Happy new year to you and your family and friends. Thank you for being part of the Sustainable Conservation community! A more sustainable water future is possible, and our climate resilience matters now more than ever. We’re grateful for your generosity and steadfast support and are proud to celebrate 30 years of sustainable and transformational success for California’s environment, economy, and people.
Our early-2023 deluge highlighted how important Sustainable Conversation is, and how our collaborative and patient approach is not just necessary, but vital, for real systemic change in our state.
As we look back, we hold immense gratitude for everything you help us do, and we look forward to another three decades of change.
2023 IN REVIEW
Thanks to you, we acted fast in our early-year deluge to capture floodwater with ready and willing growers – three times more than ever before. We hosted a field day for our state agency, water manager, grower, and media partners, translated our water quality guidance into Spanish, and worked tirelessly to make 2023 our watershed moment.
Thanks to you, we launched our Solutions in our Soil program to investigate the soil-water nexus in California. We released a cornerstone report with six recommendations for further research and collaboration, explored cover crops’ potential in the Central Valley, and toasted our latest official program with our spring newsletter and launch party.
Thanks to you, we celebrated our spectacular dual restoration wins in Sacramento with a bash honoring all the state agency and restorationist community members who make this critical work possible. We also featured the amazing habitat restoration projects on the ground that used these permits, and launched an exciting permitting hub to help restorationists around California get their projects done.
Thanks to you, we hosted another year of successful webinars highlighting our new soil health program and our catalytic watershed approach. Many of you connected with us to learn how healthy soils can help ease our water woes, and how we’re working on watershed-scale solutions to change the way water is managed in California. Thanks also to our generous series sponsors Environmental Science Associates, Holland & Knight, Iron Horse Vineyards, and Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery for supporting these gatherings.
Thanks to you, we capped off our 30th anniversary in style with a gala celebration in November in San Francisco! Our California Conservationists grew, and your generous, increased support helped us meet three matching gift challenges from the Emmett Family Foundation, John Dawson, and Michael Spiegelman.
Thanks to you, we honored more dedicated California land stewards his year with the Leopold Conservation Award, and celebrated two amazing finalists in their efforts to leave the land better than they found it for future generations.
And, thanks to you, we welcomed six new team members to help us succeed in our next 30 years! From storytelling to soil health, your generosity drives our staff and our work. You inspire us every day, and your partnership is a beautiful reminder of our individual and collective power to be environmental champions.
2023 tested us again, but we met these challenges together. Because of you, we’re ready for the next thirty years of safeguarding California’s most precious natural resources for all.