From our blog: Accelerating Restoration

Sustainable Conservation Celebrates the Reauthorization of a Vital Permitting Tool

October 22, 2026

Restoration projects throughout California come in all shapes and sizes. Practitioners often need to move quickly to take advantage of seasonal conditions, available funding, construction windows, and opportunities to improve habitat. Restoration-specific permitting pathways, like the HREA, have long track records of ensuring measures are in place to reduce temporary impacts, while enabling long-term environmental gains.

Accelerating Ecological Restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Suisun Marsh

September 28, 2026

Restoring wetlands and re-wetting soils are among the most direct tools the state has to reverse these effects while strengthening the Delta’s resilience to climate change and increasingly volatile weather. Meeting these goals will require restoration projects to move from planning to implementation at a faster pace and greater scale.

Riparian Restoration 101: Definition, Techniques & Benefits

July 9, 2026

At a glance Riparian zones (the thin ribbons of green along riverbanks) are California’s most wildlife-dense habitats, supporting over 225 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles. Read full summary ▾ Over the last 100 years, development and river regulation have destroyed between 90% and 95% of these critical corridors. Investing in riverbank restoration is a…

Sustainable Conservation’s Accelerating Restoration Team Receives Water Quality Stewardship Award 

May 11, 2026

At the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s April 15th meeting, Sustainable Conservation’s Accelerating Restoration team was honored with the Executive Officer’s 2025 Water Quality Stewardship Award. This year’s award recognized the decades of work the team has put into restoration permitting improvements to make habitat restoration faster, more effective, and more accessible across California.

A Snapshot of California’s First Nature-Based Solutions Summit

March 2, 2026

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.

Restoration Round-Up: A Scott River Restoration Story

December 9, 2025

“The Yurok Tribe worked hard to build a bridge, based on trust and mutual respect, between local tribes, local farmers and residents, and CalTrout,” said Barry McCovey, the director of the Yurok Tribe Fisheries Department. “Together, we are working to fix two of the biggest threats to salmon in the Scott River Valley by restoring fish habitat and modernizing water conveyance infrastructure. This mutually beneficial outcome could only be achieved through collaboration.”

Notes from the Field: Central Valley Climate Resilience Tour

October 31, 2025

On October 14th, more than 30 Sustainable Conservation community members, donors, Board members, and staff piled into a tour bus for a jam-packed day of sightseeing cutting-edge climate resilience projects throughout the Central Valley.

Restoration Round-Up: Arroyo Grande Creek Stream Gauge Modification Project

August 4, 2025

Investing in faster, more cost-effective regulatory processes for restoration pays dividends for both ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Thanks to a coalition of local partners led by Creek Lands Conservation (CLC), the Arroyo Grande stream gauge has now been modified to allow federally threatened South-Central California Coast (SCCC) steelhead to once again access eight miles of upstream spawning and rearing habitat.

Notes from the Field: Lagunitas Creek Watershed Enhancement Project Field Trip

July 2, 2025

On June 12th, Sustainable Conservation community members, program partners, and staff met up at Lagunitas Creek in Marin County to see the recent improvements to native fish habitat and stream functions through the Lagunitas Creek Watershed Enhancement Project — and to witness the positive impact of simplifying California’s permitting processes to implement restoration projects faster, more affordably, and at scale.

Restoration Round-Up: South Fork Ten Mile Habitat Enhancement

April 22, 2025

The Ten Mile River, flowing through coastal Mendocino County, provides vital habitat for California’s endangered coho salmon. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has been leading habitat restoration efforts in the Lower Ten Mile River watershed for over a decade. Their latest project, the South Fork Ten Mile Habitat Enhancement — Phase 2, represents a significant step in revitalizing key salmon habitat and restoring natural floodplain functions.