Scott Mattoon
@dwnstrm.bsky.social
Asking: What happens downstream?
Standing for rugged collectivism
Geospatial-California Naturalist
Sierra Club Volunteer Leader
Former Salesforce/Sun/NeXT
It's all here, just not evenly distributed
Standing for rugged collectivism
Geospatial-California Naturalist
Sierra Club Volunteer Leader
Former Salesforce/Sun/NeXT
It's all here, just not evenly distributed
Ever wonder where the term 'Forest Health' originated?
It is a euphemism offered by foresters in the 1990's to describe “The control and suppression of natural processes to facilitate the orderly extraction of timber commodities.”
It’s about logging, not healthy forests. youtu.be/Zr2SZJAasJA?...
It is a euphemism offered by foresters in the 1990's to describe “The control and suppression of natural processes to facilitate the orderly extraction of timber commodities.”
It’s about logging, not healthy forests. youtu.be/Zr2SZJAasJA?...
Methow Forest Forum Present: Achieving ecologically responsible fire safety
YouTube video by Michael Bird Shaffer
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Ever wonder where the term 'Forest Health' originated?
It is a euphemism offered by foresters in the 1990's to describe “The control and suppression of natural processes to facilitate the orderly extraction of timber commodities.”
It’s about logging, not healthy forests. youtu.be/Zr2SZJAasJA?...
It is a euphemism offered by foresters in the 1990's to describe “The control and suppression of natural processes to facilitate the orderly extraction of timber commodities.”
It’s about logging, not healthy forests. youtu.be/Zr2SZJAasJA?...
Only two months after I finished reading it, a book review of robgmacfarlane.bsky.social ‘s Is a River Alive?
open.substack.com/pub/dwnstrm/...
open.substack.com/pub/dwnstrm/...
Is a River Alive?
Book review: Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
open.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Only two months after I finished reading it, a book review of robgmacfarlane.bsky.social ‘s Is a River Alive?
open.substack.com/pub/dwnstrm/...
open.substack.com/pub/dwnstrm/...
I left the tech industry for the same reason I entered it - to work on something I believed in.
substack.com/@dwnstrm/not...
substack.com/@dwnstrm/not...
Scott ཀattoon 🧢 (@dwnstrm)
This NYT Opinion inspired my own reply https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/opinion/silicon-valley-meta-apple-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
The outline of Zamost’s ex...
substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:39 PM
I left the tech industry for the same reason I entered it - to work on something I believed in.
substack.com/@dwnstrm/not...
substack.com/@dwnstrm/not...
Gutting the Clean Water Act defies reason. Giving polluters a free pass & jeopardizing our water, health, & environment for a handful to profit even more is an injustice. Tell your representatives to vote NO on this attack on #CleanWater #ProtectOurWater share.sierraclub.org/s/aQ3wo38x
Take action
share.sierraclub.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Gutting the Clean Water Act defies reason. Giving polluters a free pass & jeopardizing our water, health, & environment for a handful to profit even more is an injustice. Tell your representatives to vote NO on this attack on #CleanWater #ProtectOurWater share.sierraclub.org/s/aQ3wo38x
I can’t remember the last time solar panels spilled into a river.
King coal!
King coal!
A Union Pacific derailment in Plumas County spilled about 1,400 tons of coal into the Middle Fork Feather River. State law bans coal in waters; cleanup continues.
Union Pacific coal spill in Feather River, Plumas County
A Union Pacific derailment in Plumas County spilled about 1,400 tons of coal into the Middle Fork Feather River. State law bans coal in waters; cleanup continues.
bit.ly
October 31, 2025 at 2:09 AM
I can’t remember the last time solar panels spilled into a river.
King coal!
King coal!
Researchers are using AI to help understand sperm whale communications.
Lawyers think the discoveries could galvanize the world to recognize whales’ legal rights—and advance the global rights of nature movement.
Lawyers think the discoveries could galvanize the world to recognize whales’ legal rights—and advance the global rights of nature movement.
Researchers are using AI to understand whale communications. The findings could put animals’ voices at the heart of legal battles to protect them.
October 31, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Tune in at 10am Pacific to hear a first person First Peoples' account on the undamming of the Klamath
www.kalw.org/show/your-ca...
#cawater
www.kalw.org/show/your-ca...
#cawater
Amy Cordalis on her family's fight to save the Klamath River
In 2024, the removal of four dams on the Klamath River marked a historic victory for an Indigenous-led movement, achieving the largest river restoration project in history.
www.kalw.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Tune in at 10am Pacific to hear a first person First Peoples' account on the undamming of the Klamath
www.kalw.org/show/your-ca...
#cawater
www.kalw.org/show/your-ca...
#cawater
It's almost as if the salmon want to find their ancestral waters.
kobi5.com/news/salmon-...
kobi5.com/news/salmon-...
