Late Sunday afternoon, January 26, while most of America was watching football with Taylor Swift, President Trump released an Executive Order water and fires. However, it does very little for the fire victims or LA water, will primarily benefit wealthy irrigators in the Central Valley, poses unprecedented threats to state law, and endangered species protection, creates risks to clean drinking water for millions of Californians, and initiates an onslaught of harassing interventions by federal agencies. OPEN TO LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP…

We have welcomed the New Year, and we want to express our deepest gratitude for your support. Thanks to your generosity and commitment to rivers, we have achieved our 2024 budget target. Your support in 2024 funded a year of impact and important wins. With your help we were able to…

After 15 years, the State Water Board is entering what could be the final year of its update of the water quality standards for the Bay-Delta estuary and watershed – but the warning signs that it will make the wrong decision are flashing…

FOR Program Director, Gary Bobker, breaks down President Trump’s recent tweet that wrongly blamed California water mismanagement for the fires in Southern California.

Governor Newsom recently made a pit stop on his California Jobs First press tour, where he touted the proposed Sites Reservoir and Delta Tunnel projects. During the conference, Newsom made questionable statements, both factually and culturally. Some of his statements even contradicted his own policies. Inside is a list of questions for Governor Newsom, to better understand the his positions—and the facts.

Devil’s Gulch Creek, in Samuel P. Taylor State Park, is a tributary of Lagunitas Creek, which flows into Tomales Bay from the wild north slopes of Mount Tamalpais. Lagunitas Creek hosts the largest remaining Coho salmon run in Central California. Devil’s Gulch is the most intimate place to see the Coho spawning…

One of California’s most knowledgeable and colorful water warriors, Bill Kier, passed away on November 14, 2024. He was 89. Bill spent his entire career working to conserve and protect the state’s endangered native fish and wildlife species from unsustainable water uses and other threats, starting in the late 1950s as a biologist at the California Department of Fish and Game, where he helped developed instream flow assessment methods and eventually became chief of the water projects branch…

Ever since the election on November 5, there’s been no lack of speculation about what exactly the return of Donald Trump to the White House will mean for all kinds of policies, from the economy and immigration to national security and international relations. But there’s no uncertainty about the consequences for the environment – it won’t be pretty….

The history of Friends of the River stretches back 51 years. That’s the same history timeline as the California Wild & Scenic Rivers Act.

Important histories deserve historians — and a written history. So, as we face a dark and challenging next four years, it’s perhaps important that our website now contains an 89-page referenced memo…

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED: In December and January, the State Water Resources Control Board is soliciting public feedback on the best way to protect fish and wildlife, water quality, and the ecological health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and the Central Valley rivers that feed it. The Board is also considering a “Voluntary Agreements” (VAs) proposal from the Newsom administration and big water districts that would allow even more water to be diverted. The VA approach means ecosystem collapse and species extinction…

Given the results of the November election, California’s role as a safety net is once again critical. So, it was disappointing to see the state move forward with proposed long-term operations of the State Water Project that will continue to jeopardize the existence of numerous native fish species. That’s why Friends of the River and other organizations filed a lawsuit against the Department of Water Resources on November 27 over the highly flawed Final Environmental Impact Report for long-term SWP operations of the SWP for its failure to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Every year during the holiday period I reflect upon the wondrous experience I had with my family along the Lower American Parkway, seeing the returning and spawning Fall-run Chinook and being able to appreciate the semi-wild river that flows through Sacramento and its suburbs…

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the Rendezvous by the River! It was an unforgettable evening filled with laughter, great music, and delicious food, all set against the stunning backdrop of the American River at Camp Lotus. Diane Wilkinson Catering served up a mouthwatering feast, delighting guests with her flavorful creations and The Street Wheelers rocked the night away, keeping everyone on their feet with an incredible mix of tunes that brought energy and fun to the event.

