Magazine covers, photo shoots, documentaries, music videos and news interviews seem to be all the rage at the Salton Sea lately. Yes, California’s largest endangered lake is once again mustering up support and capturing the attention of so many around the world. Could this be another temporary trend for the region or is it actual progress towards restorative change long overdue?

Last month’s Long Range Planning Committee Meeting, by the California Natural Resources Agency, was a serious attempt by the state, local agencies and public-private partnerships to discuss long-term sustainable restoration plans for the Sea. Presenters included Sephton Water Technology, Seawater Works, Gensler, Good Earth Mechanics, Jennings & Johnson accompanied by the Cucapah Community, Jim D. Bates, Michael Clinton Consulting, Agess, American Research and Development Institute, and Geothermal Worldwide.

Presentations showcased various environmentally innovative technologies focusing on improving water quality, renewable energy production and sharing water across Mexican borders to lessen the region’s dependency on already dwindling fresh-water resources. Several sea-to-sea restoration plans promoted importing water from the Sea of Cortez to restore Laguna Salada (Mexico) and the Salton Sea in hopes of creating economic growth, wetland habitat, recreational tourism, renewable energy and fresh water for both regions. Excitement filled the room after the Cucapah Community, the primary property owners south of the border, expressed strong support for the opportunity to work together with California by rejuvenating both regions with new water.

As questions and applause concluded the presentations, Bruce Wilcox, Assistant Secretary of Salton Sea Policy and lead of the committee, announced that all solutions would be vetted by the state and Salton Sea Task Force. After the meeting, we had the chance to sit down with Mr. Wilcox and ask him his thoughts on the presentations and the option of importing water from Mexico. Wilcox expressed that it was indeed a “workable solution” and stressed that “we have to produce results for the people down here at the Salton Sea. There’s been years of effort on a lot of people’s part but not much progress. This is our chance to make that progress.”

When asked how the average concerned citizen can help, Wilcox encouraged everyone to attend upcoming public meetings and to send letters of support to local leaders like Secretary John Laird and Governor Jerry Brown. For more information on how you can help the Salton Sea please visit http://www.saveoursea.info and http://www.saltonseanow.com.