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:

There is no question 2025 is starting off with tremendous challenges. The new administration is signaling priorities that will have devastating impacts to California rivers and water. Climate change, moving at the speed of fire, is creating an ongoing catastrophe in Southern California, the magnitude of which we are just beginning to understand. The clash of opposing political views, the misinformation, the policy turmoil around fire prevention, mitigation, rebuilding, housing, and water in response to the fires portends the intensity of need for reasoned, experienced voices who can represent rivers, water, and environmental justice in the mud wrestling arena. FOR will be there for you.

Going forward in 2025, FOR is solidly committed to continue our ongoing priorities of influencing public policy, stopping the Triple Threat, restoring the San Joaquin, protecting the American River, Sacramento River and San Joaquin River tributaries, and more. We will also be growing our ability to inspire citizen action by adding a full-time position to our staff, which will focus on community engagement. Please see the job description below.  

Lastly, I want to make sure you have these dates on your calendar:

Edward Abbey said “Be loyal to what you love, be true to the earth, fight your enemies with passion and laughter.”  My commitment to you is to help us all find joy in our shared vision and to work together. I refuse to spend the next 4 years in fear, doom and gloom. I may have reverted back to getting my news from the comedy shows, but my passion and laughter to go forward and fight is undiminished.”

Much Love,

Jann Dorman

Executive Director

In this month's Currents we spotlight critical obstacles and opportunities for California’s water future. First, we explore the State Water Board’s long-delayed Bay-Delta Plan update, sharing concerns about the lack of action to protect the estuary from ecosystem collapse, and we describe what would constitute defensible, science-based regulations. Next, we break down President Trump’s recent controversial tweet linking California’s water policies to wildfires, offering alternative facts (wink) and countering misinformation. Lastly, we fact-check some of Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent remarks on water infrastructure in an easy-to-read Q and A format.

Morning poppies along the Merced River. FOR Archives.

On his first day in office, Trump moved forward on his promise to gut environmental protections. Of the more than 200 Executive Orders (EO) he signed since taking office, some focused on California water. For example, the EO Putting People over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern California, which directs the Secretary of the Interior and a slew of federal agencies to work to "route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state." Additionally, in an EO that rescinded over 70 Biden-era EOs, Trump rescinded Executive Order 13990, which, among other things, had previously instructed the EPA to revise or replace a 2020 Trump Clean Water Act rule that limited State's abilities to protect their waters. The Biden-era EPA successfully updated the rule, but this EO signal's intent by the Trump administration to take another swing at the Clean Water Act.

More to come.

River Favorites: Devil's Gulch Creek

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…

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A major California river dried up below Yosemite. The reason was a mystery — until now (San Francisco Chronicle)

Friends of the River's Keiko Mertz was quoted in this article about the Merced River running dry for four whole months in 2022--and what caused it. The article is a deep dive into the dry conditions, the Water Board's subsequent investigation, and limitations of the California water rights system.

Feds may raise the dam at this Fresno County lake. That doesn’t mean they should (Fresno Bee)

Friends of the River's Ron Stork was quoted in this opinion piece about the proposal to raise Pine Flat Dam on the Kings River. The author poignantly argues that expanding the dam's capacity by 120,000 acre-feet will not necessarily lead to a significant increase in water supply.

Fishing on the North Fork Kings River, FOR Archives.

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…

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HIRING: Engagement Manager

Join Friends of the River as our Engagement Manager and help protect California’s rivers! This full-time role is perfect for a passionate advocate ready to inspire action, build coalitions, and create meaningful connections with volunteers and partners. From organizing outdoor adventures to driving impactful campaigns, you’ll be at the heart of efforts to preserve our waterways. Based in Sacramento, this position offers competitive pay, great benefits, and the chance to make a real difference. Love rivers? Apply today!

Headwaters - Accepting Submissions

Friends of the River's Headwaters Magazine is a beautiful repository of articles about rivers and river recreation, opinion pieces, policy analysis, river news, art, photographs, and more.

We welcome submissions of articles that speak to the six areas in which we work for the protection of California's rivers. These areas are hydropower reform, saving and storing water, restoring flows, flood management, legal and regulatory protections, and inspiring citizen action. We also welcome submissions of visual art, creative writing, poetry, and photos that are centered around rivers and nature more broadly.

Not sure what to submit? Let's work together. More info here. Please email keiko@friendsoftheriver.org to discuss a submission.

Please consider a generous gift to help FOR fight the Triple Threat to Rivers. This will be a critical year to stop Sites Reservoir, the Delta Tunnel and the Voluntary Agreements.