Bill Kier has died; he was 89. Bill was one of California’s most knowledgeable and respected fisheries and water policy experts, and the mentor to scores of biologists, politicos, environmental activists and journalists – including staffers with the California Water Impact Network. Though he lived a long and rich life, Bill’s death still comes as something of a shock. … Bill’s knowledge of California’s water and fisheries history, law, and policy was encyclopedic. He had a lot to teach, and he was highly successful at educating people because he wasn’t didactic. He was a gifted raconteur and an engaging conversationalist who relayed facts as part of a dialogue; he didn’t beat his interlocutors over the head with them.