Together for Fresh Water – SYRCL Delivers Letter To Secretary Crowfoot

Every year at SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival, we capitalize on the festival’s mission to inspire activism through the arts by having an advocacy action that people can take. During SYRCL’s 2025 Wild & Scenic Film festival, we asked attendees to sign on to our letter urging decision makers to add explicit protections for California’s rivers, creeks, and other freshwater ecosystems in the state’s landmark 30×30 plan. While the 30×30 plan outlines an ambitious agenda to safeguard 30% of coastal and terrestrial lands throughout the state by 2030, it lacks specific guidance and tools for protecting our freshwater ecosystems.   

Our letter outlined three measures that we wanted added to the 30×30 plan to protect freshwater resources:   

• Enhanced Protection Efforts: Implement stronger protections for both rivers and the land that surrounds the waterways, including conservation easements, the designation of new Wild and Scenic Rivers, and Outstanding Natural Resource Waters. This will safeguard these critical habitats from degradation and help preserve our freshwater supply.   

• Conservation and Restoration Projects: As part of new funding from Proposition 4, prioritize and invest in large-scale restoration and conservation projects that improve water quality, restore natural river flow regimes, and enhance habitat connectivity. These efforts will support the recovery of endangered species and improve ecosystem health.  

• Tribal Engagement: Foster collaboration with Indigenous groups to ensure that conservation efforts are inclusive and effective. Engaging these groups and local communities in the planning and implementation of conservation projects will lead to more sustainable and durable outcomes.   

At the end of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, we had gathered 615 signatures. 

On Wednesday, March 19^th, SYRCL’s Executive Director, Aaron Zettler-Mann, hand delivered our letter and the 615 signatures to California’s Natural Resources Secretary, Wade Crowfoot, who is leading efforts to achieve California’s 30×30 plan. Secretary Crowfoot expressed his gratitude to SYRCL and to everyone who signed onto our letter for this effort to get more freshwater protections in place in the 30×30 plan. He especially enjoyed seeing the map of California’s rivers that festival attendees had put hearts on to show their love of our freshwater ecosystems.

In 2025, SYRCL will continue to work with our allies and advocate for California to prioritize funding for programs that safeguard our freshwater.