Read a summary of this trip here.

An educational trip about water scarcity policymaking and dispute resolution in Sacramento, California, facilitated by water expert Alf Brandt of the California State Assembly Speaker’s Office and Megan Karsh of the Pacific Council.

Delegates will meet with California policymakers to learn about water-sharing disputes within California and between California and Mexico, and will take a guided tour of the contested San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. Delegates will also meet with officials from Stanford’s Woods Institute, Water in the West, and other Northern California organizations. Those with an interest in participating in our Global Water Scarcity Project are strongly encouraged to attend, as this trip is tailored towards future initiative activity.

To register: fill out the Sacramento Registration Packet and email the completed forms to Amie Kashon at akashon@pacificcouncil.org no later than Tuesday, October 16. Please note that space on this trip is limited and registrations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.

Featuring:

Mr. Alf Brandt, Senior Counsel, California State Assembly Speaker's Office

Alf Brandt focuses on natural resources, particularly western water resources, at the regional, state, and federal levels of government. Read more.

Ms. Megan Karsh, Vice President of Initiatives, Pacific Council on International Policy

Megan Karsh is the vice president of initiatives at the Pacific Council on International Policy, where she designs programs and cultivates strategic partnerships to impact foreign policy. Read more.

Ms. Alexandra Biering, Government Affairs and Communications Manager, Friant Water Authority

Alexandra Biering is responsible for coordinating with congressional and legislative representatives and their staff, working with state and federal agencies on regulatory or planning processes that could affect the Friant Division's water supply, and overseeing media relations and public information for Friant Water Authority. Read more.

Ms. Rachel Zwillinger, Water Policy Advisor, Defenders of Wildlife

Rachel Zwillinger focuses on protecting the fish and wildlife that depend upon California’s waterways and wetlands.  Among other priorities, she works to ensure that wetlands in the Central Valley receive sufficient water to support birds as they migrate along the Pacific Flyway, and strives to protect endangered salmon and other native species that depend upon the San Francisco Bay-Delta and upstream habitats. Read more.

Mr. Erik Ekdahl, Deputy Director, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board

Erik Ekdahl serves as deputy director of the State Water Resources Control Board's Division of Water Rights. Read more.