Media

The proposal to dam Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park created unprecedented controversy and provoked editorials in opposition from more than 200 newspapers across the country. The damming is often cited as having ignited the modern environmental movement.

The story of Hetch Hetchy has been told and retold by filmmakers and authors from a variety of viewpoints  – often with different interpretations. See the following books and films to learn more. (The films for which Restore Hetch Hetchy has rights are posted on our home page.)

Conservationists build case for restoring Hetch Hetchy | CBS TV Feb 10, 2023

Voices of the People | Seven Associated Tribes of Yosemite National Park

Hooray for Hetch Hetchy – Jenner Fox | 2020

Hooray for Hetch Hetchy – Bill and Louise Kirchen, Gurf Morlix | 2018

Open Road with Doug McConnell: Sierra Meadows and Hetch Hetchy Restoration |NBCBayArea, 2020

Tuolumne Yosemite | Jim Bearden, 2015

Two Yosemites (opera) | Justin Ralls, 2014

Damnation | Matt Stoecker and Yvon Chouinard, 2014

Restore the Hetch Hetchy | Gabriel Vasquez and Dylan Norris, 2010

Hetch Hetchy: Undoing a Great American Mistake | Kenneth Brower, 2013

Lament for Hetch Hetchy | Alisdair Fraser, 2011

Discover Hetch Hetchy with Harrison Ford | Restore Hetch Hetchy, 2011

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea | Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, 2009

What Would John Muir Say? | Bernice Turoff and David Best, 2008

If a Song could Right a Wrong, Barbara Mossberg | Shannon Foster, 2007 – courtesy of Planet Patriot

Hetch Hetchy: Yosemite’s Lost Valley | Restore Hetch Hetchy, 2006

The Battle over Hetch Hetchy: America’s Most Controversial Dam and the Birth of Modern Environmentalism | Robert Righter, 2006

Hooray for Hetch Hetchy | Bill Oliver, 2005 – courtesy of Planet Patriot

Dam!: Water, Power, Politics, and Preservation in Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite National Park | John W. Simpson, 2005

Ballad of Hetch Hetchy | Bernie Beldner, 2003 – courtesy of Planet Patriot

Yosemite – a Gathering of Spirit | Ken Burns, 2003

The Wilderness Idea | Lawrence Hott and Diane Garey, 1989

Wilderness and the American Mind | Roderick Nash, 1967

Two Yosemites | Sierra Club with David Brower, 1955

The Yosemite | John Muir, 1912

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