Remembering Bill Kier, 89, Water Policy Legend
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. He spent 16 years as a consultant for the California legislature, including over a decade as staff, and then director of the State Senate Office of Research and Policy Development, with notable successes in promoting wetlands protection, trail creation and access, and integrated pest management.
Bill helped former Interior Department water policy official Bill Davoren establish the nonprofit Bay Institute in 1981, where he later mentored a young program associate named Gary Bobker who is now FOR’s Program Director – one of many examples where Bill generously shared his experience and insights and nurtured the careers of numerous budding advocates for the environment.
His consulting firm, Kier Associates, played an important role in the process that eventually led to the removal of the dams on the Klamath River, and specialized in the development of new data management tools to support the restoration of salmonids and the healthy rivers they require to flourish. A world class raconteur who captivated listeners with his stories of environmental policy making and insider politics, Bill’s larger than life presence will be missed.
Note from the editor:
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