Dear Colleagues,

I invite you to join me in celebrating a significant milestone: the opening of Stanford's first new school in 70 years. As of September 1, Water in the West — and all of the Woods Institute for the Environment — will become part of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. 

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability brings together a diverse community of collaborators from across the university and around the world, all dedicated to developing the knowledge and solutions needed to address the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

The new school includes academic departments spanning all areas of scholarship that are needed to advance the long-term sustainability of the planet; institutes that bridge disciplines and bring multiple viewpoints to bear on urgent challenges; and an accelerator that drives new policy and technology solutions through a worldwide network of partners to develop solutions at a global scale.

Solving complex environmental problems requires innovative thought, bold solutions, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. At Water in the West, we are eager to do our part. We are excited to join our colleagues in the new school and dedicate this issue of our newsletter to a shared sustainable future.

Thank you for being a part of our growing community!

Best,



Barton "Buzz" Thompson 
Faculty Director, Water in the West
Robert E. Paradise Professor of Natural Resources Law, Stanford University
Senior Fellow & Founding Perry L. McCarty Director,
Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

After releasing a major report, Landreth Visiting Fellow Felicia Marcus discusses how states can utilize nature-based solutions, such as restoring meadows and reintroducing beavers, to help meet their climate and water targets. More...

Postdoctoral fellow Phillip Womble's analysis of environmental water transactions in the Colorado River Basin concludes that scaling up purchases of water rights from agricultural producers and others is needed to support strained ecosystems and avoid curtailments for major users in the upper Colorado River Basin.  More...