… To navigate climate change in freshwater ecosystems, California must be bolder. Last year, my colleague Ted Sommer published a report outlining climate-smart conservation tools to help do just that. The report identifies immediate actions and recommends each watershed develop a portfolio of tools tailored to its needs. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) then asked: are these tools legal? The answer is yes. As outlined in PPIC’s recent report, laws such as the state and federal Endangered Species Acts are not, for the most part, barriers to using climate-smart tools. In many instances these laws just need to be approached differently. But this effort will require shifting direction on species protection, making hard choices, and learning to take risks. Where to start?

Other endangered species news:

• San Francisco Baykeeper: News release: Spring 2025 Endangered Species Act noncompliance by voluntary agreement parties