Our Blog
Meet the 2021 California Leopold Conservation Award Finalists
Photos: Paolo Vescia for Sustainable Conservation. When it comes to keeping California leading in conservation, our landowners are key front-line defenders of the environment. Over 50% of all land in California is privately owned, and how people manage this land has a dramatic effect on our environment, from combatting climate change, to boosting clean air…
Introducing Mikayla Tran
We’re excited to introduce a new Grizzly Corps member to our team this month: Mikayla Tran! Mikayla Tran (she/her) is excited to be serving with Sustainable Conservation in Modesto, California during the 2021-2022 GrizzlyCorps term. As a fellow, she will assess opportunities for SGMA and CV-SALTS to drive better outcomes in water and sustainable agriculture.…
NPR Highlights Importance of Groundwater Replenishment in California
Don Cameron examines his almond orchard during a recharge event at Terranova Ranch. Photo: Paolo Vescia In case you missed it, this excellent story on how groundwater recharge can help balance our underground savings accounts features partners like Don Cameron, Aaron Fukuda, and U.C. Davis researchers. It’s also a testament to the hard work and…
2020 Annual Report
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION IN 2020. As you know, the ethos of Sustainable Conservation is collaboration – with our partners, and with you, our community of donors. Your generosity and solidarity make Sustainable Conservation’s work possible! With the hurdles that we all continue to face, it means so much to have you in…
Science Brief: Water Solutions in our Soil
Sustainable Conservation’s Elliot Grant and Kelli McCune work diligently to sleuth out soil health and conservation incentive solutions. We hope you enjoy this excerpt from the latest issue of our Thrive California newsletter. We can support healthy soils – and the water quality and climate solutions they provide – by bringing a time-worn method back…
Building a Sustainable Economy: Meet Adán Ortega
Behind every environmental win in California are the people who work to make collaboration and progress possible. We couldn’t do what we do every day without folks who are willing to think differently, see possibilities, and make change together. We sat down with Adán Ortega, long-time Board member and supporter, to learn about why he…
PPIC Restoration Panel Speaks to Smarter Permitting, Watershed Solutions
Advancing Ecosystem Restoration with Smarter Permitting panelists (left to right): Moderator Letitia Grenier (2020 PPIC CalTrout Ecosystem Fellow and resilient landscapes program manager, San Francisco Estuary Institute), Heather Dyer (CEO/general manager, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District), Xavier Fernandez (planning manager, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board), Erika Lovejoy (program director, accelerating restoration,…
Sustainable Conservation Releases Key Water Quality Guidance for On-Farm Recharge
Over 600,000 Californians rely on nitrate-contaminated public supply wells for their household water needs. Many others struggle with contaminated groundwater from private, domestic wells – so the numbers are even greater. Recharging groundwater with water quality as a top priority will help the San Joaquin Valley – our nation’s premier farming region – manage through…
San Joaquin Valley Leadership Community Makes Strong Case for Aquifer Recharge
As California faces another historic drought and climate change forever alters our collective understanding of water, we’re motivated and inspired by our San Joaquin Valley Regional Committee’s (SJVRC) leadership, trust, and vision for a sustainable water future. Planning for Future Wet Years Groundwater recharge is a key part of our drought resilience, and planning for…
A Look Back on Feeding the Future
A resounding THANK YOU to everyone who joined us this spring and summer for our Feeding the Future event series! From food waste and soil health, to dairy production and California water, how we grow, package, distribute, prepare, and even throw away our food matters – both for human health and for our environment. We’re…
A Decade of Recharge Leads to Statewide Solutions
As California braces for drought and speculates about its severity, it’s easy to focus on “farms vs. fish” and other contentious headlines swirling in the news. Sustainable Conservation’s decade-plus of experience guiding groundwater recharge in the field and at the state level means we have a balanced view of our current water realities, and our…
Feeding the Future: Solutions in our Soil
Missed the latest webinar in our new Feeding the Future series? We’ve got you covered with highlights and a full recording of the event. Sustainable Conservation’s Project Director of Conservation Incentives Kelli McCune moderated a fantastic panel of experts who discussed soil-health systems thinking, beneficial practices, and our interconnected health. Our panel included Dr. Timothy Bowles,…