Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program

• Anne Hayden, Vice President of Resilient Water Systems at the Environmental Defense Fund
• Visits to: Pixley National Wildlife Refuge, Kaia Oaks Preserve, Joseph Gallow Farms, and Castroville Slough Treatment Wetlands

Interview with Anne Hayden (Environmental Defense Fund)

Travis Loop:
To start off, Anne, this is a big question, but how would you describe or summarize the water situation in California right now?

Anne Hayden:
That is a big question.
In California, we are currently operating under a water rights system that’s archaic and over-allocated.
There are far more water rights granted than actual water supply available.

Climate change is a huge stressor. We’re seeing less water stored in snowpacks during winter, meaning less water reaching rivers, farms, and people. This is punctuated by occasional extreme wet periods, like we had recently.

So overall, we have an overallocated system, stressed by extreme variability. We’re trying to manage water for multiple uses — cities, agriculture, ecosystems — but often, we don’t have enough to go around.

Travis Loop:
And multi-benefit land repurposing is one of the approaches?

Anne Hayden:
Yes. This program supports implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
As overdrafted basins reduce pumping to meet SGMA targets, we won’t be able to irrigate all current farmland.
Multi-benefit land repurposing helps proactively manage that change — giving communities a chance to shape the future of those lands.

Instead of disorganized land fallowing that could cause dust, weeds, and economic decline, the program helps transition land to uses like:

• Groundwater recharge
• Habitat corridors
• Low-water-use crops
• Renewable energy (e.g., solar farms)

The goal is to let communities lead in determining what their region’s future looks like.

Pixley National Wildlife Refuge

Travis Loop (on-site narration):
We’re at Pixley National Wildlife Refuge with a big group here to learn about land repurposing in California.

This site has wetlands and uplands supporting endangered species and waterfowl. It’s surrounded by agriculture and is a prime example of how repurposed land can support wildlife, recreation, and water management.

Aaron Tennant (CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife):
The Central Valley is one of the most altered landscapes in the world.
We’ve established ecological reserves through mitigation and conservation bonds.
With SGMA, there’s now a larger opportunity to restore habitats at scale — creating connected corridors for endangered species.

Kaia Oaks Preserve

Travis Loop:
At Kaia Oaks Preserve with Jonathan Vaughn of the Sequoia Riverlands Trust. This 344-acre preserve was once a plum orchard and rangeland.

Jonathan Vaughn:
The land was topographically modified in 2017 to hold floodwater and recharge groundwater.
It’s also thriving as habitat — cottonwoods, toads, herons, blackbirds, and more.
There are also major recreation benefits: open access, walking trails, and K–12 education programs.

Joseph Gallow Farms (Merced, CA)

Travis Loop:
Behind me is 400 acres of former pastureland, now being converted to recharge land through the program.

Brad Samuelson (Water and Land Solutions):
This family farm is balancing almond and dairy crops with long-term recharge projects.
They’ve already created a recharge basin and plan to convert pastures to restored vernal pool grasslands and floodplains.
Hydrogeologists are helping to identify the best soils for recharge.

Castroville Slough Treatment Wetlands

Jenny Baggia (Central Coast Wetlands Group):
In the Salinas Valley, the land is very productive — some farms rotate crops three times a year.
But there are areas too flood-prone to farm reliably.

We received a $10 million grant to repurpose those areas — reducing nitrate pollution, supporting groundwater recharge, and providing wildlife habitat.

Our completed project, the Castroville Slough Treatment Wetland, is a model for what these end projects can look like: cleaning water, improving habitats, and being cost-effective.

Ryan Kelly (Bant Farms)

Ryan Kelly:
I farm 2,000 acres of vegetables near Castroville.
Some of our land is adjacent to wetlands that flood naturally — making farming risky and constrained.

Land repurposing allows us to take marginal land out of production, improve groundwater recharge, and reduce our reliance on chemical mitigation.

We’re looking at converting about 90 acres on a hilly, flood-prone part of our land — it’s better used for nature.
State grants make this financially feasible, which is critical for farm sustainability.

Land Repurposing Program Status

Anne Hayden:
When we started talking to farmers 5–6 years ago about this, there wasn’t much interest.
Now, SGMA makes the need for land transition more real.

We built a framework with broad stakeholder support.
The Department of Conservation runs the program, and $90 million has been allocated across two funding rounds.

Local GSAs are now creating their plans and working with farmers.
We’re in the education and outreach phase, setting the stage for larger implementation.

Estimates show this will require billions in funding across the Central Valley — but we’re laying the foundation now for strategic, community-driven change.

Outro

Travis Loop:
There’s no silver bullet for water sustainability in California.
It’s going to take many approaches.

Multi-benefit land repurposing shows real promise — from the Central Valley to the coast — where communities, farmers, and environmental groups are coming together to reimagine land use.

I’m excited to follow these projects as they grow.

Closing Music

You’re in the water.
Loop. Waterloop. Water loop. Water loop.