Events

Scientist Daniel Swain will address climate whiplash and the challenging road ahead for Western water managers during a morning keynote address Sept. 20 at the Foundation’s 35th annual Water Summit in Sacramento. Swain, who is widely quoted about his research and observations on drought, fires, rising temperatures and climate change, will provide the backdrop for this year’s summit theme, Facing Reality from the Headwaters to the Delta. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman will be the summit’s keynote luncheon speaker.

The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers are the two major Central Valley waterways that feed the Delta, the hub of California’s water supply network. Our last water tours of 2018 will look in-depth at how these rivers are managed and used for agriculture, cities and the environment. You’ll see infrastructure, learn about efforts to restore salmon runs and talk to people with expertise on these rivers. Early bird prices are still available!

This year’s summit follows the news that Tahoe’s famous water clarity in 2017 fell to the lowest levels ever recorded. The end of the most severe drought in a millennium followed by the wettest winter on record and record summer temperatures all combined to reduce the lake’s average annual water clarity to 59.7 feet. But one bad year does not make a trend.

Since the presidential forum in 1997, the annual Lake Tahoe Summit has become an important yearly gathering of federal, state, and local leaders dedicated to restoring and sustaining Lake Tahoe as one of our most precious environmental treasures.