Native American Heritage Month may have just ended, but there are still opportunities to engage with Native heritage in California. California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) is launching a new hour-long lunch series beginning this Friday, Dec. 19, at noon. Join Professor William J. Bauer Jr. and Deputy Secretary of Tribal Affairs Geneva E.B. Thompson for a virtual discussion of a chapter from We Are the Land: A History of Native California. This 10-part monthly lunch series is part of CNRA’s Tribal Stewardship Policy and Toolkit. Registration is required for this free online event. To learn about future Tribal Affairs and events, sign up to receive email updates.

The abstract submission deadline for the 2026 Biennial Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge (BSMAR19) has been extended to Friday, Dec. 19. Information on abstract topics and requirements is provided on the BSMAR19 abstract webpage. Use the abstract submission form for submitting oral or poster presentations. Abstract-related questions can be addressed to Amanda Rae Smith at asmith@grac.org. Notification of acceptance will at the end of January.

BSMAR19 will take place next year from Tuesday, March 31, through Thursday, April 2, in Sacramento. Themed “Building Resiliency with MAR: Convey, Store and Deliver,” this event is the leading forum for groundwater recharge innovation. It will feature two full days of presentations, workshops, and poster sessions by leading MAR experts, plus exhibitor and networking opportunities, followed by an optional half-day field trip (TBD) on April 2. Registration is open now.

California State Water Resource Control Board’s Paul Hann and Sustainable Conservation’s Erika Lovejoy spoke with Sarah Bardeen from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) about a new Clean Water Act general order aimed streamlining the permitting process for environmental restoration projects. Read what they have to say on the recent PPIC blog post “Environmental Restoration Gets a Boost in California.”

The Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) program was launched in 2006 by the Central Valley Regional Water Board to combat growing salt and nitrate contamination in the region's groundwater and wells. CV-SALTS focuses on two critical components: the Salt Control Program and the Nitrate Control Program. More than 150 years of human activity have led to high salt accumulation, affecting water quality, crop yields, drinking water, and ecosystems. Currently, 1.5 million acres are salinity-impaired, and the economic impact could reach $3 billion annually without action. Nitrate contamination in groundwater, primarily from fertilizers and waste discharge, poses significant health risks, especially to residents who rely on private wells. A new article on Maven’s Notebook takes a close look at the progress of the CV-SALTS program and the work needed to fix the problems identified, starting with eliminating the ongoing causes of the problem.