Only a few seats are left on the bus for our Northern California Tour on Oct. 22-24 that journeys across the Sacramento Valley from Sacramento to Redding with visits to Oroville and Shasta dams!

One of our most popular tours, it will not be offered in 2026 so don’t miss this opportunity for a scenic journey through riparian woodland, rice fields, nut orchards and wildlife refuges while learning from experts about the history of the Sacramento River and issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply. Other stops include Red Bluff Fish Passage Improvement Project, rice farms, Battle Creek, Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Only a handful of tickets are left, so claim your seat on the bus here!

Water Education Foundation Honors Colorado River Reporter Alex Hager with Annual Journalism Award

The Water Education Foundation has named Alex Hager, KUNC’s reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, as this year’s recipient of the Rita Schmidt Sudman Award for Excellence in Water Journalism.

The award recognizes Hager’s clear, deeply sourced reporting that helps the public understand the people, policies and ecosystems tied to one of the West’s most important rivers, said Jenn Bowles, the Foundation’s Executive Director. Hager’s work reaches audiences across the basin and airs nationally on NPR programs such as All Things Considered, Science Friday and Marketplace.

“I’m deeply grateful for this recognition from the Water Education Foundation,” Hager said. “The Colorado River is the lifeblood of our region, yet so many people who rely on it don’t know where their water comes from or the challenges the river is facing. I was one of those people until I started this job. It has been a delight and a challenge to learn about the science and policy that shape our shared resource along the way.”  

Read more here about Hager and the Foundation’s annual journalism award.

Our Latest Western Water Article Explores Decision Making Under Uncertainty

The seven Colorado River states are racing to meet a Nov. 11 deadline from the Interior Department to signal whether they believe they can reach agreement on a new long-term operating strategy for the river’s dams and reservoirs. But climate change and a now-quarter-century-long drought have pushed relationships between the states to the breaking point.

Over the past two decades, scientists, engineers and water managers have turned to long-term reconstructions of climate patterns and global climate models to better understand what the future might bring to the iconic Southwestern river. Despite that, they’ve been repeatedly blindsided after conditions on the river proved even worse than predicted.

Now, the federal Bureau of Reclamation is bringing a radically different style of thinking to the negotiating table. Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty helps water managers test potential operating strategies against a far wider range of possible scenarios than has ever been considered before.

Read more about the concept and how it works in Western Water.