Dear Foundation supporters and friends,

The staff at the Water Education Foundation would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

We are excited about 2016 and have some great events happening this year.

Our popular Water 101 Workshop is fast-approaching in early February in the Sacramento area. This once-a-year event is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to go beyond the headlines and gain a deeper understanding of the history, hydrology and legal system behind California water. The daylong workshop has an optional second, half day.

As usual, we have a slate of tours taking you to see firsthand key water infrastructure, wildlife refuges, farms and more. Our line-up includes a new, two-day San Diego trip in May with a highlight being a stop at the new ocean desalination plant in Carlsbad that just recently began operations.

As rain hits most of California this week, we know El Niño is here but we don’t yet know how much of an impact it will have on the state’s drought. That will depend largely on the amount, timing and location of the rain and snow.

Still, the question remains whether extended dry periods will become the “new normal” in California. We will attempt to answer that question and more at our annual flagship conference, the Executive Briefing, which will be held on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) in Sacramento.

In the summer, we will host with U.C. Davis a unique international conference focusing on groundwater in key agricultural areas around the world. The event, Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture: 2nd International Conference Linking Science and Policy, will provide the latest scientific, management, legal and policy advances for sustaining our groundwater resources. Don’t miss it!

And remember, we just updated our Layperson’s Guide to California Water with the latest information so you have everything you need to know in one booklet.

We hope that 2016 will be a year filled with good health and happiness for all of you, and with luck a lot more snow in the mountains.

Cheers,

Jennifer Bowles
Executive Director