California River Awards

Each year Friends of the River honors one extraordinary individual whose efforts recall the spirit of Mark Dubois, co-founder and director emeritus of Friends of the River. Mark is well known for his tireless commitment, courage, his ability to empower others, and his vision of the future for water and the environment.

This year we honor Dr. Daniel Swain, Ph.D. for his influential work explaining extreme weather events and climate science to the public, the press and policymakers.

Dr. Swain is a climate scientist and leading science communicator, focused on extreme weather events—including droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires—on a warming planet. This is now the climate context within which all efforts to protect and restore California rivers and waters takes place.

He authors the Weather West blog (weatherwest.com), which provides unique insights into California weather and climate, as well as delivering a steady stream of accurate and timely climate and weather information on a variety of video and social media channels. His work is foundational to the people of California for understanding how extreme precipitation events, drought, flood and fire will influence how we need to manage California water and rivers in the future. He is a tireless advocate for the application of science to making people’s lives better in a changing climate.