Remembering Richard Chamberlain: A Voice for the Tuolumne River

John Amodio, TRT’s first Executive Director, testifying in favor of Wild and Scenic Status on the Tuolumne River along side Richard Chamberlain (far left).

The Tuolumne River Trust joins the conservation community in mourning the loss of Richard Chamberlain—not only a celebrated Hollywood actor, but a powerful, heartfelt advocate for the Tuolumne River. At the height of his career, Richard chose to lend his voice, visibility, and sincerity to protect something timeless and wild: a free-flowing river that would one day be protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

In the early 1980s, the Tuolumne faced a dire threat. Following the devastating loss of the Stanislaus River to dam development, advocates from across the state mobilized to prevent a similar fate for the Tuolumne. From commercial rafting guides and local anglers to family campers and concerned citizens, a growing coalition began to take shape. What was needed was someone to carry this message beyond the banks of the river and into the halls of power. Richard Chamberlain answered that call.

"Richard was indeed a difference maker," recalls John Amodio, Tuolumne River Trust’s founding executive director. “Not just because he publicly advocated for the river’s preservation at the height of his fame, but because he was a sincere, articulate, and genuine human being.”

Chamberlain testified before both Senate and House committees on behalf of the Tuolumne River. He spoke not as a celebrity, but as someone deeply moved by the river’s beauty and significance. He gave media interviews, attended public events in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and even traveled to Santa Barbara to personally thank Republican Representative Bob Lagomarsino for his support of the bill.

In a 1983 Senate hearing, Richard urged lawmakers to consider the Tuolumne’s irreplaceable natural and recreational values, framing conservation not as a political issue, but as a moral one. His ability to evoke emotion and inspire action made him what Amodio called “the poet of our campaign.”

Overview of the campaign to protect the Tuolumne River with Wild & Scenic status in the early 1980s. Featuring Richard Chamberlain, Pete Wilson (CA Senator - R), and Alan Cranston (CA Senator - D).

Interview with Richard Chamberlain on "People Are Talking," about the campaign to achieve Wild & Scenic status for the Tuolumne River

Working alongside legal and political strategists like Hope Babcock of the National Audubon Society, Richard helped translate grassroots passion into political momentum. His advocacy helped forge an unlikely but powerful coalition—including both Democratic and Republican champions—that led to the permanent protection of 83 miles of the Tuolumne River.

On September 28, 1984, Congress officially designated those 83 miles as Wild and Scenic, marking one of the greatest victories in the history of the Wild and Scenic Rivers system. It was a moment made possible by years of persistence, strategic organizing, and the heartfelt contributions of people like Richard Chamberlain.

Richard Chamberlain and friends on a river trip along the Tuolumne River, 1983.

Today, we paddle, hike, fish, and swim in the protected waters of the Tuolumne. We owe those experiences not only to tireless advocates and local organizers, but to those who used their platform to move hearts and minds.

Richard’s legacy lives on in the currents of the Tuolumne, in every bend of the river that remains wild and free. For his eloquence, generosity, and unwavering commitment, we are forever grateful.

Thank you, Richard, for standing with the river.