Session Coordinator: Keiko Mertz, M.S., Friends of the River

 

This session will examine how environmental nonprofits are shaping—and being shaped by—the regulatory and political landscape that determines the future of California’s rivers and salmon. Environmental decision-making is not confined to scientific data and agency reports; it is a contested battlefield where community voices, legal frameworks, and public trust values intersect with powerful economic and political forces.

 

Speakers will provide updates on the status of California water policy with a nexus to salmonids, highlighting current proceedings such as major water rights hearings, Delta operations, and dam removals and relicensings. The session will feature case studies illustrating how NGOs and Tribes leverage science, law, and advocacy to influence outcomes in these arenas. Presenters will also explore the broader implications for democracy and accountability when critical ecological decisions are made through complex regulatory processes that are often inaccessible to the public.

 

Through analysis of recent policy battles and relevant fisheries science, this session will shed light on both the obstacles and opportunities facing those working to protect salmon and rivers. The discussion will provide participants with a deeper understanding of the frontline role nonprofits play, the strategies being deployed, and what is at stake for salmon recovery in California