Treepeople will develop the santa clara river watershed regional climate collaborative, a new watershed group focused on the santa clara river in southern california

TreePeople, Inc. received a $300,000 Project Grant award from the Bureau of Reclamation under the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CWMP, CFDA 15.554) on May 21, 2025, with a completion date of March 31, 2027. The award funds the establishment and operation of the Santa Clara River Watershed Regional Climate Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder watershed group designed to coordinate restoration efforts across the Santa Clara River in Southern California. The collaborative will convene academic institutions, recreational organizations, private businesses, landowners, and non-governmental organizations to develop unified, cross-jurisdictional solutions addressing watershed challenges exacerbated by climate change.

The primary deliverables include the formation of a formal watershed group that will conduct monthly stakeholder meetings, quarterly field surveys, and comprehensive community outreach activities. The collaborative will produce a strategic Watershed Restoration Plan identifying integrated solutions to address invasive riparian vegetation, drought impacts, flooding risks, wildfire vulnerability, and habitat restoration needs while improving river access for nearby communities. This effort consolidates fragmented restoration projects currently operating independently throughout the watershed into a coordinated, watershed-scale management approach aligned with the Cooperative Watershed Management Program's emphasis on grassroots stakeholder collaboration and local water management solutions.

This group will create a strategic watershed restoration plan to focused on addressing issues of invasive riparian plants, drought, flooding, and repeat wildfires, all of which have been exacerbated by climate change. Currently, numerous restoration projects from individual groups are spread throughout the river, however the scale of current issues will require unified coordination. The collaborative will bring together diverse stakeholders including academic institutions, recreational organizations, private businesses, landowners, and ngos to establish a formal multi-partner, multidisciplinary watershed group that efficiently serves the whole watershed. The newly formed watershed group will host monthly meetings, conduct quarterly field surveys, perform community outreach, and ultimately create a comprehensive watershed restoration plan to identify cross-jurisdictional solutions that address drought, wildfire risks, habitat restoration, and improved river access for nearby communities.