From Estuary – The bank swallows are disappearing from the Sacramento River region, one of their most important nesting and breeding grounds in North America. And while this story is about the bank swallows, it’s also about what can be done to prevent them from vanishing altogether. For the bank swallows to maintain a healthy population—along with 15 other critical species in the region identified by the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan Conservation Strategy, updated in November 2022—it will take more restoration of river processes and native riparian habitat. And the key to more restoration along the Sacramento River is to combine large-scale habitat projects with flood-control projects, particularly projects that give the river room to wander and meander and swell in the unpredictable times ahead. (more)