User:Matkatamiba/Mark Dubois

Mark Dubois (February 24, 1949) is an environmental activist, primarily focused on saving rivers. In 1972 he co-founded Environmental Traveling Companions (E.T.C.) to offer adventure trips to disabled persons and disadvantaged youth. In 1973, he co-founded Friends of the River to fight the flooding of the Stanislaus River by the New Melones Dam. He reached national fame when he chained himself to a rock on the banks of the river to prevent the flooding of the river. He also co-founded International Rivers in 1984, and served as the International Coordinator of Earth Day 1990. His personal papers from 1970-2002 are held by the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley.

Early Life
Mark Dubois was born in Sacramento 24 February 1949, and in his teen and adult years rafted and explored the Stanislaus River canyon. Being a canyon made of limestone, exploring caves was a significant part of his experience there. At the time, he was only dimly aware that the US Army Corps of Engineers was working on a dam that would eventually flood the river canyon he was falling in love with.

Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC)
In 1972, Dubois co-founded (with Fred Dennis) Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC or "etcetera") to introduce inner city kids to nature through rafting. The organization continues today with the same mission.

Friends of the River
Friends of the River was born in 1973 from the effort to put an initiative (Proposition 17) on the California ballot to save the river, led by Jerry Meral and Mark Dubois, among others. Although the initiative failed, the act of working to pass it brought together enough individual effort to create the foundation of an organization (some 30,000 volunteers gathered half a million signatures to qualify the initiative). By 1980 FOR had 3,000 members.

International Rivers Network
In 1984, Dubois co-founded the International Rivers Network (know known as "International Rivers"). The group aimed to encourage grassroots organizing against large dam projects, and redirecting international funding away from such projects.

Earth Day 1990
Dubois helped to organize the first International Earth Day in 1990. He also helped with the celebration in 2000.

Philosophical and/or political views
Dubois believes in the idea of “heart politics.” Similar to Gandhi’s appeal to our better nature, Dubois believes that individuals respond better to encouragement and appeals to their conscience. He tries to help transform anger into constructive action, and believes that by having fun doing it means that success is more likely.

Honors, decorations, awards and distinctions
Dubois gained national attention when he chained himself to a rock beside the rising reservoir behind New Melones Dam in May 1979 to force the Army Corps of Engineers to stop the filling or kill him. He was at least temporarily successful, as they stop filling the dam and he came out of hiding.

Video Resources

 * Forces of Nature. Environmental Elders Speak: Mark Dubois. October 9, 2012.
 * Miller, Craig, KQED. California Drought Revives a River -- And a Poignant History. October 2, 2015.
 * Kallen, Christian. Preview of Last River Lost. October 16, 2009.
 * Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2014. Mark Dubois Activating Millions from the Heart. January 31, 2014.