Since World War II and a booming state population that
increasingly sought out the great outdoors to relax, the state’s
water-based recreational activities have continued to grow more
popular and diverse, occurring in a multitude of sources –
from swimming pools and spas to beaches, reservoirs, natural
lakes and rivers.
Public water supply projects, such as the State Water Project,
have helped to provide additional recreational opportunities for
Californians. In some cases, reservoir releases can contribute to
downstream recreation benefits by improving fisheries or by
creating whitewater rafting opportunities that would not be
possible in the absence of reservoir regulation. However, there
are conflicting values and needs for the same river system.
The Merced Irrigation District has issued a Request for
Qualifications (RFQ) for the future recreation management of
MID’s land around Lake Yosemite. … Lake Yosemite and
some surrounding land is owned by MID. The lake serves a vital
role in its irrigation and water management operations.
… The County of Merced entered into an agreement with
MID in 1976 that allowed the County to develop and operate
recreational facilities at the lake. With the upcoming
expiration of the agreement on January 31, 2026, MID will open
recreation management of Lake Yosemite to a potential new
operator – or operators – with the vision of improving and
expanding the current facilities and opportunities.
Just months after the federal government closed on a land
exchange with a billionaire, a proposal to institute a permit
system on the Blue River has ignited a conversation about river
access and fishery health in Colorado. … Blue Valley
Ranch, a more than 2,000-acre property owned by billionaire
Paul Tudor Jones II, and the nonprofit Friends of the Lower
Blue River say a permit system is necessary to manage the
negative impacts of increasing fishing pressure. … As
part of the exchange, the ranch has agreed to cover the costs
of river restoration work for a three-quarter-mile stretch of
the Blue River near its confluence with the Colorado
River. … Anglers who opposed the land swap because
they felt it was tilted toward private interests, said they see
the proposed permit system as the continuation of an effort by
a landowner to restrict public access to the river.
The original 50-year license for facilities at the Oroville Dam
[anchor dam of the State Water Project] expired in 2007,
leaving operations running on a year-to-year basis. …
Oroville Mayor David Pittman explained that the facilities
bring in about $200,000 annually to the local community.
However, a pending 50-year deal could bring a billion dollars
in recreational investments and additional annual benefits. The
delay in re-signing the license lies with the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission or FERC, according to
Pittman. … Despite the hold-up, Congressman Doug
LaMalfa defended FERC’s actions, explaining that they must seek
sign-off from environmental committees.
… Conflicts between river uses and property owners date back
decades in Colorado, a state that has the murkiest access laws
in the country. Courts have handed down rulings in contentious
lawsuits involving access on the Arkansas River and Colorado
River. Attorneys general have written opinions. Lawmakers have
tried twice to clear the waters around floating and wading
through private lands. And now, there’s even a split in a newly
formed stream access coalition with paddling groups leaving a
not-quite-unified effort to craft legislation that would open
all of Colorado waterways to the public.
A group of recreation advocates are hoping Colorado lawmakers
will settle the state’s legal gray area surrounding public
river access. The Colorado Stream Access Coalition is fighting
for the public’s right to use the state’s waterways for
recreation, a right they say is guaranteed in the Colorado
Constitution. … Members of the coalition, including
Kestrel Kunz, southern Rockies protection director at American
Whitewater, testified at the Water Resources Committee in
August, asking legislators to guarantee public access to rivers
for all Coloradans, while respecting landowners’ property
rights.
For more than a century, a canyon along the Klamath River — its
riverbanks and striking rock formations — was closed to the
public, seen only by a few. But now, for the first time in
generations, rafts once again glide through its waters.
… For decades, reservoirs drew people to live and
recreate along the Klamath. Now, the river and its new
surroundings are being rediscovered in a different way.
… With the dams and diversion pipes gone, water now
flows freely through the canyon, revealing its distinctive
geology — visible now to anyone with a paddle.