Salmon repopulation raising concerns says Klamath Drainage District - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2
KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. – As Chinook salmon continue to make progress in the Klamath Basin following dam removal, a local organization is calling for fish screens to protect both family farms and fish. T...
kobi5.com
October 26, 2025 at 4:49 AM
It's almost as if the salmon want to find their ancestral waters.
kobi5.com/news/salmon-...
kobi5.com/news/salmon-...
A measure of hubris and contempt for water as commons: How much subsidence is tolerated for the benefit of ultra-wealthy ag interest? sjvwater.org/boswell-dema...
Boswell demands correction: Only plans to sink Corcoran six feet, other areas 10 feet – SJV Water
A wide-ranging letter from J.G. Boswell Company Vice President Jeof Wyrick accuses SJV Water of misrepresenting the farming giant’s plan to deal with
sjvwater.org
October 24, 2025 at 8:31 PM
A measure of hubris and contempt for water as commons: How much subsidence is tolerated for the benefit of ultra-wealthy ag interest? sjvwater.org/boswell-dema...
Today’s feature on Oligarchs IdeaExchange: Giant monument to eternal suffering and fire in SF Bay. Cost: $450B
www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...
www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...
Crypto bro wants giant Prometheus in SF Bay — as if California needed more fire | Opinion
There’s some great irony in building an ode to the mythical fire-bringer, in a state that is annually destroyed by wildfires, writes Robin Epley.
www.sacbee.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Today’s feature on Oligarchs IdeaExchange: Giant monument to eternal suffering and fire in SF Bay. Cost: $450B
www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...
www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted by Scott Mattoon
Consumer-facing "A.i." makes up lies, reproduces the bigotry of its inputs, degrades the cognitive abilities of its users, and can be manipulated by its billionaire owners to reflect their biases. It's also based on theft and destroys the environment. It should have NO role in the classroom.
July 25, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Consumer-facing "A.i." makes up lies, reproduces the bigotry of its inputs, degrades the cognitive abilities of its users, and can be manipulated by its billionaire owners to reflect their biases. It's also based on theft and destroys the environment. It should have NO role in the classroom.
Reposted by Scott Mattoon
I've listened to folks for years now go on about how 'the government is going take away everyone's gun'. The irony is that those same folks always assumed that it would be the Democrats when the reality is that an authoritarian Republican party was always the more likely to do so.
October 4, 2025 at 7:35 PM
I've listened to folks for years now go on about how 'the government is going take away everyone's gun'. The irony is that those same folks always assumed that it would be the Democrats when the reality is that an authoritarian Republican party was always the more likely to do so.
“Today, most of our water deliberations and analyses remain relics of the history of water infrastructure and allocation for agricultural and urban growth. They are not without value but need improvements to help us adapt to a changing climate, ecosystems, economy, and social concerns.”
Happy New Water Year 2026! May your water year be as wet as you like when you'd like it.
californiawaterblog.com/2025/09/28/h...
californiawaterblog.com/2025/09/28/h...
Happy New Water Year 2026! – following 2025’s Normal and Extreme Hydrology
By Jay Lund October 1 marks the beginning of California’s new Water Year (WY). Water years here run from October 1 until September 30 of the next calendar year and are named for the calendar year o…
californiawaterblog.com
September 29, 2025 at 2:00 AM
“Today, most of our water deliberations and analyses remain relics of the history of water infrastructure and allocation for agricultural and urban growth. They are not without value but need improvements to help us adapt to a changing climate, ecosystems, economy, and social concerns.”
Reposted by Scott Mattoon
"'Climate.gov now redirects users to a different NOAA website controlled by political appointees.' The library of information the public used to have access to, on everything from El Niño to rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, is no longer available." buff.ly/L2CfEwa
Climate.gov will re-launch under new URL thanks to a secret team of web ninjas | CNN
A small group of writers and researchers are launching an ambitious effort to preserve key climate data that the Trump administration has taken offline, including the climate.gov website.
www.cnn.com
September 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM
"'Climate.gov now redirects users to a different NOAA website controlled by political appointees.' The library of information the public used to have access to, on everything from El Niño to rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, is no longer available." buff.ly/L2CfEwa
‘Is a River Alive?’ by
@robgmacfarlane.bsky.social
reminds us that, in the face of environmental degradation, despair is a luxury and hope is a discipline.
#WorldRiversDay
@robgmacfarlane.bsky.social
reminds us that, in the face of environmental degradation, despair is a luxury and hope is a discipline.
#WorldRiversDay
September 28, 2025 at 6:06 PM
‘Is a River Alive?’ by
@robgmacfarlane.bsky.social
reminds us that, in the face of environmental degradation, despair is a luxury and hope is a discipline.
