We work very hard to secure a bright water future for California, but we never do it alone. Our partners keep us innovating, researching and striving for a sustainable, clean and healthy water supply for all. This month, we’re highlighting San Joaquin Valley farmer Mark McKean, whose water stewardship stems from his deep agriculture roots…
California’s had a very wet winter, but more water on the surface doesn’t necessarily mean more water under our feet. Groundwater is a key resource for farms, communities and the environment, especially in times of drought. Many groundwater basins across the state are critically over-drafted, and replenishing our underground savings accounts in wet years to…
Sustainable Conservation Project Director Joe Choperena (left) and Madera Co. farmer Brian Davis in front of a vineyard intentionally flooded to refill depleted groundwater supplies. No matter where you live in California, chances are you’ve experienced firsthand the near-record rain and snowfall the state received these first months of 2019. And, forecasters aren’t telling…
There’s no denying the challenges facing California’s new governor. Punctuating Gavin Newsom’s January swearing-in was a chorus of critical issues calling for immediate action. Issues like affordable housing, immigration, healthcare, wildfires, climate change, education. He’ll need to juggle these skillfully while keeping the world’s fifth largest economy humming in the face of a slump experts…
A Path Forward, Together Farmers, trade groups, state agencies, academics and Sustainable Conservation staff filled the sold-out, inaugural California Dairy Sustainability Summit in Sacramento last week to showcase how the Golden State’s dairy industry is moving the needle on sustainability. Critical issues like conserving water, protecting air quality and water, boosting renewable energy and reducing…
Groundwater Recharge: Part of the Solution Something Californians can all agree on? We need to take a closer look at how we manage our water, and find new ways to be better prepared for dry times in our future. And, we need to do it together. Groundwater recharge isn’t an entirely new concept – in…
On November 6, Californians will go to the ballot box to vote on a raft of state propositions – 11 in total – from homelessness prevention, to improving children’s hospitals statewide, to establishing a permanent daylight savings time (that’s right, no more switching our clocks twice a year). One proposition in particular that’s important to…
A Closed Loop In California’s Pajaro and Salinas Valleys, aquifers are it. With almost no surface water coming to the Central Coast from further upstream, the region depends entirely on dwindling groundwater. As local aquifer levels go down, the space left behind draws seawater into the fresh water supply. Nutrients from fertilizer also make their…
Missed the live stream of our thought-leader panel, Conversations From the Field: Adapting to Extremes? Click below to hear diverse experts explore on-the-ground strategies for managing California’s rivers and runoff to protect human health, safety, and a sustainable water supply for people, wildlife and our economy. Moderated by Ashley Boren Executive Director, Sustainable Conservation…
In honor of Sustainable Conservation’s 25th anniversary, we are celebrating the thoughts and perspectives of people that have supported us along the way. Our first profile features Sally Liu, self-described “nature girl” and Advisory Board member, who has known and been involved with us since the early days of our Brake Pad Partnership. We’re…
Keeping California Leading When Sustainable Conservation opened its doors in 1993, we pledged to help California build a flourishing environment and economy by bringing diverse interests together, not dividing them. Over the past 25 years, we’ve worked with everyone, from community business owners to legislators and farmers to corporations, to protect our most important resources…
Building a Toolbox for Smart Water Management California recently passed landmark groundwater legislation aimed to help boost critically over-drafted groundwater basins statewide and build a more secure water future for communities, agriculture and the environment. Groundwater is a go-to resource for drinking and irrigating farmland, especially during our state’s frequent droughts. Under this law, regional…