Read the article to learn how much we fundraised…

As Halloween approaches, one’s thoughts naturally return to movies with a disturbing supernatural theme — perhaps Night of the Living Dead and its zombie apocalypse spawn. Here at Friends of the River, of course, we have struggled with the animated corpses of dead dams walking. Among them are the distinctly creepy proposed Auburn and Temperance Flat dams and the Shasta Dam raise, and though we have knocked them down, it is not clear that they will not rise again. It is, after all, what zombies do.

Recently, a prominent U.S. politician apparently expressed his strong belief in his ability to reanimate the creepiest zombie the U.S. west has ever “planned”…

From the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific, California’s rivers are on the move, shaping ecosystems and communities alike. This round up of river news will take you on a journey through these dynamic waters, bringing you the latest updates from across the state.

There’s an unusual amount of news on California dams this month (some good news, or at least an opportunity for “I told you so” commentary), so put on your reading glasses and buckle up! But first let us start with a brief history....

It’s hard to believe that it could happen in the year 2024, but earlier this month the City of Bakersfield turned off the Kern River, causing a massive fish die off. The river shutoff was ostensibly to do maintenance in the river channel and save the water for future supply needs.

“People who care about their rivers would never do this,” said attorney Adam Keats, who represents Bring Back the Kern, one of the local groups working to restore the river...

On Monday, September 16, the State Water Resources Control Board “denied without prejudice” the water quality certification for the Sites Reservoir...

Friends of the River (“FOR”) and Tuolumne River Trust (“TRT”) worked together forty years ago to secure Wild and Scenic designation for the Tuolumne River. This July, the two non-profits collaborated again on behalf of the Tuolumne River...

After years in the making, the process to decide whether to issue a water rights permit for one of California’s biggest water boondoggles has begun. In August, the first hearings for the proposed Sites Reservoir were held by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Administrative Hearings Office. These proceedings, will ultimately determine whether or not the proposed reservoir is granted a water right, and, if so, under what operational conditions...

The hijacking of the process to update Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections happened twice, the first time by President Trump, the second time by Governor Newsom. But nobody’s laughing the second time around. Instead, Friends of the River and its allies are working to prevent a replay and ensure that new, stronger ESA regulations are ultimately adopted.

This year is the end of the 118th Congress’s two-year-long existence, and they usually save the best (or worst) for last. The Congress is likely to finish up early to go campaigning, but a lame-duck session could also be in the works. Here’s a few things we are keeping an eye on...

Exciting things are happening on the Lower Kern River. After more than half a century of being dewatered in most years, there’s a serious chance of getting the lower river flowing again.

Friends of the River mourns the passing of Lloyd Carter, 76, who played a key role in exposing the environmental catastrophe at Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge...

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) supplies electricity to much of northern California. It also has a somewhat diminishing large fleet of hydroelectric dams in the north state.

It’s also been going broke a lot, first because of the ill-advised energy deregulation under Governor Gray Davis some two decades ago, and second because in recent years its equipment has been burning down whole national forests and small mountain communities.

So, to raise some cash, PG&E proposed to create a subsidiary…

California makes its state water right decisions in the CalEPA building in Sacramento, the home of the State Water Resources Control Board. In a water-rights proceeding, you get to speak “on the record” to the Board or it Administrative Hearing Office by “protesting” the new or modified right. In the last year, FOR has protested the water rights of two major water projects…

The proposed Delta Tunnel has reached the water rights stage, and Friends of the River, alongside many partner organizations, submitted two formal “protests” of the Tunnel water rights applications…

Didn’t we just win some significant victories defending the state and tribal role (and our influence) to ensure that federal projects, licenses, and permits meet state/tribal clean water standards?… Nevada Irrigation District is taking another swing at state Clean Water Act Authority…

Threats to the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and McCloud River, illegal dam projects on state parks, and a small win for you…

This month we’ve created a compiled edition of Currents (CA water policy news), to keep you in the loop on recent happenings that affect California Rivers. Read on for updates about this water year, the California State Legislature, PG&E’s efforts to spin off its hydropower assets, and Sites Reservoir.