The white sturgeon sport fishing season opens Oct. 1, 2025,
through June 30, 2026, for catch-and-release fishing in the
ocean, San Francisco Bay, Delta and lower Sacramento and San
Joaquin rivers. … Though recent results from white
sturgeon monitoring surveys by CDFW suggest the white sturgeon
population has continued to decline, science indicates that
non-lethal take via a catch-and-release fishery will not harm
the long-term viability of the white sturgeon population.
Factors such as harmful algal blooms, poaching, poor river and
Delta conditions and historical overharvest have been shown to
have significant negative impacts on the population.
… Colorado treats the [right-to-float] issue differently
than many other states. In some, rivers and streambeds are
considered public land, but in Colorado and several others, the
waters belong to the people while streambeds belong to adjacent
landowners. … So, in Colorado the water is public, but not
the land under it. Thus, wading, anchoring, and portaging
around obstructions on private land may be
trespassing. Public access for floating is well
established in Colorado. … This creates an uneasy balance
between that public right and the rights of private property
owners that can only be addressed through a case-by-case
mediated process, which was formalized in 2010.
On this first-ever Foundation water tourwe examined water issues along the 263-mile Klamath River, from its spring-fed headwaters in south-central Oregon to its redwood-lined estuary on the Pacific Ocean in California.
Running Y Resort
5500 Running Y Rd
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South
7830 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89123
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South
7830 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89123
This special Foundation water tour journeyed along the Eastern Sierra from the Truckee River to Mono Lake, through the Owens Valley and into the Mojave Desert to explore a major source of water for Southern California, this year’s snowpack and challenges for towns, farms and the environment.
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
The lower Colorado River has virtually every drop allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This event explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Deep, throaty cadenced calls —
sounding like an off-key bassoon — echo over the grasslands,
farmers’ fields and wetlands starting in late September of each
year. They mark the annual return of sandhill cranes to the
Cosumnes River Preserve,
46,000 acres located 20 miles south of Sacramento on the edge of
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
This tour explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs is the focus of this tour.
Silverton Hotel
3333 Blue Diamond Road
Las Vegas, NV 89139
Deep, throaty cadenced calls —
sounding like an off-key bassoon — echo over the grasslands,
farmers’ fields and wetlands starting in late September of each
year. They mark the annual return of sandhill cranes to the
Cosumnes River Preserve,
46,000 acres located 20 miles south of Sacramento on the edge of
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
We explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop
of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad
sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and
climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs was the focus of this tour.
Hampton Inn Tropicana
4975 Dean Martin Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118
This three-day, two-night tour explored the lower Colorado River
where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand
is growing from myriad sources — increasing population,
declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs is the focus of this tour.
Best Western McCarran Inn
4970 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Water truly has shaped California into the great state it is
today. And if it is water that made California great, it’s the
fight over – and with – water that also makes it so critically
important. In efforts to remap California’s circulatory system,
there have been some critical events that had a profound impact
on California’s water history. These turning points not only
forced a re-evaluation of water, but continue to impact the lives
of every Californian. This 2005 PBS documentary offers a
historical and current look at the major water issues that shaped
the state we know today. Includes a 12-page viewer’s guide with
background information, historic timeline and a teacher’s lesson.
A companion to the Truckee River Basin Map poster, this
24×36-inch poster, suitable for framing, explores the Carson
River, and its link to the Truckee River. The map includes the
Lahontan Dam and reservoir, the Carson Sink, and the farming
areas in the basin. Map text discusses the region’s hydrology and
geography, the Newlands Project, land and water use within the
basin and wetlands. Development of the map was funded by a grant
from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, Lahontan
Basin Area Office.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, explains how
non-native invasive animals can alter the natural ecosystem,
leading to the demise of native animals. “Unwelcome Visitors”
features photos and information on four such species – including
the zerbra mussel – and explains the environmental and economic
threats posed by these species.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project provides
an overview of the California-funded and constructed State Water
Project.
The State Water Project is best known for the 444-mile-long
aqueduct that provides water from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley
agriculture and southern California cities. The guide contains
information about the project’s history and facilities.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36-inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
