Providing a map of the present and future restoration efforts for the San Francisco Estuary

Over 700 people gathered at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center to connect on their shared goals to preserve habitats, support thriving species, manage resources effectively, and promote community health and engagement during the State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference.

The 17th biennial conference, hosted by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, returned this year with a dynamic event focused on the intersections of science, policy, and lived experience by showcasing the latest
information about the region’s work to sustain and improve the San Francisco Estuary.

Held on October 28-29 at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center, across from Lake Merritt, the conference featured keynote speakers Diandra Marizet Esparza, Co-Founder & Director of Impact at Intersectional Environmentalist, and Elise Joshi, Former Executive Director and current Board Member of Gen-Z for Change.

This year’s conference explored the connections between artistic expression, storytelling, and restoration and conservation. The conference evoked an emotional response from attendees as it invited them to explore the connection between their own personal stories and the Estuary, and how it
shaped their childhood, adulthood, and professional passions.

“This conference plays an important role as an incubator to connect managers, scientists, and students and community members to collaborate and share information focused on how best to address the pressing challenges that face the San Francisco Estuary,” said Caitlin Sweeney, Director of the San Francisco Estuary Partnership. “The Estuary connects to our regional identity, water quality, our approach to shoreline adaptation, and our ability to restore and conserve our natural resources and species. So, this year, we wanted to expand the scope of our conference to embrace the importance of art and storytelling as vital tools for sharing the many ways the Estuary impacts our lives.”

Additional highlights of the conference include the debut of “The State of Our Estuary,” a dynamic website that tracks the environmental health of the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. On opening day, a panel reflective of the broad scope of the State of Our Estuary report
showcased researchers from UC Davis, San Francisco Estuary Institute, Point Blue Conservation Science, and Project Drawdown, to discuss some of the key findings from this newly released website covering the Estuary’s health across multiple indicators including tidal marshes, water quality, freshwater flows, fish, and more.

The plenary session also highlighted bird-related indicators in the newly released SF Bay State of the Birds website. In addition, the Estuary Conference featured inspiring and informative keynote speakers, special events, a dance performance by Fog Beast, award presentations, a poster session, an art exhibition by the Women’s Eco-Artist Dialog, and 18 sessions focused on resilience, living resources, water, and environmental stewardship.

The conference also saw extensive youth participation, with students from Oakland Technical High School, Skyline High School, Holy Names High School, St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, and Laney College helping to introduce students to the breadth of careers available in the region. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, and the Delta Stewardship Council, along with twenty-five additional sponsors, supported this regional
conference .

About the San Francisco Estuary Partnership
The San Francisco Estuary Partnership is a regional governmental organization with a federal mandate to protect and restore the nationally significant San Francisco Estuary. It is part of the National Estuary Program, a non-regulatory initiative of the U.S. EPA established under the Clean Water Act. The planning area encompasses the San Francisco Estuary and its watersheds, from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the San Francisco Bay. The Estuary Partnership is situated within the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).

See all of the ABAG’s Top Stories.