A Life Aquatic
It’s the time of year when Sacramentans appreciate the Delta the most; not for its beauty or bounty, but for its celebrated breeze that salves the summer heat. The reality, though, is that many of us hardly know it. Over the last three years, photojournalist Max Whittaker has chronicled life on and around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, tracking down the boaters and billionaires, the partiers and the protestors, and the scientists and swimmers who occupy this watery labyrinth that sustains our crops and bursts with its own vibrant ecosystem.
Come on in. The water’s fine.
Come on in. The water’s fine.
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“This is afternoon. For June, it was a bit of a foggy day, but it wasn’t too cold. That’s Mt. Diablo in the background. I think this photo typifies the kind of family entertainment and recreation that the Delta inspires. The father, not pictured, is fishing, and this is his wife and son, who are just enjoying the Delta along with him. The mom is chilling out in her lawn chair and enjoying the scenery, and the kid brought his BB gun along. He was just shooting at cans and little sticks and stuff.”“This is afternoon. For June, it was a bit of a foggy day, but it wasn’t too cold. That’s Mt. Diablo in the background. I think this photo typifies the kind of family entertainment and recreation that the Delta inspires. The father, not pictured, is fishing, and this is his wife and son, who are just enjoying the Delta along with him. The mom is chilling out in her lawn chair and enjoying the scenery, and the kid brought his BB gun along. He was just shooting at cans and little sticks and stuff.”
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“Most people in the Delta get their mail by a regular postman in a truck, but there are certainly some who don’t and are only accessible by boat. Rick Stelzriede is one of the only postmen who delivers by boat in the U.S. He is quite the character. He doesn’t do the job for the money. I think he just loves being out on the water in whatever kind of weather delivering the mail.“Most people in the Delta get their mail by a regular postman in a truck, but there are certainly some who don’t and are only accessible by boat. Rick Stelzriede is one of the only postmen who delivers by boat in the U.S. He is quite the character. He doesn’t do the job for the money. I think he just loves being out on the water in whatever kind of weather delivering the mail.
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“The Delta is a magnet for fishermen. There are lots of places for it, because there are lots of waterways and plenty of fish. There are a lot of people fishing in the Delta who feed their families on these fish. So it is both sport and dinner. They love fishing, but it is also important food.”“The Delta is a magnet for fishermen. There are lots of places for it, because there are lots of waterways and plenty of fish. There are a lot of people fishing in the Delta who feed their families on these fish. So it is both sport and dinner. They love fishing, but it is also important food.”
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“There are islands here that you can only get to by water. There are four ferries in the Delta. Two of them are operated by Caltrans and are totally free. These are just some schoolkids, and their bus ride home is on a ferry to Ryer Island. They do this every day; it is just par for the course in the Delta. But if you’ve never done it, it’s a pretty cool experience.”“There are islands here that you can only get to by water. There are four ferries in the Delta. Two of them are operated by Caltrans and are totally free. These are just some schoolkids, and their bus ride home is on a ferry to Ryer Island. They do this every day; it is just par for the course in the Delta. But if you’ve never done it, it’s a pretty cool experience.”
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“This is in 2010, a few hours before the annual Fourth of July fireworks show [hosted by hotel magnate Barron Hilton, aka Paris Hilton’s grandfather, who is pictured]. Chuck Yeager is also on this boat. Mr. Hilton always goes to the fireworks barge to make sure everything is ready. He doesn’t come across as arrogant. He just seems like a really average guy who enjoys putting on this show. I think he sees it as his responsibility. He could be anywhere in the world, but he comes to the Delta every year.”“This is in 2010, a few hours before the annual Fourth of July fireworks show [hosted by hotel magnate Barron Hilton, aka Paris Hilton’s grandfather, who is pictured]. Chuck Yeager is also on this boat. Mr. Hilton always goes to the fireworks barge to make sure everything is ready. He doesn’t come across as arrogant. He just seems like a really average guy who enjoys putting on this show. I think he sees it as his responsibility. He could be anywhere in the world, but he comes to the Delta every year.”
