Our Blog
A Healthy Soils Week Conversation: Tawny Mata on Healthy Soil Practices as a Strategy for Resilience
To kick off Healthy Soils Week, we spoke with Dr. Tawny Mata, Director of the Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), about healthy soil practices, groundwater resilience, and what it takes to bring science from research into real-world agricultural management. Healthy Soils Week highlights the essential…
Welcoming New Policy Director Lauren Navarro
Join us in giving Sustainable Conservation’s new Policy Director, Lauren Navarro, a warm welcome!
Notes from the Field: Sunol Valley Fish Passage Project
The Alameda Creek watershed covers an area of nearly 700 square miles and is populated by over 200,000 people. For decades, migrating fish in Alameda Creek were blocked by a gas pipeline and concrete barrier that crossed the creek in Sunol Valley.
GroundwaterRecharge.org: Who is Recharge for?
Recharge is a practice that Sustainable Conservation has championed for over a decade largely because of the myriad beneficiaries it creates. The “Recharge For…” dropdown menu focuses on specific benefits and resources for growers, water districts and groundwater sustainability agencies, communities, ecosystems, and policymakers.
Richael Young: Why Groundwater is More Important than Ever
“Sustainable Conservation’s team is hard at work to scale recharge and its multi-benefit opportunities. Recharge allows us to capture water in wet years, store it underground, and make it available in dry years.”
A Snapshot of California’s First Nature-Based Solutions Summit
On January 29, 2026, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) hosted California’s first Nature-Based Solutions Summit, bringing together a diverse group of leaders to share experiences, offer insights, and discuss next steps. Nature-based solutions are not a side dish; they are the full meal. They are investments in public safety, economic resilience, workforce development, and cultural restoration.
Recharge and Beyond: A New Viewer for Multibenefit Land Repurposing
With California’s landmark groundwater regulations coming into effect, pumping groundwater to irrigate agriculture at its current acreage is unsustainable in some regions. Without alternatives, land managers might be left with idling their land as the most affordable option, but this can contribute to dust, pollution, weeds, pests, and other negative impacts for neighboring farms and nearby communities — all while providing no earning potential.
Soil Health Meets Recharge: Lessons from the Field
Cover crops are a known practice in California agriculture for reducing water runoff, increasing the amount of water that can infiltrate and stay in the soil, improving biodiversity, limiting groundwater pollution, and supporting better air quality, among other benefits. But under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), concerns persist about whether cover crops “count against” growers’ limited water budgets and begs the question, is cover cropping worth the risk?
CEO Column: Josette Lewis’ Reflections to Start 2026
“There is no miracle prescription that will solve all of California’s climate and natural resource challenges, but a combination of science-backed solutions that can be feasibly scaled across the state is what gives me hope right now.”
2026 California Leopold Conservation Award Applications Now Open
Applications are now being accepted for the 2026 California Leopold Conservation Award®.
Welcoming New Board Members Ellen Hanak and Nicole Montna Van Vleck
Join us in giving Sustainable Conservation’s newest Board Members, Ellen Hanak and Nicole Montna Van Vleck, a warm welcome!
Welcoming New Staff Member Taylor Fridrich
Join us in giving Sustainable Conservation’s newest staff member, Taylor Fridrich, a warm welcome!