Looking forward to 2026
This has been both a wonderful and terrible year. On the wonderful side, my overall health is good, notwithstanding a few age-related musculo-skeletal issues. I love living by the American River, and enjoy family and friends, which includes all of you. I love volunteering for FOR. Our staff and Board of Directors are all exceptional humans, so smart, effective, dedicated and FUN TO WORK WITH. All are good looking.
On the terrible side, you might have noticed America got hijacked last January. To soothe my internal rages and anxieties, my drug of choice has been chocolate. The level of peril to democracy and rivers is severe. While this does not change FOR's priorities or work, it does inform our strategy. Over this past year, we have painfully adapted to this new normal performing our daily work saving rivers under conditions of chaos and threat. To succeed we must also grow our collective power, and share the values and culture of the river community with the next generation.
Going forward, three strategic themes will strengthen all our work saving rivers:
Project 2027 – We will be ready for whatever changes in the composition of legislatures and agencies that will take place after November 2026. We want candidates and incumbents alike to be educated on the importance of rivers in California’s future. Our capacity to educate decisionmakers has grown in 2025, and momentum for change is growing.
Freshwater Front – We are inspiring broad citizen action by growing our membership, volunteers, our activist network, our partnerships and coalitions. We will build greater collective power and influence for just and flourishing California watersheds.
River Community - We will create more space and opportunity for members, activists and colleagues to share the joy of being outside together on rivers. Our work together is hard, with little positive feedback other than from ourselves. We need each other and the joy of being on the rivers we are working to save to maintain the courage and trust we need to face powerful foes. The most important things we will say to each other next year will be in person.
No question we are living through a time of political and environmental crisis. There is an overused motivational business metaphor, that the Chinese character for crisis is a combination of the characters for danger and opportunity. Not true. It is a combination of danger and crucial moment. It’s up to us to turn this crucial moment into an opportunity. It’s up to us.