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“When I first started working on this story, I had no idea that a huge Fourth of July party happened. I was kind of shocked and pleasantly surprised that this was happening right in the middle of what is otherwise a very sleepy Delta. It is a very raucous environment. There are tons of people. Half of these boats have their own stereos going, and then there are other people in everything from kayaks to ski boats. I was struck by how it looks as though they all have the same flag.”“When I first started working on this story, I had no idea that a huge Fourth of July party happened. I was kind of shocked and pleasantly surprised that this was happening right in the middle of what is otherwise a very sleepy Delta. It is a very raucous environment. There are tons of people. Half of these boats have their own stereos going, and then there are other people in everything from kayaks to ski boats. I was struck by how it looks as though they all have the same flag.”
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“That is the Venice Island Duck Club that Barron Hilton is a member of. Obviously, it’s not cheap to be a member of that, so they are typically well-off people. You can see a barge where the fireworks are coming from. It is a fabulous show. Ever since Mr. Hilton’s kids were little, they would go out boating for the Fourth of July at the hunting club, and he would get fireworks and light them off, and some boaters noticed it. It got a little bigger the next year, and then before you knew it, people were gathering, waiting for the fireworks. And he pays for it all. Now thousands of people come on boats to watch it every year.”“That is the Venice Island Duck Club that Barron Hilton is a member of. Obviously, it’s not cheap to be a member of that, so they are typically well-off people. You can see a barge where the fireworks are coming from. It is a fabulous show. Ever since Mr. Hilton’s kids were little, they would go out boating for the Fourth of July at the hunting club, and he would get fireworks and light them off, and some boaters noticed it. It got a little bigger the next year, and then before you knew it, people were gathering, waiting for the fireworks. And he pays for it all. Now thousands of people come on boats to watch it every year.”
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“That is [then-UC Davis researcher] Louise Conrad on the right, heading out in the early morning near Discovery Bay. She went out to specific areas and did what is called electrofishing. She would put this electric probe in the water and deliver a large bolt of electricity and the stunned fish would float up to the top. She did a survey looking into different species, including invasive species, that are prevalent in the Delta.”“That is [then-UC Davis researcher] Louise Conrad on the right, heading out in the early morning near Discovery Bay. She went out to specific areas and did what is called electrofishing. She would put this electric probe in the water and deliver a large bolt of electricity and the stunned fish would float up to the top. She did a survey looking into different species, including invasive species, that are prevalent in the Delta.”
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“This shows that even those of us who don’t live in or on the Delta are totally connected to it. And that is the beauty of the Delta. It is sort of this filter for our water. Unfortunately, it’s been a little overutilized for that. Great strides have been made, but at one point incredibly toxic flows were being discharged into the Delta. Most of the folks who live here aren’t rabid environmentalists, but they are certainly going to fight anything that is going to inhibit or destroy those resources.”“This shows that even those of us who don’t live in or on the Delta are totally connected to it. And that is the beauty of the Delta. It is sort of this filter for our water. Unfortunately, it’s been a little overutilized for that. Great strides have been made, but at one point incredibly toxic flows were being discharged into the Delta. Most of the folks who live here aren’t rabid environmentalists, but they are certainly going to fight anything that is going to inhibit or destroy those resources.”
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“Louise and her team were cataloguing all the fish they found. Here’s how she described the research project: ‘We are trying to figure out how invasive submerged vegetation may be supporting a nonnative assemblage of fishes along the Delta shoreline. We are particularly interested in largemouth bass because they are voracious predators and we want to know if they may be contributing to the decline of native fish in the Delta.’ ”“Louise and her team were cataloguing all the fish they found. Here’s how she described the research project: ‘We are trying to figure out how invasive submerged vegetation may be supporting a nonnative assemblage of fishes along the Delta shoreline. We are particularly interested in largemouth bass because they are voracious predators and we want to know if they may be contributing to the decline of native fish in the Delta.’ ”
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“Louise and her team were cataloguing all the fish they found. Here’s how she described the research project: ‘We are trying to figure out how invasive submerged vegetation may be supporting a nonnative assemblage of fishes along the Delta shoreline. We are particularly interested in largemouth bass because they are voracious predators and we want to know if they may be contributing to the decline of native fish in the Delta.’ ”“Louise and her team were cataloguing all the fish they found. Here’s how she described the research project: ‘We are trying to figure out how invasive submerged vegetation may be supporting a nonnative assemblage of fishes along the Delta shoreline. We are particularly interested in largemouth bass because they are voracious predators and we want to know if they may be contributing to the decline of native fish in the Delta.’ ”
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“I don’t know what to make of these ponds. I just saw them from the air, and they looked very visually striking. Most of them aren’t connected to anything. This shows that, without the water, just like the rest of California, it would be so dry. And that is why the Delta becomes both this clearinghouse and political lightning rod for water issues in California.”“I don’t know what to make of these ponds. I just saw them from the air, and they looked very visually striking. Most of them aren’t connected to anything. This shows that, without the water, just like the rest of California, it would be so dry. And that is why the Delta becomes both this clearinghouse and political lightning rod for water issues in California.”
