CWI's 3rd Quarter Newsletter

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NEWSLETTER

Message from Interim Director Ramos

Laura

Dear Community,

Over the past quarter, our efforts have been dedicated to educating the public about the importance of water. We kicked off with the Water Bootcamp during Water Awareness Month, followed by an engaging two-hour Water Bootcamp on Radio Bilingüe, and concluded with a specialized Water Bootcamp for legislative staff. Through these events, the California Water Institute (CWI) successfully reached a broad audience, delivering essential information in both English and Spanish about water issues in California.

Our educational outreach extended beyond the general public. In July, during Fresno State’s Dog Days, our team engaged with incoming freshmen and transfer students to introduce the new water minor. We are excited about the potential of this program and hope many students will enroll!

Additionally, our research activities robustly continue, and we have embarked on developing a strategic plan to guide our future endeavors. We invite you to read on to learn more about our recent activities and upcoming projects.

Thank you for your continued support.

CWI’s Updated Strategic Plan Focuses on Business Development, Communications, and Internal Operations

CWI’s mission is to connect academia to the water community to solve water management challenges through education and research. To achieve this, CWI engages faculty and students in developing interdisciplinary, inclusive, research-based solutions to water challenges for a sustainable water future. CWI’s updated three-year Strategic Plan represents the commitment to accomplish this mission through identified goals and actions.

Developed through a staff-driven facilitation process, the Plan encompasses three areas of focus: business development, communications, and internal operations. Business Development will focus on narrowing the organization’s scope of work over the next 3 years with intentional emphasis on the mission and vision. An external communications and public relations plan will be developed derive from an analysis of past communication activities. Internal operations will work on improving team communications and organizational structure. An overview of the Plan is available here.

Legislative Staff Participate in Water Bootcamp

The California Water Institute (CWI) partnered with the Maddy Institute to host a Water Bootcamp at Fresno State for legislative staff in July. The participants learned about California's water systems and water resource challenges, especially in the Central Valley.

Experts from all areas of water including engineering, policy, and management presented and held open discussions for legislative staff. Participates had the opportunity to engage with water experts asking questions and communicating their ideas for solutions. The consensus at the end of the event was that there are two main focuses in restoring California’s water system, education and funding for water infrastructure projects.

Crop Transition Experiment Studies Benefits and Costs of Current Crop Growth

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and the Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT) at Fresno State are collaborating on a 2-year project to analyze the benefits and costs of current crop growth, water use, and farmland in the San Joaquin Valley. This experiment will look for the minimum amount of water required to keep crops and cropland viable.

The collaboration between PPIC and CIT on the Crop Transition Experiment resulted from another study the California Water Institute (CWI) and PPIC worked together on to observe climate and cost friendly solutions to the water crises and farming here in California. Bringing together water, climate, and soil researchers, farmers, engineers, and city and land planners, the Climate-Smart Farmland Transition Study allowed the valley an opportunity at innovating greater agricultural techniques and advancing climate science. The collaboration opened communication between stakeholders that do not normally work together, determining better ways to facilitate ag growth while keeping in mind water scarcity and funding. A final report of the Farmland Transition Study can be found at https://www.ppic.org/publication/managing-water-and-farmland-transitions-in-the-san-joaquin-valley/

CWI is continuing to work with PPIC to find efficient water conservation solutions to meet the valley and state water needs.

Water Bootcamp Promotes Water Awareness

The California Water Institute (CWI) at Fresno State hosted four water lecture webinars for Water Awareness Month in May. One session occurred each week, with three of the four sessions presented in English and the last in Spanish. CWI staff educated the participants about all aspects of water resources. Lectures covered the spectrum of water-related topics from hydrology, water shed management, stormwater recharge, water rights, groundwater well ownership, water distribution, and climate change. During the sessions, participants were able to directly engage with presenters through questions and comments.

In addition, CWI Interim Director Laura Ramos conducted a similar water bootcamp in Spanish on Radio Bilingua in July.

Employee Spotlight | Victoria Vera

Born and raised in Chowchilla, California, Victoria Vera came to Fresno State in fall 2022 to study business administration. She is now in her third year and is already thinking about what she wants to do when she finishes school. When she achieves her degree, she hopes to use it by going into international business and marketing. When asked more about this, she said, “My main goal in life is to travel the world which is why I chose international business as my major.”

Victoria is part of the marketing team for the Research and Education Division at the California Water Institute. The main roles in her job include creating flyers, maintaining the CWI website, and working on publications for CWI. She also assists with events and special tasks assigned by Interim Director Laura Ramos.

Upcoming Events

Ag Summit

Exploring the Coexistence of Water Users in California

The Maddy Institute and the California Water Institute are hosting a one-day ag summit focused on how water users coexist in California. This event will bring together stakeholders from across the state to discuss pressing issues and foster collaborative solutions. The summit will take place on September 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Resnick Student Union at Fresno State. This is an in-person and virtual event.

Key topics to be explored at the ag summit include Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) implementation, data transparency in water management, advancements in water storage and conveyance infrastructure, and the importance of building alliances across diverse interest groups. Registration for the summit, both in-person and virtual, is free and open to the public. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to in-person attendees. For more information and to register, visit https://cvent.me/9qndKy

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