A new website has been launched to help tell the story of the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (HRL) program. The HRL program is a science-based, collaborative approach to restoring river health, floodplains, and natural landscapes, and continues to gain momentum as an important path forward for the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan update. Visit the New Website Developed by … Continue reading “A New Resource for Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, at a Pivotal Moment for California Water”

By Kam Bezdek, NCWA Legislative Affairs Director Legislative Affairs Director’s Note  One of the paramount reasons I enjoyed the Capitol when I began working in water policy was the fast-paced and action-packed nature of the work. Policy in California’s Capitol is lively and ever-changing, though a few overarching themes each year tend to pull the … Continue reading “Legislative Summary April 2026”

Last week, six remarkable women were honored at the Common Threads North Dinner and Awards Celebration for their leadership, service, and lasting contributions to agriculture and their communities: Anjanette Shadley, Manpreet Bains, Jackie Park-Burris, Toni Scott, Karen Mills, and Rose Tryon VanCott. Each of these honorees brings something unique to California agriculture—whether through advocacy, community … Continue reading “Personal Stories: 2026 Common Threads North Honorees, Featuring Anjanette Shadley”

Where Working Landscapes and Living Systems Thrive Together By David Guy There is a particular kind of beauty in the Sacramento Valley that does not announce itself with spectacle. It reveals itself more subtlety—in the slow spread of winter floodwaters across a rice field, in the sudden lift of thousands of snow geese at dawn, … Continue reading “Functional Beauty in the Sacramento Valley”