will help us all tell some of the story.

David Carle was a presenter at the 2006 AEOE Spring Conference - Water and the California Dream ... or, Too Much Was Not Enough. Check out his online conference resources at http://aeoe.org/conference/resources/2006/:

Water and the California Dream ... or, Too Much Was Not Enough – David Carle – Author, University of California Press. Choices made about water through California's history shaped environmental change and the patterns of human population growth in the state. Today's choices, from daily water conservation to voting in elections for water bonds, will similarly shape our future. Environment, agriculture and urban "thirsts" compete for limited water supplies--the ultimate resource for everything that lives in California.