About the Program
The San Joaquin Valley—California’s largest agricultural region and an important contributor to the nation’s food supply—is in a time of great change and growing water stress. New cooperative approaches are needed to bring groundwater basins into balance, provide safe drinking water, and manage water and land to benefit people and nature. Authors of a new PPIC study and a diverse group of experts will discuss key issues and solutions to some of the valley’s looming challenges.
This event is co-hosted by Fresno State’s California Water Institute and the PPIC Water Policy Center. The research was supported with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the TomKat Foundation, the US Department of Agriculture, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Water Foundation.
EVENT SPONSORS
Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy at the Lincoln Institute
Blue Diamond Growers
Bowles Farming Company, Inc.
California Water Service
The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation
Netafim
S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation
SWIIM System
Western Growers
The Wonderful Company
Woolf Farming and Processing
Agenda
8:30 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast
9:00 a.m. Welcome
Robert M. Harper, provost and vice president for academic affairs, Fresno State
Michael Frantz, co-owner, Frantz Wholesale Nursery
9:10 a.m. Presentation: Water and the Future of the San Joaquin Valley
Ellen Hanak, center director, PPIC Water Policy Center
9:45 a.m. Panel 1: Balancing the Valley’s Water Supplies and Demands
Moderator: Alvar Escriva-Bou, research fellow, PPIC Water Policy Center
Eric Averett, general manager, Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District
Katarina Buelna Campbell, supervisor of resources, Westlands Water District
Thomas Esqueda, associate vice president for water and sustainability, Fresno State
Ric Ortega, general manager, Grassland Water District
10:45 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. Panel 2: Managing for Water Supply and Water Quality
Moderator: Sarge Green, project director, Center for Irrigation Technology, Fresno State
David Cory, consulting attorney and farmer
Helen Dahlke, associate professor in integrated hydrologic sciences, UC Davis
Veronica Garibay, co-director, Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability
Anja Raudabaugh, chief executive officer, Western United Dairymen
12:00 p.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m. Panel 3: Valley 2040: Planning for Water and Land Use Transitions
Moderator: Nathaniel Seavy, research director, Point Blue Conservation Science
Vito Chiesa, supervisor, Stanislaus County
Bernard Jimenez, assistant director, Fresno County Department of Public Works and Planning
Soapy Mulholland, executive director, Sequoia Riverlands Trust
Jon Reiter, chief executive officer, Maricopa Orchards
1:25 p.m. Closing Remarks
Mas Masumoto, author and farmer
Event Videos
Balancing the Valley’s Water Supplies and Demands
Managing for Water Supply and Water Quality
Valley 2040: Planning for Water and Land Use Transitions
Contacts
Sarah Bardeen
Center Communications Manager