#WorldRiversDay
@robgmacfarlane.bsky.social
reminds us that, in the face of environmental degradation, despair is a luxury and hope is a discipline.
#WorldRiversDay
“Rivers, with their ceaseless, shape-shifting flux, remind us that none of our labor will last.”
#WorldRiversDay
longnow.org/ideas/the-ri...
#WorldRiversDay
longnow.org/ideas/the-ri...
The River Twice
The rebirth of formerly polluted urban waterways is one of the signal triumphs of long-term thinking. Why do we keep forgetting how it happened?
longnow.org
September 28, 2025 at 5:39 PM
“Rivers, with their ceaseless, shape-shifting flux, remind us that none of our labor will last.”
#WorldRiversDay
longnow.org/ideas/the-ri...
#WorldRiversDay
longnow.org/ideas/the-ri...
Reposted by Scott Mattoon
"Trump, a Republican, is trying to curb California’s power under the federal Clean Air Act to set tighter pollution limits than federal law requires, and Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s ability to promote electric vehicles to fight climate change."
DOJ sues California to end enforcement of emissions standards for trucks
Four major truckmakers, including Daimler and Volvo, also sued the state to block it from enforcing the strict emissions standards Trump declared void in June.
buff.ly
September 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
"Trump, a Republican, is trying to curb California’s power under the federal Clean Air Act to set tighter pollution limits than federal law requires, and Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s ability to promote electric vehicles to fight climate change."
The is no rational argument for rescinding the Roadless Area Rule, other than extractive profit making, and even that argument is tenuous, at best. share.sierraclub.org/s/rfrcuUGM
Take action to protect national forests
share.sierraclub.org
September 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
The is no rational argument for rescinding the Roadless Area Rule, other than extractive profit making, and even that argument is tenuous, at best. share.sierraclub.org/s/rfrcuUGM
Revoking the "Roadless Area Conservation Rule" would be devastating. Lend your voice to stop the rescission of the Roadless Rule. share.sierraclub.org/s/qyTUMcfq
Take action to protect national forests
share.sierraclub.org
August 27, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Revoking the "Roadless Area Conservation Rule" would be devastating. Lend your voice to stop the rescission of the Roadless Rule. share.sierraclub.org/s/qyTUMcfq
This is disappointing news. I met Jealous this year at Bioneers and was impressed by his commitment to the environment, and his deep understanding of the historical context of conservation in the U.S. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/c...
Sierra Club’s Board Fires Ben Jealous, the Group’s Executive Director
www.nytimes.com
August 16, 2025 at 3:10 PM
This is disappointing news. I met Jealous this year at Bioneers and was impressed by his commitment to the environment, and his deep understanding of the historical context of conservation in the U.S. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/c...
Is Wilderness destined for the dustbin or a dustup? American conservationists occupy a liminal space now.
wildernesswatch.org/when-the-dus...
wildernesswatch.org/when-the-dus...
When the dust settles: Creating an agency worthy of Wilderness - Wilderness Watch
The news is filled with stories of how the Trump administration and its so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have fired thousands of federal employees who work for our public land agen...
wildernesswatch.org
July 22, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Is Wilderness destined for the dustbin or a dustup? American conservationists occupy a liminal space now.
wildernesswatch.org/when-the-dus...
wildernesswatch.org/when-the-dus...
When Good News is really just bad news deflected - The Okefenokee was about to be ruined by mining. Then water keepers stepped in.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/o...
Opinion | For Once, Some Good News About a Fragile Ecosystem
www.nytimes.com
July 22, 2025 at 2:47 PM
When Good News is really just bad news deflected - The Okefenokee was about to be ruined by mining. Then water keepers stepped in.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/o...
Utilities’ essential role is the guarantee of profits to their owners, not reliable delivery of services to ratepayers, say regulators everywhere.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Environment secretary ‘furious’ about England and Wales water bills
Steve Reed says he is unable to rule out further above-inflation rises and any decision would be up to regulators
www.theguardian.com
July 20, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Utilities’ essential role is the guarantee of profits to their owners, not reliable delivery of services to ratepayers, say regulators everywhere.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Reposted by Scott Mattoon
Climate change is a by-product of progress in the same way as obesity is a by-product of nutrition. For goodness sakes, it's the 21st century! We have the technology to enjoy progress without trashing the planet.
“Yes, atmospheric CO2 has increased over time—but so has life expectancy,” writes Chris Wright. In a guest essay America’s energy secretary invites the world to rethink renewable energy
econ.st/4kCU2kY
Illustration: Dan Williams
econ.st/4kCU2kY
Illustration: Dan Williams
July 16, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Climate change is a by-product of progress in the same way as obesity is a by-product of nutrition. For goodness sakes, it's the 21st century! We have the technology to enjoy progress without trashing the planet.