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“This is the central southern part of the Delta. It’s very agricultural. This was shot from an ultralight aircraft. It’s very small, like a hang glider with a motor. I’m seated next to Bill Bardin of California Sport Aviation. And because it is so light, he flies pretty slow. The fuel tank on it isn’t very large, and so we ran out of gas mid-flight and had to land on a random airstrip in the Delta. Sure enough, a farmer drove up to us and said, ‘What are you guys doing?’ And we said, ‘Oh, we’re just gassing up!’ ”“This is the central southern part of the Delta. It’s very agricultural. This was shot from an ultralight aircraft. It’s very small, like a hang glider with a motor. I’m seated next to Bill Bardin of California Sport Aviation. And because it is so light, he flies pretty slow. The fuel tank on it isn’t very large, and so we ran out of gas mid-flight and had to land on a random airstrip in the Delta. Sure enough, a farmer drove up to us and said, ‘What are you guys doing?’ And we said, ‘Oh, we’re just gassing up!’ ”
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“This was early morning. We took off at dawn from Lodi. You can see that there is this sort of cloudy haze that is not supposed to be there in June. It actually rained that day right after we landed. It was gorgeous. I liked shooting against the sun because it highlighted the water.”“This was early morning. We took off at dawn from Lodi. You can see that there is this sort of cloudy haze that is not supposed to be there in June. It actually rained that day right after we landed. It was gorgeous. I liked shooting against the sun because it highlighted the water.”
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“This was in February, when there isn’t a lot of farming happening. I don’t know if this was an intended flood, but nobody was evacuated. The farmer was certainly not concerned. These are the old cornstalks from the previous season. A lot of the Delta looks like this during the winter.”“This was in February, when there isn’t a lot of farming happening. I don’t know if this was an intended flood, but nobody was evacuated. The farmer was certainly not concerned. These are the old cornstalks from the previous season. A lot of the Delta looks like this during the winter.”
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“This was a California Coastal Cleanup Day at Hogback Island. It happens all over the state on the coast, and it’s interesting that the Delta is considered part of the coast. I think the Delta is sort of hidden. People just don’t really think about it. One of the symptoms of that is that they advertised the coastal cleanup day at Hogback Island, and one volunteer showed up. Thousands of people show up on the coast, but here there was just this one woman [Catherine Reed].”“This was a California Coastal Cleanup Day at Hogback Island. It happens all over the state on the coast, and it’s interesting that the Delta is considered part of the coast. I think the Delta is sort of hidden. People just don’t really think about it. One of the symptoms of that is that they advertised the coastal cleanup day at Hogback Island, and one volunteer showed up. Thousands of people show up on the coast, but here there was just this one woman [Catherine Reed].”
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“This was in front of Stockton City Hall. They’re protesting the idea of a peripheral canal, which would take the water at the top end of the Delta, divert it, and then pump it out toward Southern California. The unintended consequence is that without the freshwater flow into the Delta, saltwater would come in from the San Francisco Bay. These are farmers and people living off the fishing and tourism industry. You can’t irrigate with saltwater, and animals can’t drink saltwater.”“This was in front of Stockton City Hall. They’re protesting the idea of a peripheral canal, which would take the water at the top end of the Delta, divert it, and then pump it out toward Southern California. The unintended consequence is that without the freshwater flow into the Delta, saltwater would come in from the San Francisco Bay. These are farmers and people living off the fishing and tourism industry. You can’t irrigate with saltwater, and animals can’t drink saltwater.”
