2025 Highlights of a Landmark Year

GENERAL ADVOCACY

Dec 24

Celebrating four decades of collaboration, advocacy, and creative solutions to protect our natural resources and communities

“A seed knows how to wait. Most seeds wait for the right conditions—then they grow.”
— Ruth Asawa, American sculptor and advocate (1926–2013)

Dear Friends,

Like seeds planted in the soil, many of RRI’s long-term efforts—to restore damaged ecosystems, support farmers through transition, reform public policy, and build new models for climate resilience—have required persistence, care, and enduring partnerships. We’re excited to report that 2025 saw many of our programs take root and bear fruit.

We achieved a major breakthrough in our decade-long campaign to restore Point Reyes National Seashore. In January, the National Park Service initiated the transition of nearly 17,000 acres from commercial ranching to fully protected natural landscapes—an outcome made possible through our sustained advocacy, legal action, and public support. This marks the beginning of an ecological recovery effort that will benefit hundreds of threatened species, including the iconic tule elk, and inspire millions of park visitors for generations to come.

Our advocacy also secured stronger water quality protections for grazed lands across the Tomales Bay, Napa, and Sonoma watersheds, doubling regulatory oversight to 145,000 acres—including Point Reyes National Seashore and the Petaluma River watershed.

Our Fish in the Fields project continues to flourish, not only as an agricultural innovation but also as a cultural shift—showing what’s possible when farming works with nature. This year marked a major milestone as we launched a new venture with our farm partners. Lucky Catch fish pet treats will bring the project’s environmental and economic benefits directly to consumers.

With the passage of California Assembly Bill 1056, co-sponsored and spearheaded by RRI, California has taken a decisive step toward phasing out the harmful practice of set gillnet fishing. Set gillnets are an indiscriminate gear that entangle more than 125 marine species—including sea turtles, sharks, and other threatened or endangered wildlife. By charting a path to their eventual removal, AB 1056 helps ensure healthier ocean ecosystems and more sustainable fisheries.

As our established projects make their mark, we are taking on a critical new challenge: RRI is convening a coalition to defend the San Francisco Bay-Delta, the Pacific Coast’s largest estuary and the source of drinking water for 25 million people. This vital ecosystem faces threats from water diversions, toxic algal blooms, habitat loss, and proposals to fast-track the ill-conceived Delta Tunnel while weakening California Environmental Quality Act protections for water quality. In 2025, our efforts helped defeat two harmful bills—but the fight continues. Through advocacy, education, and community action, we are working to protect native fish, wetlands, and water security for all Californians.

This was also a landmark year for one of our longest-standing symbols of resilience: the whooping crane. The Aransas-Wood Buffalo population—the only self-sustaining wild population—reached an estimated 557 individuals during the 2024–2025 winter survey, including at least 41 juveniles. The Eastern Migratory Population update in April 2025 reported 70 individuals, including 16 wild-hatched. These numbers represent hard-won progress and remind us why conservation matters.

These are the kinds of changes we believe in: grounded, forward-thinking, and rooted in community. We’re deeply grateful for your support—and we hope our small crane gift reminds you that every contribution matters, and every idea planted with care can one day take flight.

With warmest thanks,