Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA)

To those of us who live on the Delta, boat on the Delta, or did in the past, the California Delta is indeed a special place. But how can other people, who don’t know anything about the Delta, learn more?

From its quaint historic communities in the North to its waterways perfect for wakeboarding, waterskiing, and other forms of water-based recreation in the South, the Delta offers a wide range of wonderful outdoor opportunities.

There’s bass fishing, with big tournaments held on Bethel Island every weekend during the season.

There’s the community of Discovery Bay, where over 2,000 homes are situated on manmade bays carved out of the San Joaquin River with docks and boats in their back yards. People are seen paddle boarding, kayaking, or just taking a sunset wine cruise around the bays with their friends.

And, of course, on January 1st, there’s the Frozen Bun Run from Rusty Porthole on Bethel Island, where tons of people gather in the morning to drink warm coffee and watch the participants in the Bun Run to ski on the very cold water in the very cold air and compete for the best costume, oldest skier, youngest skier, and yes, the least costume skier. Rollicking fun is had by all, and the Sheriff and Coast Guard are on hand to make sure the frozen skiers get back to the dock safely where a warm shower awaits them.

Yes, for those of us who know about the California Delta, it is a place near and dear to our hearts.

But what about those of you who know nothing about the Delta? The communities in the Delta are fighting hard against the California “WaterFix” (aka the Delta Tunnels) and other projects that threaten our communities, our waterways, and our way of life. Why are we fighting so hard? Why do we love the Delta?

On an iHeartRadio radio interview I was on last week, the radio host, Kevin Fox, asked me how people who don’t know about the Delta could learn more.

I’ve been thinking about it. Here’s two great ways to learn more:

On the Water Tours:



Captain Morgan has regular boat cruises throughout the Delta. You can pick a short cruise, a tailored cruise, etc. These are educational. Some are even overnight. His boat, the RoseMarie, is a large, comfortable houseboat. To check out the on-wanter experience to find out about the Delta, click here:
Captain Morgan Adventures (on the RoseMarie). If you do a tour that includes the Discovery Bay waterways, you may go by my back deck. I’ll wave 🙂

Another experience is to visit the quaint historical communities of the Northern Delta.


For that, the best way is a land tour put on regularly by Delta Heartbeat Tours and affiliated with the North Delta C.A.R.E.S. non-profit organization. Delta Heartbeat Tours. Some tours also include wine tasting.

I highly recommend both.