Two last-minute “trailer bills” expected to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project and weaken public review of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan were stopped in their tracks. These measures would have sidelined Tribes, erased environmental protections, and given a blank check to corporate water contractors.

Last week, we joined advocates at the Capitol for Lobby Day to stand against two budget bills that put California’s water and ecosystems at risk, while disempowering communities and weakening long-standing environmental protections.

We at RRI are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend Malcolm Margolin. A brilliant publisher, master storyteller, and longtime ally, Malcolm’s connection to our founder, Huey Johnson, runs deep. Their friendship stretches back to when Huey awarded Malcolm a grant to write his very first book, sparking the extraordinary journey that became Heyday Books.

Last week, our Director of Advocacy, Scott Webb, joined over 100 advocates at the State Capitol for a full day of legislative action with the Green California Network. We met policymakers, amplified environmental priorities, and advocated for our ocean, communities, and climate.

On July 21, 2025, we joined a coalition of environmental organizations in sending a letter to Congress strongly opposing the proposed rewriting of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) introduced by Rep. Begich (R-AK). This bill threatens to unravel one of the most successful conservation policies in U.S. history.

RRI and 40 marine groups oppose reconciliation bill mandating 30 offshore lease sales while gutting NOAA funding and weakening marine wildlife protections.

Leaders of the Legislative Delta Caucus and statewide organizations stood united together today during a press conference to denounce Governor Newsom’s budget proposal to fast-track the Delta Tunnel Project and encourage fellow legislators to oppose any plan to accelerate construction of the $20 billion-plus, destructive tunnel. The project is receiving widespread opposition from leaders throughout the state, especially those in the Delta whose 4 million residents would be most directly impacted. Here’s what they are saying:

The Power in Nature Coalition released the following statements regarding Governor Newsom’s revised 2025-2026 budget revision.

Please join us for Power in Nature’s upcoming webinar, Elk on the North Coast, this Monday, May 19, at 2:00 PM.

Hear from Carrington Hilson, Elk Research Biologist with California Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Chance Cutrano, our Director of Programs and co-lead for Power in Nature’s Bay Area Region.

This month, we joined dozens of environmental, agricultural, public health, and tribal organizations across the state in calling on Governor Newsom and the California Legislature to prioritize nature-based solutions in the state’s climate investment strategy. In a letter addressed to state leaders, we urged a significant and sustained allocation of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) revenues to California’s natural, working, and urban lands—landscapes that are among the state’s most powerful yet underfunded tools in the fight against climate change.

Resource Renewal Institute and Oceana are joining forces to co-sponsor a state assembly bill that will bring greater protection to coastal marine wildlife.

We’ve joined dozens of animal welfare, environmental, and tribal advocacy organizations in formally opposing Assembly Bill 1038—a bill that threatens to undo one of California’s most significant wildlife protections by reinstating the inhumane practice of hounding bears.

The sun shined brightly on our gathering to honor our founder, friend and mentor, Huey Johnson. January 6, 2025, would have been Huey’s 92nd birthday, and we took the opportunity to reflect on his remarkable life and contributions that guide our path every day.

The proposed Sáttítla National Monument in northeastern California represents a vital opportunity to protect one of the state’s most ecologically, culturally, and hydrologically significant regions. Often called the “headwaters of California,” Sáttítla provides fresh water to millions across the state, supporting wildlife, agriculture, and communities from the highlands to the San Francisco Bay.

Point Reyes National Seashore is the only national park where tule elk exist.

In 1978, the NPS reintroduced ten of California’s last surviving tule elk to the National Seashore. Once hailed as a historic conservation victory, the recovering tule elk at Tomales Point have struggled. For decades, scientists forewarned that forage and water were insufficient for the confined herd to thrive. As predicted, hundreds of elk have suffered and died during two historic droughts over the last decade.

On May 9, 2024, the Resource Renewal Institute joined over 100 environmental organizations urging Governor Newsom’s administration to proceed with funding the projects scheduled for the May 23rd Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) meeting despite potential budget cuts.

In December, Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) lost a wonderful friend and a colleague whose work will have a lasting impact on our organization. Lynn Alexander was a multi-faceted person who often surprised us with her wide range of talents and interests. As a director of large, complex projects for RRI, she was an organizational expert and accomplished leader who brought out the best in all of us.

The National Park Service announced that it has initiated a new planning process to address “complex wildlife, resource, and wilderness management issues” at Tomales Point at Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California. The planning area includes the 2,900-acre Tomales Point Tule Elk Reserve where rare native tule elk, once thought to be extinct, were reintroduced in 1978. Point Reyes is the only national park where tule elk exist.

On January 10th, the RRI and our co-plaintiffs—the Center for Biological Diversity and Western Watersheds Project—filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Northern District Court in San Francisco challenging the National Park Service’s (NPS) controversial management plan for ranching at Point Reyes National Seashore and the northern district of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which remain among a small handful of national parks where commercial beef and dairy ranching reign.

Despite an urgent report by the United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change that humanity has a decade to avert climate disaster, the Biden Administration today approved a controversial National Park Service plan for continued commercial ranching at California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, perpetuating the beef and dairy operations at the only national seashore on the Pacific Coast.