Policy Brief Policy Brief: Storing Water for the Environment By Sarah Null, Jeffrey Mount, Brian Gray, Kristen Dybala ... Aug 22, 2022 To protect and restore California’s freshwater ecosystems and respond to the changing climate, California’s water managers must change how they operate reservoirs. Our policy brief offers recommendations for how to do this in a way that makes the most efficient use of scarce water for the environment while minimizing impacts on other water uses.
Report Exploring the Potential for Water-Limited Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley By Caitlin Peterson, Cameron Pittelkow, Mark Lundy Jul 20, 2022 As irrigated farmland comes out of production in the San Joaquin Valley, valley residents will face increased pests, weeds, and dust—as well as a loss of employment and economic activity. Water-limited cropping is one alternative to fallowing that can improve soil health and air quality, create habitat, and keep land in production.
blog post Health Risks Persist for Older Farmworkers as COVID Lingers By Paulette Cha Jun 16, 2022 The aging of California’s farmworker population means greater health care needs, especially as the pandemic continues. Low-income farmworkers who are undocumented immigrants may lack access to essential services.
Fact Sheet The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak, Greg Gartrell May 18, 2022 The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is California’s largest estuary and a vital hub in the state’s water supply system. Three interlinked issues currently face the Delta: an increasingly unreliable water supply, a decline in ecosystem health, and a fragile system of levees. Learn more about this key watershed in our new fact sheet.
blog post America’s Public Lands: A Bipartisan Political Success Story By Sarah Bardeen May 16, 2022 In an era marred by bitter partisanship, law professor John Leshy says that our public lands are one of the country’s greatest bipartisan achievements—and a shining political success story that’s worth emulating. Read our interview with him!
Policy Brief Policy Brief: Tracking Where Water Goes in a Changing Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta By Greg Gartrell, Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak May 16, 2022 The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta supplies water to roughly 30 million Californians, over 6 million acres of farmland, and countless ecosystems. But the watershed’s climate is changing: recent decades have seen record warmth, higher evaporation, and declining snowpack. We track where the water is going—and how to adapt.
blog post A Life Written in Water: Susan Tatayon Reflects on Her 40-year Career By Sarah Bardeen May 2, 2022 As the former chair of the Delta Stewardship Council, Susan Tatayon has a unique perspective on the state’s water woes. We asked her to reflect on all she has learned in her four-decade career in California water.
blog post Video: Farming in a State of Extremes By Sarah Bardeen Apr 26, 2022 Last week, we brought together a panel of experts to discuss how the drought is affecting California’s farming regions—and what steps could be taken to soften the economic blow and improve the state’s resilience.
Report Health Care Access among California’s Farmworkers By Paulette Cha Apr 25, 2022 Farmworkers are a key link in the food supply chain and important contributors to California’s economy. As farmworkers age, their health care needs are changing—and cost and lack of insurance are often barriers to care. While recent state and federal policies have made insurance more accessible, not all policies improved coverage among farmworkers.
blog post California’s Rivers Could Help Protect the State from Flood and Drought By Sarah Bardeen Apr 18, 2022 Ecosystem restoration expert Julie Rentner of the nonprofit River Partners spoke with us about the benefits of restoring rivers—particularly in a warming and more volatile climate.
