CCKA Advocacy Day: SYRCL’s Impactful Dialogue with Key California Decision Makers

On March 5^th, Aaron Zettler-Mann, SYRCL’s Executive Director, and Traci Sheehan, SYRCL’s Policy Manager, represented SYRCL at the California Coastkeeper Alliance’s (CCKA) annual Advocacy Day, engaging in meaningful conversations with key state-level decision-makers and agencies. 

California Coastkeeper Alliance was founded in 1999 with the belief that clean and healthy water, oceans, and coasts are vital to California’s economy, public health and way of life. Using law, policy, science, and creative media, California Coastkeeper Alliance advances statewide policies and programs for healthy and clean waters. SYRCL has been a board member of CCKA since 2016 and serves as the Yuba Waterkeeper, actively working to protect and preserve the Yuba River and its watershed.  Together with CCKA, we are developing and supporting policies to protect the Yuba River watershed and rivers across the state.   

During Advocacy Day, our meetings centered around pressing issues that affect the Yuba River watershed, including water and instream flows needed for salmon and protections that ensure our rivers are swimmable, fishable, and drinkable. 

We had the opportunity to sit down with Wade Crowfoot, Director of the California Natural Resources Agency, and Chuck Bonham, the Director of California Fish and Wildlife, among others, to discuss potential collaborative efforts and advocate for much needed river flows in the Yuba for the survival of salmon and our fisheries.   

These discussions are vital as they allow us to voice the concerns and suggestions of SYRCL, our partner organizations, and community members to these decision makers who have the power to make impactful changes.  

Stay tuned for more updates on our state level advocacy efforts with CCKA and how you can be involved in shaping a swimmable, fishable, and drinkable Yuba River!   

To see more of CCKA’s Top Priorities for 2024 visit: CCKA’s Top Priorities for 2024 (cacoastkeeper.org) 

For more information contact: Traci Sheehan, Policy Manager, traci@yubariver.org