The origin—and fandom—of Slow it, Spread it, Sink it
Like Carlo Petrini’s Slow Food movement, we have our own “slow water movement” at OAEC. You might know it as the permaculture mantra, or perhaps you’ve seen it as part … Read more
WATER Institute
Cal-PBR Workshops
We’re reporting back from two highly successful CalPBR Network workshops that took place in October, empowering folks to further advance their skills in process-based restoration and all of its benefits. … Read more
Big day for beaver in the news
Two big beaver hits today! First up is an interview with Kate and Brock in The Los Angeles Times about beaver benefits to landscapes. The story is titled, “Restoring California … Read more
Happy California Day of Biodiversity!
In honor of the day, we want to celebrate beaver being a keystone species, meaning the habitats they create benefit countless other plant and animal species in California ecosystems. Species … Read more
WATER institute in the Associated Press and NBC Bay Area
On July 24, the Associated Press published an article celebrating the new CDFW policy changes as they pertain to beaver restoration and management and quoted WATER Institute’s Kate Lundquist: “There … 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
Are you a beaver believer? Opportunity to learn more!
Catch WATER Institute’s Kate Lundquist at the next Secretary Speaker Series webinar, hosted by California’s Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, on Wednesday, July 12th from 12 noon – 1 pm. … 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
Upcoming WATER Institute Events
Upcoming events in watershed, beaver, and process-based restoration.
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
Watch Brock’s Firesafe Sonoma Talk: Fuels to Flows
Brock Dolman, Ecologist and Director of the OAEC Wildlands program, gave an online presentation for FireSafe Sonoma on May 23rd, 2023 introducing the concept of “Fuels to Flows” – turning … Read more
SAVE THE DATE: May 25 CDFW Beaver Restoration Virtual Meeting
As we’ve reported before, Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal to launch a new Beaver Restoration Program at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) became a reality on July 1st, … Read more
Bioneers Radio interviews our Beaver Believers
Neil Harvey, host of Bioneers Radio, interviews Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman to learn all about beaver: their history in North America, how they slow and spread water, create critical … 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
OAEC Makes a Splash in Restoration Journal
Ecesis, the quarterly news journal of SerCal (California Society for Ecological Restoration) features an article written by our own WATER Institute Co-Directors, Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman, and Development and … Read more
State Leaders Enact Historic Beaver Restoration Program!
SACRAMENTO (June 30, 2022) – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal to launch a new Beaver Restoration Program at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be enacted at the … Read more
Beaver Webinar with Kate Lundquist – video recording
Beaver in California: Creating a Culture of Stewardship Online Presentation The following video is a recording of a presentation WATER Institute Co-Director Kate Lundquist gave on October 15, 2020. Learn how … Read more
First Compost Toilet Research Samples Sent to the Lab!
January 14, 2020 This week we celebrated a huge milestone in the progression of OAEC’s Compost Toilet Research Project. It has been three and a half years since we … Read more
ARTIFISHAL movie – Sept 30, 6pm – SOLD OUT!
Artifishal is a film about wild rivers and wild fish that explores the high cost—ecological, financial and cultural—of our mistaken belief that engineered solutions can make up for habitat destruction. … Read more
WATER Institute on reappearance of beaver around California
Since 2014, a colony of beaver have been observed near the suburban South Bay town of Campbell, and with them, an uptick in blue heron, western tanager, ducks and other varieties … Read more
KMUD Interview with Kate Lundquist on the Benefits of Beavers
Listen to this interview with WATER Institute Director Kate Lundquist on using beaver to restore endangered salmon in California. Beaver dams slow down the flow of water off landscapes, … 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
Localizing CA Waters Conference Report Back
On November 7-9, 2018 a diverse group of water professionals and activists including water agency staff, government regulators, engineers and designers, plumbers and landscapers, indigenous water protectors, community action groups, … Read more
Compost Toilet Project: Pleasing Government & Grandma!
Compost Toilet Research Project Update: Pleasing Government & Grandma! Since we embarked on this journey to introduce Ecological Sanitation principals into the mainstream, our mantra has been to “satisfy both … Read more
Being Salmon, Being Human: The Performance
Join us in the North Garden Theater on Wednesday August 15th 7-9pm BEING SALMON, BEING HUMAN is a unique storytelling performance from Norway combining traditional tales, original music, and … Read more
Busy Beavers
WATER Institute co-directors Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman have fully embodied their busy mascot this summer as they hit the Bring Back the Beaver Campaign trail! Â The past few weeks … 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
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
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
