Conservation Catch-Up

SEPTEMBER 2025

CONSERVATION CATCH-UP

In August, Conservation staff attended an event celebrating the permanent protection of Estrada Ranch, a grantee of Conservation and the Strategic Growth Council's Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program. Other partners including Cal Fire, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, and Peninsula Open Space Trust joined the Estrada Family to celebrate the preservation of this important wildlife corridor, habitat, and working sustainable ranchland.

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Earlier this month, Conservation hosted a community meeting in the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. The event provided an opportunity for community members to learn more about an upcoming effort in the area to plug and seal six orphaned oil wells, with work scheduled to begin later this year. Learn more about the project.

Tsunami Research in the Kamchatka Peninsula Earthquake Aftermath

After July 29th's M 8.8 Kamchata Peninsula earthquake off the coast of Russia and the resulting tsunami advisory across the Pacific Rim, our team of scientists in the California Geological Survey (CGS) got to work assessing coastal impacts and California tsunami preparedness. Conservation's Director Jennifer Lucchesi and State Geologist Jeremy Lancaster joined CGS geologists in Eureka in the days following the quake, studying evidence such as water levels and harbor damage to produce tools that help communities plan for future tsunami hazards. Learn More

The Legislature passed and Governor Newsom signed a number of bills this year, including Senate Bill 840, which appropriates money voters approved with Proposition 4 tp the department's Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation, Multibenefit Land Repurposing, Regional Forest and Fire Capacity, Forest Biomass and Farmland Conservancy programs. To learn more, register for next week's webinar with the California Natural Resources Agency.

The Governor also signed a package of energy affordability bills including Senate Bill 237, which affects oil and gas permitting in Kern County. Read the announcement from the Governor and Legislative leaders here.

Chatting about Bats for

Biodiversity Day

As part of California Biodiversity Day, Conservation joined the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the nonprofit NorCal Bats for an evening celebrating California's bat species. The "Bat Chat" event included science exhibits, craft tables, and an evening walking tour of the Cosumnes River Preserve to view the local bats emerging for their nightly foraging. See the recap

New: Wildfire Resource

Mapping Tool

The California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force released a new map in July to help local partners find assistance on wildfire-related projects from Cal Fire, Conservation, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and UC Agricultural and Natural Resources. The project hopes to help county-level initiatives find technical support for critical wildfire-prevention efforts.

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La Vina Community Planting Day

With the help of grant funding from Conservation’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program, Madera County hosted a community planting day in La Vina. Local residents helped replace an orchard with native hedgerows that reduce dust, conserve water, and support pollinators. Learn More

Watershed Center Hosts Prescribed Burn Training

The Watershed Center, a grantee of Conservation’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity program, held a training for Trinity County fire practitioners in June. The 11-day event provided education for volunteer firefighters, cultural fire practitioners, students and researchers, and more on using prescribed burns to manage invasive populations of yellow star-thistle in the region.

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