The sun shined brightly on our gathering to honor our founder, friend and mentor, Huey Johnson. January 6, 2025, would have been Huey’s 92nd birthday, and we took the opportunity to reflect on his remarkable life and contributions that guide our path every day.

Ranching operations to transition out of Point Reyes by 2026, clearing the way for conservation efforts.

An agreement signed this week by the National Park Service (NPS), environmental groups, and 18 families who have long run cattle and dairy operations at Point Reyes National Seashore ends a decade-long dispute over ranching within the national park.

The proposed Sáttítla National Monument in northeastern California represents a vital opportunity to protect one of the state’s most ecologically, culturally, and hydrologically significant regions. Often called the “headwaters of California,” Sáttítla provides fresh water to millions across the state, supporting wildlife, agriculture, and communities from the highlands to the San Francisco Bay.

For the first time in history, tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore will roam free as the NPS removes the contentious two-mile-long fence. Learn how thousands of voices and RRI made this historic moment possible!

As we approach our40th anniversary, the RRI team is filled with pride and gratitude for the incredible journey we have undertaken together. When Huey founded his fledgling “think and do” tank in 1985, he had already built an astonishing record of environmental accomplishments.  One of these achievements—saving the Marin Headlands—was honored this year by the National Park Service (NPS).

RRI joins a coalition of 132 organizations calling on Congress to pass emergency funding for communities devastated by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The November 2024 letter requests over $44 billion in disaster relief and infrastructure resilience funding while advocating for policy changes to strengthen federal disaster response capabilities.

The Resource Renewal Institute, as part of the Power in Nature coalition, has submitted comments on the U.S. Forest Service's National Old Growth Amendment DEIS. They argue that the current proposal fails to adequately protect old-growth forests.

46 Bay Area environmental organizations have united to urge San Francisco officials to drop a lawsuit against the EPA, scheduled for Supreme Court hearing on October 16, 2024. The lawsuit challenges EPA's authority under the Clean Water Act, potentially undermining nationwide water protection efforts.

RRI and a coalition of over 50 conservation organizations sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and key California legislators strongly opposing the proposed reversion of $45 million in General Funds from the Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) back to the General Fund.

RRI joined forces with over 20 organizations and businesses in submitting a public comment to the California Fish and Game Commission, urging them to implement robust measures to reduce bycatch and mortality in the Southern California set gillnet fishery.

Point Reyes National Seashore is the only national park where tule elk exist.

In 1978, the NPS reintroduced ten of California’s last surviving tule elk to the National Seashore. Once hailed as a historic conservation victory, the recovering tule elk at Tomales Point have struggled. For decades, scientists forewarned that forage and water were insufficient for the confined herd to thrive. As predicted, hundreds of elk have suffered and died during two historic droughts over the last decade.

On May 9, 2024, the Resource Renewal Institute joined over 100 environmental organizations urging Governor Newsom’s administration to proceed with funding the projects scheduled for the May 23rd Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) meeting despite potential budget cuts.

On May 6th, 2024, the Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) and over 400 organizations signed an open letter urging President Biden to declare a national climate emergency and take swift, transformative action to address the climate crisis.

RRI recently launched our inaugural marine biodiversity protection project, The 64% Solution: The Campaign to End Avoidable Bycatch, an initiative to protect the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary from set gillnet fishing.

We loved seeing you at the third annual Huey Johnson Legacy Walk. Thank you for being part of this wonderful tradition. Brilliant blue skies welcomed us back to Tennessee Valley on January 7 to remember and honor Huey Johnson on what would have been the day after his 91st birthday. 

For decades misguided park policies have condemned hundreds of tule elk to zoo-like conditions behind an 8-foot fence at the northern end of the Point Reyes peninsula. We now have the opportunity to change the course of elk management at the Seashore.

The Resource Renewal Institute joins over 600 organizations in endorsing the March to End Fossil Fuels, which is taking place ahead of the UN Climate Ambition Summit.

In December, Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) lost a wonderful friend and a colleague whose work will have a lasting impact on our organization. Lynn Alexander was a multi-faceted person who often surprised us with her wide range of talents and interests. As a director of large, complex projects for RRI, she was an organizational expert and accomplished leader who brought out the best in all of us.

In April, the California Coastal Commission unanimously rejected the National Park Service’s (NPS) Water Quality Strategy and Climate Action Plan for Point Reyes National Seashore as inadequate and sent the NPS back to the drawing board. This Thursday, September 8, Commissioners will revisit the NPS’s newly submitted plan.

I’m writing to update you on Fish in the Fields (FIF) and the important progress we’ve been making in 2022. Our work to drive greater sustainability into two essential crops, rice and fish, continues to gain momentum and participation among key stakeholders in California and across the country.