Environmental researchers, Tribal leaders, and government officials gathered at the fifth biannual Salton Sea Summit to evaluate ongoing ecological restoration efforts and outline long-term strategies for California’s largest lake. Hosted by the University of California, Riverside, and the Pacific Institute on Oct. 16–17 at UCR’s Palm Desert Center, this year’s summit—themed “Spotlight on Solutions”—focused on recent collaborative actions taken to address the sea’s escalating environmental and public health challenges. A primary focus of the two-day conference was the State of California’s Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project. Speakers highlighted the initiative’s creation of habitat ponds, which have successfully supported local fish and bird populations while suppressing dust emissions from exposed, dried lakebed—a major source of air quality concerns for surrounding Imperial and Coachella Valley communities.