During the week, I’m the director of the California Vision Project for NRDC’s Water Program, where we work to protect rivers, lakes, estuaries and fisheries, and to promote improved water management practices that can meet human needs and adapt to the likely impacts of global warming. On the weekend, my connection to rivers runs deeper. My wife and I have lived in California most of our lives, where both of our families have lived for a century and a half. Every weekend and vacation, my parents took my brother, sister and me hiking in parks across California and the West. Now, it’s my turn to protect this natural legacy and help others explore it. For their 50th wedding anniversary, my sister and I rowed our parents down the Wild and Scenic Rogue River in Oregon. Every Fall, we take our nieces and nephew canoeing to watch wild salmon spawn in Northern California. For me, rivers are both my job and my hobby.
Posted February 6, 2012 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
Last week, I posted this piece about Southern California Urban Water Management Plans. Those plans show a significant trend toward investments in local supplies and reduced reliance on imported water. That trend is likely to grow, in part because of...continued→
Posted February 3, 2012 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
Last week, the Luskin Center at UCLA sponsored a conference called “The Future of Water in Southern California.” The conference lived up to its ambitious title. That event also prompted me to write about an interesting analysis of the plans...continued→
Posted December 12, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Last Tuesday, the Economic Roundtable released a report evaluating the economic benefits of local water supply projects in the Los Angeles area. The report provides some badly needed good news for Southern California’s water supply and economy. The 138 page...continued→
Posted December 9, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
Early next year, the Redford Center will release a documentary on the Colorado River called The River Red, directed by Mark Decena. (Take a moment to follow the film on Facebook) The film couldn’t come at a better time. The Colorado,...continued→
Posted November 17, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
Recently, a Memorandum of Agreement for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan process has attracted widespread criticism from members of Congress, the Sacramento Bee, the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle. Yesterday, the Contra Costa Water District and the...continued→
Posted November 11, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
OK, it might not get more YouTube hits than that dancing dog I saw recently, but this new Department of Water Resources video, ”A Climate of Change,” does an excellent job - in 12 short minutes - of summarizing the...continued→
Posted November 2, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Yesterday, the Southern California Water Committee unveiled a new public outreach effort focused on the Bay-Delta. Take a moment to look at their PowerPoint presentation. The takeaway message is that the Delta faces serious threats from earthquakes and climate change,...continued→
Posted August 18, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Curbing Pollution, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places, Solving Global Warming
The Colorado River flows as a slender thread through one of the driest regions in America. In addition to supporting natural beauty, recreation and critical ecosystems, the river provides precious water supplies for 30 million residents and four million acres...continued→
Posted July 29, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
In today’s San Jose Mercury News, Paul Wenger, of the California Farm Bureau Federation issues a caution about the limits to agricultural water conservation, citing rising prices in San Diego that are squeezing avocado farmers out of business. The article...continued→
Posted July 13, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Among the many radical provisions in H.R. 1837 (Nunes, CA), is a proposal to shut down the consensus restoration of the San Joaquin River. That bill has a long list of opponents and has received a raft of criticism in...continued→
Posted June 10, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the June 2 House Subcommittee hearing on Congressman Nunes’ H.R. 1837 was the lack of focus on solutions. California faces real water challenges, but the authors of H.R. 1837 have paid little regard to...continued→
Posted May 26, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
Next Thursday, the House of Representatives Water and Power Subcommittee will hold a hearing on perhaps the most radical bill on California water issues I’ve encountered in my career. H.R. 1837, introduced by Congressman Nunes (R, Visalia), would block federal...continued→
Posted April 12, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment
After years of being the state’s forgotten water management stepchild, the need to improve California’s nation-trailing groundwater management is beginning to get the attention it deserves. The latest development is the release of this report by the Association of California...continued→
Posted March 30, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
On Monday, the Bureau of Reclamation announced its revised water allocation numbers for the year. If you listen to certain water users and members of Congress, you’d think that the recent rains have allowed the CVP to increase its water...continued→
Posted March 28, 2011 by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
Building Rivers Blog Series A New Era of California Water Solutions Santa Monica and Other Cities Increase Water Self-Reliance The Yolo Bypass - Hiding in Plain Sight A Million Toilets Can't Be Wrong It’s a long tradition in California. ...continued→
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