When President Trump hit the ground running in late January with a slate of executive orders and other measures, no one was surprised to see federal environmental protections, services, and agencies strongly targeted. But his explicit linkage of federal disaster relief to radical changes in California water policy stood out even in the fire hydrant fountain of proposed actions. And Governor Newsom’s response – or lack of one – has also stood out…

As one might have expected, President Trump and his team were better prepared for their crusade to bend the federal and other governments to his will for his second term at playing President of the United States. That included a blizzard of executive actions in his first week. And yes, California drew some of his wrath….

It had always been a strange sideshow to the 2007-era negotiations surrounding the relicensing of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD) Upper American River (hydropower) Project (UARP). El Dorado County, which might have prioritized protecting and developing recreational amenities along the South Fork of the American River, was plainly focused on another prize…

I grew up spending summers in the Sequoia National Forest, in the Tule River watershed, at the family cabin my parents bought before I was born. Once school let out, my mom, my siblings, and I would head to the cabin, staying until the day before school started again. Along Highway 190, as you travel up the Middle Fork of the Tule River, we had several favorite spots to check out. My favorite—the one that still brings back the deep sense of home the mountains give me—is Stevenson’s Fall…

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....