An updated Tribal Consultation Policy, setting clear standards for consultations with Tribes in agency actions, has been release by the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA). For decades, State policies disrupted Tribal stewardship and excluded Tribes from key decisions. The updated Tribal Consultation Policy aims to correct this by providing a policy framework for all CNRA departments, conservancies, commissions, and boards. It also complements other initiatives underway, including the Tribal Nature-Based Solutions grant program that supports ancestral land return and the upcoming Tribal Stewardship Policy and Toolkit. For more information and to read the full Tribal Consultation Policy and Best Practices Appendix, visit the CNRA Tribal Consultation Policy, Best Practices, and Resources webpage.

The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) will host a Tribal Stewardship Policy and Toolkit webinar on Friday, Oct. 10, from 1 to 2 p.m. Registration is free. This event will feature an in-depth discussion on the innovative process between the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, State Lands Commission, and CalTrans that led to the return of nearly 40 acres of land to the Tribe for permanent protection and stewardship. The Tribal Stewardship Policy and Toolkit and the webinars and resources provided for specific toolkit entries are intended to increase the capacity of Tribes, State agencies, and non-Tribal entities to advance Tribal stewardship, including Tribal access, collaboration, and ancestral land return according to the CNRA Tribal Stewardship Policy.  

The Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Science Program is hosting the 2025 Adaptive Management Forum on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 14 and 15, at the California Natural Resources Agency headquarters building in Sacramento. The forum is held every two years to increase adaptive management capacity in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) for ecosystem restoration and water management. This free event brings together scientists and managers to share ideas on the state of knowledge and best practices for adaptive management in the Delta. Day 1 will feature presentations, panel discussions, a poster session, and activities that explore different components and applications of adaptive management in the Delta. Day 2 will be a half-day site visit to Lookout Slough Tidal Restoration and Flood Improvement Project to see what adaptive management looks like on the ground. Register to attend in person or virtually (please note that certain activities will be available only to in-person attendees). See the detailed agenda for more information on speakers and session topics.

The seven U.S. states that rely on the Colorado River are nearing a Nov. 11 deadline to signal whether they can agree on a new, long-term operating strategy for the river's dams and reservoirs. The four-year-long, contentious negotiations are critical because the river, strained by a 25-year drought and climate change, supports 40 million people and a $1.4 trillion economy. An in-depth article on the Water Education Foundation website explains how, for decades, federal water managers, led by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, attempted to use traditional modeling — including climate projections and historical data — to predict the future impacts of drought. However, the river's flow has repeatedly been worse than predicted, leading to a perpetual state of "Band-Aid mode" for water policies. The biggest challenge in negotiations is deciding which states will take cuts, and how big they will be. The Upper Basin states are publicly adamant about not taking cuts, while Lower Basin states (which includes California) have committed to some reductions but propose splitting additional, larger cuts with the Upper Basin and Mexico. Read more in the article, “As Colorado River Negotiations Near a Critical Deadline, a New Way of Looking at Risk is Revealing Hard Choices.”

The New Mexico Water Data Initiative will host a free, interactive two-day workshop, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 14 and 15. The 2025 Water Data Initiative Workshop is designed to bolster collaboration, spark innovation, and build skills in water data management and use. This event will feature a mix of discussions, live demonstrations, and extended trainings to provide participants with practical tools and fresh perspectives. Courses will focus on using data science, R programming language and the R Studio software, and the Data Integration Engine, a tool developed to create unified water datasets from multiple sources. View the agenda for more information. Registration is open now.

Registration is open for the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP) Annual Meeting, Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 15 and 16. This year's meeting will focus heavily on the water policy implications of data centers, as well as the energy and water policy nexus, forecasting, drought, aging water infrastructure, water data, groundwater and the social dimensions of water. This year’s conference includes a field tour of the Atlanta 1, a mega data center campus, and a social outing to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere.

The Water Education Foundation is hosting a Northern California Water Tour, Wednesday–Friday, Oct. 22–24. This field trip explores the Sacramento River and its tributaries and teaches about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply. This three-day, two-night excursion travels across the Sacramento Valley and follows the river north from Sacramento through Oroville to Redding and Shasta Lake, where participants will take a houseboat tour. Experts will talk about the history of the Sacramento River as the tour winds through riparian woodland, rice fields, wildlife refuges and nut orchards. Registration is open now. This tour will not be offered in 2026. More details are available on the Northern California Water Tour webpage.