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“Like any rural, less populated area, people take advantage of the ability to illegally dump their trash for free, but when you see it in a threatened wetland like this that supports so much wildlife and know that it’s going to be a nightmare to clean up, I found that it hit me especially hard. You can see this carpet of aquatic life in the photo, and you can view the trash as being either subsumed by this beautiful aquatic life, or the trash invading and destroying it. I certainly view it as the latter.”“Like any rural, less populated area, people take advantage of the ability to illegally dump their trash for free, but when you see it in a threatened wetland like this that supports so much wildlife and know that it’s going to be a nightmare to clean up, I found that it hit me especially hard. You can see this carpet of aquatic life in the photo, and you can view the trash as being either subsumed by this beautiful aquatic life, or the trash invading and destroying it. I certainly view it as the latter.”
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“This is the afternoon of the Fourth of July in 2011. It feels like spring break—a huge party atmosphere, with tons of people drinking and partying all day. They are gathered by Mandeville Tip. There is this one little channel with people basically making a squirt gun alley. If you go down the middle of this, you are expecting to get sprayed, so it is this constant water fight.”“This is the afternoon of the Fourth of July in 2011. It feels like spring break—a huge party atmosphere, with tons of people drinking and partying all day. They are gathered by Mandeville Tip. There is this one little channel with people basically making a squirt gun alley. If you go down the middle of this, you are expecting to get sprayed, so it is this constant water fight.”
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“Locke is this old Chinese town, one of the oldest communities in the Delta, and Al the Wops is this really classic bar there. It has an old-school vibe. Those are dollar bills on the ceiling. Many old bars in California have this ritual where you wrap your dollar bill around a pushpin and toss it up there. At first blush, it feels a little rough—there’s no hostess or server greeting you at the door with a cheery smile—but once you sit down and order a beer, everyone there is really nice.”“Locke is this old Chinese town, one of the oldest communities in the Delta, and Al the Wops is this really classic bar there. It has an old-school vibe. Those are dollar bills on the ceiling. Many old bars in California have this ritual where you wrap your dollar bill around a pushpin and toss it up there. At first blush, it feels a little rough—there’s no hostess or server greeting you at the door with a cheery smile—but once you sit down and order a beer, everyone there is really nice.”
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“This is, as the crow flies, less than a mile from the duck club [also on July 4, 2011]. These guys have a pretty prime spot for viewing the fireworks and are enjoying the last of the sun and swimming. I like how the diver is, in a sense, unidentifiable. He is sort of the stand-in for all of us who just want to jump into that cool water on a hot day in July.”“This is, as the crow flies, less than a mile from the duck club [also on July 4, 2011]. These guys have a pretty prime spot for viewing the fireworks and are enjoying the last of the sun and swimming. I like how the diver is, in a sense, unidentifiable. He is sort of the stand-in for all of us who just want to jump into that cool water on a hot day in July.”
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“If someone wants to get a drink on the Delta, it’s at Al the Wops. If you want to get lunch or dinner, then it is going to be at Foster’s Bighorn in Rio Vista. It seems to be a destination for not only locals, but people who regularly come to the Delta. When the original owner was alive, he collected all these stuffed heads. It is a phenomenal collection. This picture shows a very, very small portion of it and ignores the elephant head to the right. The entire place is covered with animal heads.”“If someone wants to get a drink on the Delta, it’s at Al the Wops. If you want to get lunch or dinner, then it is going to be at Foster’s Bighorn in Rio Vista. It seems to be a destination for not only locals, but people who regularly come to the Delta. When the original owner was alive, he collected all these stuffed heads. It is a phenomenal collection. This picture shows a very, very small portion of it and ignores the elephant head to the right. The entire place is covered with animal heads.”
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“I was just driving around and saw this red-tailed hawk taking off. It is just a beautiful bird. I couldn’t resist taking the picture. They are pretty present all over the Delta. It is obviously fertile hunting grounds for hawks—lots of fields, and lots of rodents.”“I was just driving around and saw this red-tailed hawk taking off. It is just a beautiful bird. I couldn’t resist taking the picture. They are pretty present all over the Delta. It is obviously fertile hunting grounds for hawks—lots of fields, and lots of rodents.”
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“This was at dawn, or shortly thereafter. I love shooting that early, because the light is beautiful. I’m near Clarksburg in Bogle Vineyards. They are harvesting grapes for the season. Everybody enjoys the wine out of the bottle, but there is some hard manual labor that goes into it, and I think that shows in the guy’s face. It is hard, messy work, and they work really fast—just go, go, go.”“This was at dawn, or shortly thereafter. I love shooting that early, because the light is beautiful. I’m near Clarksburg in Bogle Vineyards. They are harvesting grapes for the season. Everybody enjoys the wine out of the bottle, but there is some hard manual labor that goes into it, and I think that shows in the guy’s face. It is hard, messy work, and they work really fast—just go, go, go.”
