The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board has unanimously adopted the 2025 Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Grazing Operations* in the North San Francisco Bay Region. The updated Conditional Waiver permitting program not only renews existing protections for the Tomales Bay, Sonoma Creek, and Napa River watersheds, it also adds 88,000 acres of grazed lands—extending regulatory oversight to western Point Reyes National Seashore and the Petaluma River watershed for the first time.

Every five years, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board reviews and updates the Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Grazing Operations in the Tomales Bay Watershed (Grazing Waiver)—a critical policy that protects water quality while supporting sustainable ranching practices.

We’re raising a glass to Allison Jordan, a former RRI team member and one of Wine Industry Advisor’s Most Inspiring People in 2025! Allison’s leadership—as Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Vice President of Environmental Affairs at Wine Institute—exemplifies how conservation and agriculture can go hand in hand.

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.

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

The public Comment Period for the Tomales Bay Grazing Waiver is now open! The Grazing Waiver is a regulatory program designed to balance sustainable ranching with water quality protection in the North San Francisco Bay region, including Point Reyes National Seashore.

RRI joins a powerful coalition of over 70 environmental organizations defending landmark protections for more than 625 million acres of public waters from new offshore oil and gas drilling. This historic action safeguards critical coastal areas while protecting marine ecosystems and the millions of jobs that depend on healthy oceans.

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.

Ranching operations to transition out of Point Reyes by 2026, clearing the way for conservation efforts.

An agreement signed this week by the National Park Service (NPS), environmental groups, and 18 families who have long run cattle and dairy operations at Point Reyes National Seashore ends a decade-long dispute over ranching within the national park.

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.

For the first time in history, tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore will roam free as the NPS removes the contentious two-mile-long fence. Learn how thousands of voices and RRI made this historic moment possible!

46 Bay Area environmental organizations have united to urge San Francisco officials to drop a lawsuit against the EPA, scheduled for Supreme Court hearing on October 16, 2024. The lawsuit challenges EPA's authority under the Clean Water Act, potentially undermining nationwide water protection efforts.

RRI joined forces with over 20 organizations and businesses in submitting a public comment to the California Fish and Game Commission, urging them to implement robust measures to reduce bycatch and mortality in the Southern California set gillnet fishery.

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.

In April, the California Coastal Commission unanimously rejected the National Park Service’s (NPS) Water Quality Strategy and Climate Action Plan for Point Reyes National Seashore as inadequate and sent the NPS back to the drawing board. This Thursday, September 8, Commissioners will revisit the NPS’s newly submitted plan.

I’m writing to update you on Fish in the Fields (FIF) and the important progress we’ve been making in 2022. Our work to drive greater sustainability into two essential crops, rice and fish, continues to gain momentum and participation among key stakeholders in California and across the country.