Tag Archives: California

Specialized Research and Expertise Drive California’s Golden Mussel Response, Dudek Says 

Adrianne Cruz

Science‑based approaches help water managers assess infrastructure risk and act quickly  Encinitas, CA – April 21, 2026 –  Dudek, a U.S.-based environmental, planning, and engineering consulting firm, is supporting California’s response to the spread of golden mussels through specialized research and multidisciplinary expertise that is helping water managers assess infrastructure risk and act quickly across complex water systems

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How the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan Impacts Project Permitting and Mitigation 

Adrianne Cruz

California has approved a comprehensive plan to protect the western Joshua Tree, which is increasingly threatened by climate change and development pressures. The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan, announced on August 16, 2025, marks the first time the state has adopted a species-specific strategy under its new biodiversity law. This plan, developed by the California

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How to Boost Community Resilience with Proven Wildfire Protection Methods

Nicole Flewellen

Periods of prolonged droughts coupled with low humidity and high winds have created conditions that are more conducive to wildfires. During these periods of extreme fire weather, otherwise controllable ignitions have a high probability of becoming wildfires.  The increased frequency of these conditions and the expanded times of year they are occurring have resulted in

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How SB 1425 and AB 1889 Impact Updates to General Plan Open Space and Conservation Elements

Nicole Flewellen

Advancing Climate Resilience through Open Space Updates SB 1425 mandates that every city and county in California review and update their local open-space plans by January 1, 2026. General plan updates in consideration of SB 1425 must include plans and action programs that address: Equitable access to open space, considering social, economic, and racial

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How Your California Project May Be Impacted by the Burrowing Owl CESA Listing Candidacy

Rose Fox

endangered under CESA and will make a final listing decision within 1-2 years. There are three key questions to consider when determining how to proceed with your project: Is my project located in an area where burrowing owls may occur? Is my project located in an area where an existing habitat conservation plan (HCP)

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Bumble Bees May Soon Be Eligible for Listing Under the California Endangered Species Act

Nicole Flewellen

What is the current listing status for California bumble bees? On May 31, 2022, the Third Appellate Court District in California ruled that “…a terrestrial invertebrate, like each of the four bumble bee species, may be listed as an endangered or threatened species under the [California Endangered Species Act],” under the definition of ‘fish.’ This

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10 Years Later: The Successes, Shortfalls, and Next Steps for SGMA

Rose Fox

In 2014, in the middle of one of the worst droughts in recorded history, the California legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the state’s groundwater supply. Under SGMA, local groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) are tasked with developing groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs), which identify the sustainable management criteria

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How Three Bat Species Listings May Impact your Wind Energy Project

Nicole Flewellen

The operation of wind energy facilities can potentially harm bats, but the true extent of this danger is not fully understood. In some US regions, a significant challenge to developing wind energy is finding ways to lower the number of bats that collide with wind turbines while maintaining high power production levels. When developing or

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Water Storage 101: How 3 Types of Reservoirs Support Long-Term Water Supply

Nicole Flewellen

In California, the past 20 years have been the driest in over 1,000 years, but a deluge of storms in January and February 2023 brought more than 24.5 trillion gallons of water to the state. “In the past several years, we’ve said, ‘We welcome every drop we can get,’” Dudek hydrogeologist Jill Weinberger said. But

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How to Secure Funding for Projects through California’s Climate Adaptation Planning Grant Program

Nicole Flewellen

California state law requires jurisdictions to integrate considerations for climate change and associated risk into General Plans, Climate Adaptation Plans, and Local Coastal Programs. The law also incentivizes the integration of adaptation in Local and Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plans. Collectively, these plans guide the development of long-term community vision, infrastructure investments, community health and safety,

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