Water, Energy, & Environment Task Force

Please join the East Bay Leadership Council's Water & Environment Task Force to learn about efforts to address climate change in the Bay Area using nature-based solutions. Hear from industry experts from the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, San Francisco Estuary Institute, and Intrinsyx Environmental on their work to develop nature-based projects, specifically ones that address water quality and shoreline adaptation. They will also discuss funding opportunities, legislation, project challenges, and the importance of equity in the success of this work.

OUR SPEAKERS

Heidi Nutters works at the intersection of communities and nature in the San Francisco Bay. She is a Senior Program Manager with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (housed at the Association of Bay Area Governments) where she leads a large program portfolio on nature-based shoreline adaptation with a strong focus on social and racial justice. Prior to joining the Partnership, she worked at San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission. She received an M.A. in Environmental Studies from Brown University and a B.A. from Antioch College.

Ian Wren is a hydrologist who specializes in stormwater and wastewater-related issues on behalf of public and non-profit organizations. For several years, he has worked with the San Francisco Estuary Institute, representing the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies, on the evaluation and advancement of nature-based solutions to mitigate nutrient pollution within San Francisco Bay. 

Galen O’Toole is a project manager and the lead environmental engineer at Intrinsyx Environmental—managing and designing endophyte-assisted phytoremediation projects for contaminated soil, groundwater, wastewater, and surface water. Projects include Superfunds, military sites, redevelopment projects, oil and gas sites, stormwater, industrial and municipal wastewaters, and in-situ remediation of surface waters. He holds an M.S. in Environmental Systems Engineering from California Polytechnic University—Humboldt. His goal is to continue developing regenerative, ecology-based solutions for benefitting public health, access to clean water, environmental restoration, and climate change mitigation.