California Poppies bloom on a hillside near Lake Oroville. Credit Nick Shockey and CA Department of Water Resources
From February to June this year, Sustainable Conservation hosted four webinar discussions within the overarching theme of Climate Resilience in Action. Climate resilience is a primary outcome of the organization’s work across its four main program areas, and the impetus of this series was to show concrete, on-the-ground examples of solutions that bolster climate resilience for people and nature alike.
Sustainable Conservation would like to extend its utmost appreciation to all those who came together to make this webinar series such a success. Our four staff members moderated panel discussions comprised of nine total guest experts who brought these topics to life, as did the 700+ attendees who engaged the panelists with questions in real time, follow-up discussions, and more. If you missed any or all of this spring’s installments, feel free to catch up with recaps and recordings below — and make sure to stay tuned when the fall webinar series rolls around.
Part 1: Continuing the Conversation with Dr. Daniel Swain
Back by popular demand, the Climate Resilience in Action webinar series kicked off with a conversation between Sustainable Conservation CEO Ashley Boren and climate scientist Dr. Daniel Swain. Dr. Swain spoke to California’s shifting climate patterns and what recent extreme events, most notably the devastating and record-breaking January wildfires in Southern California, tell us about the road ahead.
Together, they discussed how we can move beyond crisis response toward proactive strategies that enhance resilience—ensuring a more sustainable future for California.
Part 2: Healthier Forests, Safer Communities
Fire has always been a natural part of California’s landscapes and is vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems. However, climate change is bringing more frequent, intense, and destructive wildfires to our cherished lands and communities.
The second webinar in our Spring 2025 series saw Accelerating Restoration Senior Project Manager Stephanie Falzone sit down with Connor Gilmartin, Assistant Director of the Butte Fire Safe Council; Julie Howard, CAL FIRE Forest Health Program Manager; and Margo Robbins, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Cultural Fire Management Council, who all shared insights on mitigating today’s fire risks with an intentional mix of traditional cultural knowledge and modern fire suppression.
Part 3: Restoring Rivers for Flood Protection
In the third webinar of Sustainable Conservation’s Climate Resilience in Action series, we turned our focus to flooding — often recognized as the other side of the increasingly dramatic hydroclimate pendulum. Aysha Massell, Sustainable Conservation’s Water for the Future Program Director, sat down with American Rivers’ Sarah Puckett and River Partners’ John Cain to explore how natural floodplains and restored rivers can reduce the state’s increasing flood risk while providing critical habitat, safeguarding water supplies, and protecting communities.
Both Cain and Puckett emphasized that through smart river restoration and floodplain re-connection, communities and ecosystems can be better prepared for a future shaped by extreme weather and complement existing drought and fire strategies to build a healthier, more resilient California.
Part 4: Shared Waters, Shared Solutions
The grand finale of the Climate Resilience in Action webinar series focused on the collaborative and interconnected nature of water solutions for people, agriculture, and nature. Ryan Flaherty, Sustainable Conservation’s Senior Director of Circular Economies, moderated an expert panel comprised of Eddie Ocampo, Director of Public Affairs, Self-Help Enterprises; Rebecca Kaser, Owner and Farmer, Avellar-Moore Farms; and Walter “Redgie” Collins, Legal and Policy Director, CalTrout.
Eddie, Rebecca, and Redgie reflected on how water sustains communities, agriculture, and ecosystems differently, but climate-resilient solutions such as groundwater recharge can produce simultaneous water benefits for all three of these interests. Water being a shared resource does not mean that water consumption is a competitive, zero-sum game — our panelists agreed that a shared resource demands shared solutions.
Many thanks to Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Wilson Sonsini Foundation, and Jennifer Hernandez of Holland & Knight for sponsoring our Spring 2025 webinar series and for sharing Sustainable Conservation’s vision of stewarding California’s most precious resources for the benefit of nature and people. Interested in our webinar sponsorship opportunities? Contact jmerryweather@suscon.org.
Thank you once again to all our speakers, sponsors, and attendees for being part of these powerful conversations. We look forward to reconnecting this fall for our next webinar series—theme, topics and guests to be determined!