Don’t miss your chance to go deep into California’s water hub next month with our most popular annual tour, the Bay-Delta Tour May 17-19! Plus, registration is now open for the return of our Headwaters Tour June 21-22, with an optional rafting trip on the American River the day before.

See below for more details on both spring tours.

Bay-Delta Tour: May 17-19

The Foundation recently unveiled an online tour of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that offers a broad overview of the heart of California water as an interactive story map – its history and development, its importance as an ecological resource and water hub and the array of challenges it faces.

But you can get your boots on the ground next month to explore in person the state’s most critical and controversial water region during our once-a-year, don’t-miss opportunity — our Bay-Delta Tour May 17-19.

Reserve your spot now for a journey across the Delta, a 720,000-acre network of islands and channels that is a rich farming area, supports the state’s two large water systems – the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project – and together with the San Francisco Bay is also an important ecological resource. 

The vital hub in California’s complex water delivery system faces myriad challenges and you’ll engage directly with a diverse group of experts including water managers, environmentalists, farmers, engineers and scientists who are working to address them.

Among the variety of topics covered on the 3-day, 2-night tour, you’ll see up close how the drought-to-deluge of 2023 has affected the region such as the closing of the king salmon fishing season despite one of the wettest winters on record in California. Learn more about the tour and register here while tickets last!

Headwaters Tour: June 21-22

Registration is now open for the in-person return of our Headwaters Tour June 21-22! Venture with us into the foothills and mountains of the Sierra Nevada with experts to examine water issues that happen upstream but have dramatic impacts on water supply and quality downstream and throughout California.

With 30 percent of the state’s developed water supply originating high in the Sierra Nevada, millions of Californians are affected by the health of our forests that are suffering from a series of multi-year droughts and historically intense wildfires. 

This 2-day, 1-night tour starts and ends in Sacramento and travels up the American River watershed, around Lake Tahoe (where we overnight) and down the Yuba River watershed. During the tour, we will explore the effects of fire on water supply and quality, forest management research and practice, California’s tree mortality epidemic, meadow restoration and climate change impacts.

New this year, tour participants are also invited to join an optional whitewater rafting trip on the South Fork of the American River June 20! Expert guides will lead a group through the South Fork’s Lower Gorge to experience the excitement, challenge and direct connection to a watershed that comes with rafting. The memorable adventure is perfect for both novice paddlers and experienced river runners alike. Find more tour information and registration details here.