The False Dichotomy of Man versus Frog

As Executive Director for the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, I’ve recently participated in several meetings that reveal a deep misunderstanding of the role of the Carmel River Watershed in regional water supply issues. In a meeting discussing the Cease and Desist Order (CDO) from the State Water Board, which has limited the historic over pumping of the Carmel River, one participant said of the CDO, “we did this just to protect some frogs”. This perspective is one heard frequently, suggesting that we need to put people first versus the biodiversity needs of the watershed. One presenter showed slides with an earlier version of the watershed with denuded banks strewn with tires versus today’s verdant, willow covered banks. But the rapid re-growth of vegetation does not fully convey the health of the watershed. A healthy watershed provides for both people and animals, while supplying water for beneficial uses. And it is critical that we learn to balance these needs so that we can all live within our ecological means.
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For more than 24 years the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy (CRWC) has supported options that grow our water supply alongside our advocacy for river restoration, such as  One Water recycled water and the projected desalination plant. Simultaneously, we  continue to educate communities on how land stewardship and water conservation practices mitigate the dangers of fire, flood, and drought. A healthy watershed leads to healthy, resilient communities. It is not an us versus them relationship.  

Just days before the CDO meeting, I met with the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) and a concerned homeowner that showed us a section of the river in which the riparian zone had been razed of vegetation – despite the management company responsible having been advised by the MPWMD that such an action is against County, State, and Federal riparian zone regulations. This vegetation has a critical role not only in protecting the habitat of threatened species, but also for safeguarding the community from fire, flood, and drought. With MPWMD’s direction, they now need to restore this area to its natural functioning. Yet often the perspective is that costly and burdensome regulations get in the way of people’s enjoyment of the land. Why not replace the messy native vegetation with a new pickle ball court?  

The vegetation in the riparian corridor performs many critical functions. Without it, stormwater simply runs off rapidly towards the ocean. Vegetation slows the water down, allowing it to sink into the land and the aquifer, which recharges the groundwater and keeping the area moist, even during dry periods. This riparian corridor is a powerful break against fire as the relatively moist vegetation slows and stops fires.

The CRWC Watershed Health Report Card project with Cal State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) this year is focusing on the relationship between fire and the watershed. In mapping the burn areas as far back as 1911, the data shows that the areas of healthy riparian corridor serve as a moist fire buffer, a natural fire break. Porous soil expands the capacity of the watershed to hold more water, leading to more stormwater storage that aids in both flood and drought periods. In many urban areas they are implementing these practices, calling successful models “sponge cities.” 

By slowing the water and encouraging it to sink, we recharge the ground and the aquifer beneath it, storing water for future needs. Practices to Slow it, Sink it, Store it, mimic natural systems to create a watershed resilient for both threatened species and humans. And while the CDO along with work on the watershed by the CRWC and collaborating agencies has led to significant restoration, pretty pictures of willows do not tell the whole story.
Our watershed report card follows a series of health metrics on the river; each with a potential score of 100. A restored river would have all health metrics at 80 or above. At this time the average is 67, brought down significantly by the low numbers on threatened species. The steelhead rating is currently at 12 out of 100. The example provided earlier of a community thoughtlessly destroying a section of riparian corridor shows how easily habitat is destroyed in just a day, having a destructive effect against years of effort.  

We need shift this conversation so that communities understand that protecting the health of the watershed protects the health of the community as well. It is not either-or situation.

Where does re-framing this debate take us in the question of water supply? 

Prior to the CDO, area water agencies did little to look for or establish new water supplies. The CDO caused water agencies to work together to create the recycled water program, to create regulations encouraging conservation and natural systems instead of acres of lawn, and to explore alternatives such as desalination.

This is not to say that the CDO must remain in place indefinitely. The water board criteria for releasing the CDO is simple – the data needs to show that a permanent water supply is assured to replace the Carmel River over pumping and meet demand. A reasonable guideline. This data has yet to be proven to the Water Board. But when the CDO is lifted, what then? While the argument is that we need the CDO to be lifted for affordable housing and civic needs such as a new fire station, what is in place to ensure that the likely surge of pent-up demand for new water connections doesn’t exceed supply or go towards wasteful discretionary uses. While there are challenges created by the CDO, it makes sense not to let demand surge without water availability to meet it.
This brings us to the question of demand and the politically challenging question of looking at how our water is used. Is the debate frogs versus humans? What if the true battle is man against our capacity for change – changes in habits, lifestyle, or regional perspective?

The slow water movement, employing the principles of slow it, sink it, store it, provides guidelines for ways each of us can improve our stewardship of water and land use. Where can residents and landowners learn how to employ these methods? Watershed Wise Webinars are offered for free, sponsored by the MPWMD, CalAm, and the WaterAwareness Committee of Monterey. In collaboration, the CRWC is developing materials and opportunities to learn about these land use methods from stormwater capture to rain gardens, thoughtful use of native plants, and groundwater recharge. We have arranged for National Geographic Explorer and author of Water Always Wins, Erica Gies, to present at California Wildlife Day on April 6th 2025. We are launching a series of Science Uncorked programs to help us learn new approaches to water practices, all while enjoying wine from our watershed! Let’s retire the man vs frog battle and develop an integrative approach that favors a range of solutions to support the health and vitality of all inhabitants of the watershed and the communities that depend on it.