State of the Estuary Conference to Map Course for Restoration

Can the Estuary turn the tide of Sea Level Rise and Habitat Conservation?  

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Bay Area Governments' San Francisco Estuary Partnership affiliate on Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Wednesday, Oct. 29, will hold its biannual conference, bringing together hundreds of regional experts to discuss the management and ecological health of the San Francisco Estuary. The State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference showcases the latest information about work in the Bay Area and the Delta to sustain and improve the Estuary's habitats, living resources, water quality, nature-based solutions and environmental stewardship. 

WHEN: Tuesday, October 28 (9:30 am to 5 pm), Wednesday, October 29 (9 am to 5 pm)
WHERE: Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Diandra Marizet Esparza, Intersectional Environmentalist, Co-Founder & Director of Impact and Elise Joshi, Gen-Z for Change, Board Member, Former Executive Director

This year's conference will pay special attention to the connection between science and art, as well as the role of collaboration among local jurisdictions in addressing extreme weather and sea level rise. The event will feature a performance by Fog Beast and host Keynote speaker Diandra Marizet Esparza, an Intersectional Environmentalist and Co-Founder & Director of Impact, to discuss the connection between Art & Storytelling in Collective Environmental Action.

The State of the Estuary Conference also will shine a spotlight on new data about the health of the San Francisco Estuary. On the first day of the conference, October 28, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership and the San Francisco Estuary Institute will debut the online hub, State of Our Estuary, which will share the first widespread status and trend indicators update on the health of the San Francisco Bay and Delta since 2019. 

A "Decision Makers Panel" plenary session on Wednesday, October 29, will explore how local elected officials are championing nature-based solutions along Bay Area shorelines; a meaningful and timely conversation as dozens of nature-based projects are being developed around the region to address the region's more than $200 billion vulnerability to sea level rise by 2100.

The conference also will showcase conversations and findings on the following topics: 

• Tackling the next phase of wetland expansion
• The state of local birds and habitat preservation
• How new technology is being applied to identify and reduce pollution
• Development of regional strategies to address sea level rise and floods
• Innovative nature-based adaptation projects in the Bay

Learn more about the State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference here: https://www.sfestuary.org/soe2025program/. 

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, and is part of the National Estuary Program, a non-regulatory program of the EPA created through 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 sits within the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the regional housing, land use, and transportation planning agencies.

SOURCE San Francisco Estuary Partnership