Mendota and the Delta Smelt

First, I'm so sorry for the lack of posting this past month. We have been really busy since we're in peak wedding season, and it just takes a lot more work to keep up two blogs! To view the wedding stuff, feel free to check out this blog: www.alisonyinweddings.com/blog

Now, onto the post. A little while ago, I had the good fortune to do my first assignment for the Washington Post. I met up with their reporter Dave Fahrenthold in the small town Mendota (pop. 9600), which is west of Fresno and south of Merced in the Central Valley. The town is suffering from a 41% unemployment rate due to a lack of water, which is a combo of drought and the water pumps being turned off in an effort to save the delta smelt, which are on the endangered species list. We had a long day of exploring Mendota, touring farms, photographing an impromptu visit from Arnold, and then a long drive to the Delta estuary. For more information, here is the article.

On to the photos...

My welcome sign into Mendota:


Mendota Mayor Robert Silva outside of of his two grocery stores:


People of Mendota hanging out because there is no work:




Fixing the drip system before it gets leaks because they can't afford to waste any water. The drip system uses ground water, which is pretty much their main water source right now.


Arnold's guest appearance:


Our quick trip to the Delta estuary:




Photos by Alison Yin