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Join WSN for a virtual workshop focusing on Water Code Section 1707 Instream Flow Dedication — a tool for keeping water in our streams, straight from the people shaping its future!
Our speakers include opening remarks from Joaquin Esquivel, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, Julie Rentner, President of River Partners, and Alex Hart, who serves on the American Farmland Trust and California North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, moderated by Erik Ekdahl, Chief Deputy Director of the State Water Resources Control Board. Come be a part of the conversation as they discuss the potential of 1707 instream flow dedications, the challenges to making them work, and the opportunities to improve access for water rights holders across California.

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In this workshop, our speakers Reyn Akiona, Abigail Hart, and Ivy McElroy shared their insights on the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) and helped drive powerful discussion in a Fish Bowl exercise and in the Breakout groups. Our workshop presenters reviewed the complexities of funding and negotiating projects. They also shared examples of successful MLRP projects  which others can learn from and adapt for their own purposes. Dave Orth was the wonderful MC during this workshop.

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California’s next governor will inherit natural systems changing faster than our institutions are currently designed to respond. Across water, forests, agriculture, conservation, fire, flood, biodiversity, infrastructure, and community resilience, the challenge is beyond having good programs or committed people. The challenge is whether we can align decision-making, funding, relationships, and day-to-day management across the fragmented agencies, jurisdictions, and managers that actually shape the health of our watersheds and communities.

During our conversation, participants from across sectors and geographies helped to identify the values, priorities, and practices that should guide California’s next gubernatorial administration. The workshop focused the discussion on how the administration can build trust and accelerate opportunities for innovation and alignment.

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California has recognized the human right to water in law, but for many communities that right is still not fully realized. Thank you to Kelsey Hinton from the Community Water Center and Jessi Snyder from Self-Help Enterprises, who shared the projects that their organizations are working on to ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable drinking water. In this virtual workshop, Horacio Amezquita, Board Member, Monterey Water Keeper, also shared his personal experience with the Human Right to Water and shared how members in his community of San Jerardo are directly affected by unsafe drinking water. Thank you to Martha Guzman-Aceves who emceed this virtual workshop.

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The Watershed Solutions Network and the WATER Institute at Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (OAEC) explore how beavers can help us restore healthier, more resilient watersheds.

Kate Lundquist, WATER Institute Director; Grey Hayes, PhD, Beaver Coexistence Program Manager; and Brock Dolman, WATER, RCD/Permaculture & Wildlands Program Director, share insights from their Bring Back the Beaver Campaign and introduce the California Beaver Help Desk, a statewide resource created to help landowners, managers, and communities turn "beaver problems into beaver solutions.”

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Prop 4 authorizes $10 billion in bonds to address climate-related risks, including water quality, wildfire prevention, and environmental protection. WSN organized this workshop to reflect on how we can leverage Prop 4 funding to get to cross-sector, watershed-scale action, where appropriate.

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During the workshop, the speakers engaged in a candid conversation about the challenges and opportunities of partnering with non-Tribal leaders and organizations. The discussion is followed by Q&A.

Special thanks to our panelists:

Emily Burgueno - Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel Tribal Citizen and Kumeyaay Diegueno Land Conservancy Chairwoman

Trina Cunningham - Maidu Water and Fire Cultural Practitioner

Jazzmyn Gegere - Director of the Cultural Resource Preservation Department, Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation

Thanks for joining us for the CA LiDAR Coverage Celebration hosted by Watershed Solutions Network and the California Water Data Consortium to celebrate the incredible achievement of near-statewide LiDAR data coverage, a milestone that strengthens our shared ability to advance forest resilience, watershed management, climate adaptation, and more.

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During the Workshop, we explore how and why moments of chaos are ripe with opportunity. Chaotic moments can illuminate otherwise hidden drivers, values, and assumptions. It offers opportunities for transformation. The panelists reflect on instances when chaos creates opportunities to advance policies and solutions that would otherwise be impossible, such as SGMA and Safe Drinking Water. As one closing sentiment captured: the path forward begins with hope, connection, and the willingness to reach out and share new ideas.

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Larry Yee, WSN Advisory Council Member & Former Director of the UC Hansen Agricultural Center, and James Ferro, WSN Network Member & Western Energy Management Lead at Hazen and Sawyer help us explore how the Food Commons model offers a blueprint for equitable, sustainable, and resilient regional food economies that connect farmers, businesses, and communities in new ways.

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Effective problem-solving requires shifting from reductive thinking to a systems approach in an increasingly interconnected world. This workshop introduces the foundational Systems Thinking concepts and provides hands-on experience in mapping and analyzing complex systems. Participants explored feedback loops, leverage points, and system dynamics, equipping them with practical tools to tackle challenges in water management, conservation, and beyond.

Special thanks to speakers James Ferro, Melissa Gunter, and Larry Yee.