Kurtis Alexander, an enterprise reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle with a focus on natural resources and the environment, was named the 2023 recipient of the Water Education Foundation’s Rita Schmidt Sudman Award for Excellence in Water Journalism.

Alexander said he was honored to receive the award, which acknowledges outstanding work that illuminates complicated water issues in California and the West.

“Recognition from one of the state’s top authorities on water really means something,” Alexander said. “Covering water as a journalist is not always glamorous or easy. But the Water Education Foundation has long helped promote the work of journalists and others examining water issues as well as offered a wealth of helpful information through its website, newsletters and education programs.”

The award includes a check for $1,000 and allows the recipient to take advantage of the Foundation’s resources, such as water maps, Layperson’s Guides and water tours, to beef up their knowledge and sources even more.

Foundation Executive Director Jenn Bowles presented the award to Alexander on Wednesday (Oct. 25) at the Foundation’s Water Summit in Sacramento. Joining Bowles for the presentation was her predecessor, Sudman, a former radio and television reporter who led the Foundation for 35 years.

In endowing the award, Sudman specified that the current Executive Director selects the recipients. Bowles said she chose Alexander because of his consistently well-written and in-depth stories that often cast a wide net beyond San Francisco to include all of California and the West.

“He weaves great context into his stories and provides a clear picture on why various issues surrounding our most critical natural resources are important,” Bowles said. She noted his more recent stories have focused on a wide range of topics, from the Klamath Dam removals to water rights reform to a project on the “Big Melt,” in which he examined the aftermath of this year’s epic snowmelt.

Before joining the Chronicle, Alexander worked as a freelance writer and as a staff reporter for several media organizations, including The Fresno Bee and Bay Area News Group, writing about government, politics and the environment.

Sudman said she endowed the journalism award with $50,000 to support and encourage coverage of water in California and across the West. Independent, impartial journalism that explains and illuminates myriad water resource issues throughout the West has been a key part of the Foundation’s mission since its founding in 1977. The Foundation’s journalism team produces articles for Western Water, an online news magazine.