Evolving Policies and Tools to Advance Salmon Restoration: Flows, Cannabis, and Funding Opportunities

40th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference

27 April 2023

1:30pm - 5:00pm

Session Coordinators:
Kelly Souza, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Monty Schmitt, The Nature Conservancy
Matt Clifford, Trout Unlimited

This hybrid session will include presentations about direct and indirect impacts of cannabis cultivation on the environment; advancements in tools and applications that quantify cultivation, species response or water use; and opportunities or partnerships that highlight the remediation and restoration of watersheds affected by cannabis cultivation.

After the break, the session will focus on policy shifts and practical tools to advance the pace and scale of restoration and address water scarcity, groundwater management, and tribal inclusion.

Cannabis in Context: Water Demand of Permitted and Unpermitted Cannabis Irrigation in Northern California, Chris Dillis, University of California-Berkeley

Using Satellite Imagery to Assess Watershed Conditions and Anthropogenic Water Use, Redwood Creek, Kelly Souza, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

How CDFW’s Cannabis Restoration Grant Program Can Contribute to Salmonid Restoration,
Virginia O’Rourke, California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Modeling Streamflow Depletion from Cannabis Cultivation in California’s North Coast Salmon-Bearing Streams, Philip Georgakakos, University of California-Berkeley

Efficient Science Tools to Identify Streamflow Objectives to Support Flow Enhancement Project Development and Implementation, and Trigger Management Actions Under Critically Dry Conditions, Jennifer Carah, The Nature Conservancy

Water From Bedrock: Efforts to Condition New Groundwater Wells to Protect Streamflow for Salmon in Sonoma County, Monty Schmitt, The Nature Conservancy and Matt Clifford, Trout Unlimited

Granting Equity. The Future of CDFW's Granting Programs, Timothy Chorey, California Department of Fish and Wildlife