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State of the Basin

  • International Agri-Center 4500 South Laspina Street Tulare, CA, 93274 United States (map)

The Tulare Basin Watershed Network hosted its first State of the Basin event on October 20, 2022 in Tulare, CA. This gathering was the first in-person meeting since 2019.

OVERVIEW OF THE EVENT:

The State of the Basin event focused on increasing awareness and insight to the challenges facing the Tulare Basin and how a whole watershed approach - connecting upper and lower elements - can significantly support resilience in the region.

Despite the challenges, this event’s focal point was on the viable pathways forward if we keep learning and acting together. Landscape-scale leadership and collaboration is essential for long-term success and the Tulare Basin Watershed Network is seeking to foster these capacities, develop new partnerships, and accelerate the pace and scale of innovative multi-benefit opportunities in the region.

The event brought together leaders, practitioners and experts from diverse industries and sectors to explore the environmental, economic, and social changes occurring in the region and the efforts that have real potential for impact in the region.

Speakers range from agricultural sector, conservation groups, GSA’s, local and state government agencies, socio-economic groups, and more.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH :

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, https://ucanr.edu/

Secure Water Future, https://securewaterfuture.net/

EVENT AGENDA:

8:30 - 9:00 AM | Registration

9:00 - 9:20 AM | Welcome

9:20-9:45 AM | Morning Keynote

  • E. Joaquin Esquivel, Board Chair, State Water Resources Control Board

9:45-10:20 AM | State of the Basin: Challenges and Solutions

  • Dr. Joshua Viers, Watershed Scientist Professor, UC Merced & Program Director, Secure Water Future

  • Angela Avery, Executive Director, Sierra Nevada Conservancy

10:20-11:00 | Solutions in Actions

  • Matt Hurley, General Manager, McMullin Area GSA/Tranquility RCD

  • Denise Kadara and Kayode Kadara, President, Allensworth Progressive Association

  • Lurana Strong, District Conservationist, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service

  • Joe Gardiner, National Sales and Marketing Manager, Treehouse California Almonds

11:00-11:15 AM | Break

11:15 AM - 12:30 PM | Panel: Landscape-scale Leadership for Resilience

  • Michael Hagman, Executive Director, East Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency

  • Reyn Akiona, San Joaquin Valley ecologist, & Executive Director and Owner of the ecological services company Valley Eco

  • Logan Robertson Huecker, Executive Director, Sequoia Riverlands Trust

12:30 - 1:45 PM | Lunch Keynote

  • Kamyar Guivetchi, Division Manager, California Department of Water Resources

1:45-2:00 PM | Break

2:00 - 3:00 PM | Priorities and Strategies Dialogue

3:00-3:15 PM | Break

3:15-4:00 PM | Forward-Looking Strategies

  • Daniel Mountjoy, Director of Resource Stewardship, Sustainable Conservation

  • Caitlin Peterson, Associate Director and Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California

  • Brian Grant, Chief of Operations, Nickel Farms

  • Dr. Rebecca Ryals, Assistant Professor of Agroecology, UC Merced,

4:00 - 4:30 PM | Closing Comments

EVENT RECORDINGS:

Due to technical limitations not all sessions were recorded.

Previous
August 18

Landscape-scale Resilience: Collaborating Across the Tule River and Deer Creek Watersheds