Upcoming WATER Institute Events
Upcoming events on watershed, beaver, and process-based restoration.
Oaec
Brock Dolman Featured in San Joaquin Valley Water Video
San Joaquin Valley Water, an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water issues in the San Joaquin Valley, produced a video titled “Beavers Reintroduced on the Tule River Reservation” … Read more
OAEC Recognized as New CDFW Beaver Depredation Policy is Announced!
At the June 14, 2023 CA Fish and Game Commission meeting, the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reported to the commissioners that they have enacted a new beaver … Read more
Brock Dolman interviewed by Climate Water Project
“Oftentimes I think of watersheds as living lifeboats. From ridge to river, from summit to sea, from stem to stern, we have to rethink and retrofit these living lifeboats at … Read more
New CDFW Policy Recognizes Ecological Value of Beavers in California
After more than a decade of a concerted effort to Bring Back the Beaver, OAEC and The WATER Institute are thrilled to announce that there are major policy changes happening … Read more
Field Trip to Doty Ravine
On May 24, we partnered with the California Beaver Policy Working Group and wrangled 50 state leaders from Sacramento to Doty Ravine to see beaver restoration in action. Protected since … Read more
Happy International Beaver Day!
While there are all sorts of serious reasons to love beaver (including their ability to create habitat for many species, buffer the effects of climate change, increase the presence of … Read more
2019 Update
Dear Friends and Supporters, We are proud of the work we have done this year, advancing bold and successful initiatives and providing a place of refuge and reflection to … Read more
Farallones Institute Rural Center Reunion
Farallones barn raising 1978. Photo courtesy of Alison Dykestra As we look back on 25 years of OAEC’s history, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the people who … Read more
Bring Back the Beaver Campaign: Spring 2019 Events
Want to learn about all the amazing benefits of beaver for California watersheds? Join WATER Institute Directors Kate Lundquist and/or Brock Dolman at these upcoming events: February 19-21 – State of the Beaver … Read more
New Meeting Hall Complete – now booking 2019 retreats
After an extensive master planning process, capital campaign, renovations and new construction of several key buildings including new Guest Houses, we are thrilled to announce the completion of our latest project … Read more
WATER Institute Supports Borneo Watersheds Affected by Palm Oil Plantations
by Janel Healy. Photos by Brock Dolman. 35% of the palm oil produced in the world comes from Malaysia, and 12% of that comes from the Malaysian state of Sabah … Read more
Greywater Policy Innovation Goes to Sacramento
The Decentralized Water Policy Council (DWPC), a project of OAEC and the California Onsite Water Association, was one of three finalists in the Imagine H2O Policy Challenge. Finalists were selected from over 100 applications … Read more
Connecting to Place Through Art: Painting the OAEC Pond
Co-founder and resident artist Adam Wolpert is in his seventh month of a yearlong project to paint the southwest corner of the OAEC pond. He has created 45 oil paintings–all … Read more
Nov. 2-7: Week of Action to Protect Pollinators
For the last two years, OAEC’s Executive Director Dave Henson has been facilitating a network of U.S. organizations that are developing strategies to protect pollinators such as bees, bats, birds, … Read more
Speak Out to Keep Glyphosate (Roundup) a Prop 65 Chemical
The use of glyphosate has surged dramatically since the 1990s, when genetically engineered (GE) “Roundup Ready” corn and soybean crops were introduced. According to the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA), … Read more
Water Budgeting at OAEC and in Your Community
Above: Alana records weekly potable water use at OAEC outside the Main Office, which all staff members see throughout the day. You, too, could do this at your workplace, church, child’s … Read more
OAEC Publishes Wildlands Preserve Stewardship Plan
Pictured: Harold Appleton, registered professional forester, co-authored the plan with Lindsay Dailey and Jim Coleman (pictured) as well as Brock Dolman. Harold spent many hours onsite inventorying mixed conifer forests and guiding OAEC … Read more
OAEC Cookbook: Summer Recipe & Civil Eats Article
Pictured: Flower Petal Pestos. Edible flowers, such as sunflower and nastutium, volunteer in legions in OAEC’s temperate gardens. These brightly colored sauces in small quantities are most efficiently used as a … Read more
Drought Action
These are extraordinary times in California–especially in the Dutch Bill Creek Watershed, where OAEC is located, and the watersheds surrounding it. The water in our creeks is so low that … Read more
Removing Barriers to Ecological Water Management
The drought highlights the need for some common sense water saving and reuse practices such as composting toilets and integrated greywater systems that not only irrigate landscapes but reuse water indoors … Read more
WATER Institute contributes to Canadian report on Beaver Restoration Across Boundaries
WATER Institute Director Kate Lundquist was one of seven American beaver advocates interviewed for this report put together by the Miistakis Institute in Alberta, Canada. The report shares the experiences and … Read more
Beaverpalooza 2015
The WATER Institute Beaver Campaign Hits The Road! In late February and early March, Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman of the WATER Institute made great headway in forwarding their Bring … Read more
The Benefits of Prescribed Fires
In a time of climate change and drought, California’s forests are increasingly under the threat of catastrophic fires. While the state spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on … Read more
Beaver Campaign Recognized by Paula Lane Action Network
The Bring Back the Beaver campaign, run by Brock Dolman and Kate Lundquist of the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center’s WATER Institute, was recently honored with the Paula Lane Action … Read more
Our 20th Anniversary
This year, OAEC celebrates two decades of work in cultivating community-scale sustainability and resilience! The Evolution and Impact of OAEC In the summer of 1994, a small group of inspired friends … Read more
Fostering Successful Social Movements: OAEC Consulting
Photo courtesy of Hawai’i SEED Social movements may be sparked by passion, but their longevity depends upon planning and clear goals. In our experience, successful movements start with a methodical … Read more
OAEC’s Collaboration with SOIL: Turning Waste into a Resource in Haiti
Through Resilient Community Design, the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center‘s permaculture-based collaboration with Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) is supporting Haiti to transform human waste into resources. SOIL’s project of … Read more
Cap-Haitien
We arrived by bus in Cap-Haitien, the second largest city in Haiti located on the north shore. The bus ride was a 6-hour journey in which the bus barreled on … Read more
Symphony of "Konpos" with SOIL
Today’s work was to visit the SOIL composting site at the city dump in Twitye to learn about the specifics of the humanure handling and thermophilic composting practices. The SOIL … Read more
