For CalTrout’s Policy Team, advocacy opportunities are always top of mind and this time of year is especially busy. Advocacy is a core pillar of what we do at CalTrout. Our Policy Team builds connections between our work on-the-ground, our commitment to science, and our sense of community within all our regions to further our mission through legislative and regulatory advocacy.
Watch our new video to learn more about our Legal & Policy Team’s work today and throughout CalTrout’s history:
Why Is Advocacy Important to CalTrout?
CalTrout’s on-the-ground restoration work is funded, in large part, by government grants. The leads of our funding agencies are headquartered in Sacramento, and their budgets are built by the legislature and through Bond efforts voted on by all Californians.
CalTrout’s Policy Team works on every budget for specific line items that meet our organization’s projected needs for the year. When there’s a bond (like there will be in 2024), we’re writing in line items for multi-benefit flood plain work and dam removal. When we’re successful with the budget, we then lobby for grant guidelines that meet our project needs.
Lobbying and constant communications between our team and decision makers in Sacramento can pay dividends to help CalTrout secure government grants. Our Policy Team’s primary function is to meet with every legislative office and every funding agency. We build fact sheets for every regional office and highlight the projects that affect each district in California. When we meet with staff members and legislators, we discuss our work.
That means when we need support letters, we get them as soon as possible. When there’s a new funding guideline to comment on, we work with our grants team to get our comments in immediately, and we set up individual meetings to discuss our priorities. Soup to nuts, we are advocating for every government natural resource dollar to be tailored to CalTrout’s needs.
What Does Advocacy Look Like at CalTrout?
There are a few different ways that our Policy Team approaches advocacy in our work to protect the freshwater resources we all rely on.