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“This is 1:30 in the afternoon in February, and the fog has not burned off. In the winter, there can be a really thick fog. It is really awesome, foggy and moody with a slower tempo, because there is less agriculture going on, less fishing and tourism. I think that fog is really peaceful. It softens the vistas, but also sounds. You are enveloped in your own little world.”“This is 1:30 in the afternoon in February, and the fog has not burned off. In the winter, there can be a really thick fog. It is really awesome, foggy and moody with a slower tempo, because there is less agriculture going on, less fishing and tourism. I think that fog is really peaceful. It softens the vistas, but also sounds. You are enveloped in your own little world.”
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“This is afternoon on Empire Tract where they were installing blueberry fields. Blueberries have become a cash crop, so the landowner was trying to capitalize. He had a huge crew of at least 30 installing a drip irrigation system, digging a ditch and laying out the lines. It just goes to show that the Delta is so fertile that you can almost grow anything.”“This is afternoon on Empire Tract where they were installing blueberry fields. Blueberries have become a cash crop, so the landowner was trying to capitalize. He had a huge crew of at least 30 installing a drip irrigation system, digging a ditch and laying out the lines. It just goes to show that the Delta is so fertile that you can almost grow anything.”
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“This is one of the prettier bridges in the Delta. It is like a mini Tower Bridge in some ways. The Delta has a lot of bridges by necessity. There are a lot of waterways and a lot of roads, so to keep them connected they have bridges and ferries. I like the contrast between the golden color of the bridge and the blue, blue sky at sunset, and the dichotomy of the very man-made bridge with the natural world that surrounds it.”“This is one of the prettier bridges in the Delta. It is like a mini Tower Bridge in some ways. The Delta has a lot of bridges by necessity. There are a lot of waterways and a lot of roads, so to keep them connected they have bridges and ferries. I like the contrast between the golden color of the bridge and the blue, blue sky at sunset, and the dichotomy of the very man-made bridge with the natural world that surrounds it.”
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“Aside from the people out there riding the Howard Landing ferry, I was alone on the shoreline. It was a really pretty evening. The sunsets are just amazing in the Delta. You can see so far, and a lot of times you can see the sun setting on Mt. Diablo, and then you have the interplay of the land and the light and the water. I was just trying to capture the workman-like ferry with the beautiful sunset.”“Aside from the people out there riding the Howard Landing ferry, I was alone on the shoreline. It was a really pretty evening. The sunsets are just amazing in the Delta. You can see so far, and a lot of times you can see the sun setting on Mt. Diablo, and then you have the interplay of the land and the light and the water. I was just trying to capture the workman-like ferry with the beautiful sunset.”
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“The combination of all of these elements that you wouldn’t expect to be together—the big, red ‘casino’ sign, which is not something that you’d think of being in the Delta, the water tower in the background, and the palm trees, which are very distinctly Californian—speaks to the diversity and the specificness of the Delta. Isleton has this Southern feel, like you are hanging out somewhere in the bayou. The casino is a tiny little card room where a bunch of locals were playing in a poker tournament.”“The combination of all of these elements that you wouldn’t expect to be together—the big, red ‘casino’ sign, which is not something that you’d think of being in the Delta, the water tower in the background, and the palm trees, which are very distinctly Californian—speaks to the diversity and the specificness of the Delta. Isleton has this Southern feel, like you are hanging out somewhere in the bayou. The casino is a tiny little card room where a bunch of locals were playing in a poker tournament.”
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“I think this really typifies most fishermen in the Delta—out on their boats, just fishing away. This is during the week in October, not what you think of as a prime recreation month, but these guys are diehard fishermen. I chatted with this guy, yelling back and forth over the river, and he was having a great time. All he could talk about was what a beautiful day it was, and that he was enjoying himself.”“I think this really typifies most fishermen in the Delta—out on their boats, just fishing away. This is during the week in October, not what you think of as a prime recreation month, but these guys are diehard fishermen. I chatted with this guy, yelling back and forth over the river, and he was having a great time. All he could talk about was what a beautiful day it was, and that he was enjoying himself.”
This article appears in the August-September 2012 issue of Sactown Magazine.
