The California Council on Science & Technology (CCST) and the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) will host Science Day 2026 at the CNRA headquarters building in Sacramento on Monday and Tuesday, October 5 and 6. This annual event connects state-level science and policy with the ongoing research in universities, laboratories, and other research institutions across California. Through exploring the various initiatives underway at different State agencies, this effort seeks to develop new or expanded opportunities to support California in achieving its climate goals. Registration for this in-person event is open now.

The next Lunch-MAR meeting will feature Ellen Bruno, associate professor of Cooperative Extension at UC Berkeley. Her presentation will explore the economics of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) from the costs and benefits identified across the research literature to new insights from the Kern Water Bank. This session will preview a forthcoming synthesis report and present an empirical case study using agricultural land values to estimate the economic value of groundwater storage and banking for landowners. This hour-long webinar begins at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7. Registration is not required to attend.

“Floodwaters for Recharge – 2027 Forecast and Guidance,” the fourth in a series of 11 webinars focusing on recharge readiness, will take place on Thursday, October 8, at 11 a.m. Registration is open now for this virtual event. Co-hosted by DWR, Sustainable Conservation, and the Flood-MAR Network, these hour-long webinars will be held twice monthly, on the second and fourth Thursdays at 11 a.m., through February. To see the list of topics to be covered in upcoming webinars, visit the “2026–2027 Recharge Readiness Webinar Series: Expanding Recharge and Preparing for Wet Weather” webpage.

he Water Education Foundation will host its 42st annual Water Summit on Thursday, October 29, in Sacramento; this year’s theme is “Stewarding a New Era in Western Water.” Keynote speaker and newly appointed Director of DWR Tom Gibson will share his vision as he leads DWR’s effort to manage the state’s water resources to protect, restore, and enhance California’s natural and human environments. The one-day conference begins at 9 a.m. and concludes with a networking reception, starting at 5 p.m. Registration is required. A full agenda featuring a slate of engaging panelists will be available soon. Visit the Water Summit 2026 webpage for more details.

California’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP) helps to strategically transition farmland away from groundwater-intensive agriculture to other uses that deliver many environmental and community benefits. Once a dairy farm, the approximately 500-acre Capinero Creek Restoration Project in the San Joaquin Valley offers an inspiring example of MLRP’s potential. The project has attracted endangered species (notably the blunt-nosed leopard lizard), tested virtual fencing for grazing cattle, and involved local high school students in scientific research. The restoration project shows that MLRP and other land transitioning efforts work, often with better-than-predicted results. To read more on how MLRP shaped this project, see the full article on the Environmental Defense Fund website.