Photo by US Fish & Wildlife Service
In April of 2013, the Public Policy Institute of California released the report, Stress Relief: Prescriptions for a Healthier Delta, which identified steps the state could take to manage the Delta and improve ecosystem health.
In May, the PPIC brought together officials and scientists together to discuss their views of the report and its findings in a series of panel discussions.
The first panel, New Models for Organizing Science in the Delta, was moderated by Jeff Mount, professor emeritus at the University of California at Davis and a partner in the firm, Saracino & Mount, LLC. The second panel, titled Managing Adaptively for Multiple Stressors, featured Phil Isenberg, Chair of the Delta Stewardship Council; Mark Cowin, Director of the Department of Water Resources, Campbell Ingram, Executive Officer of the Delta Conservancy, and Will Stelle, Administrator of Northwest Region National Marine Fisheries Service. The panel was moderated by Jay Lund, Adjunct Fellow to the PPIC and Professor at UC Davis. The final panel of the day focused on strengthening and streamlining regulatory oversight. Seated on the panel was Felicia Marcus, a member of the State Water Resources Control Board; Greg Gartrell, assistant general manager of the Contra Costa Water District; Chuck Bonham, director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife; and Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. The panel was moderated by Buzz Thompson from Stanford Law School.
However, before the panel discussions began, Ellen Hanak, one of the report’s authors, gave a brief overview of the findings in the report. She began by noting that the PPIC has looked at various aspects of Delta policy; this report looks at how to do a better job managing the ecosystem.
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