Crystal Cove Conservancy is honored to welcome California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot for a timely Cove Talk exploring the future of conservation, climate resilience, and public stewardship across our state. 

Hosted by Crystal Cove Conservancy President & CEO Kate Wheeler, the evening will feature a moderated conversation and public Q&A with Secretary Crowfoot, set against the backdrop of Crystal Cove State Park’s iconic coastline. 

At a moment defined by climate change, biodiversity loss, wildfire, and increasing pressures on public lands, this conversation will examine California’s vision for protecting and stewarding natural and cultural resources for generations to come. Grounded in both statewide perspective and place-based experience, the dialogue will explore the role coastal parks play in strengthening climate resilience, protecting sensitive habitats, and ensuring meaningful public access to the outdoors. 

The discussion will also reflect on the partnerships that make this work possible — from collaboration between state agencies and nonprofits to the local stewardship models that sustain treasured landscapes like Crystal Cove State Park. Together, the evening will offer insight into how conservation, recreation, and equity intersect in shaping California’s environmental future. 

The evening will conclude with a sunset reception overlooking the ocean, as the conversation continues over light bites and beverages in one of California’s most breathtaking coastal settings. 

This special Cove Talk invites our community to engage directly with state leadership at the intersection of climate, conservation, and public lands. 

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
• Time: 5:00–7:00 p.m.
• Location: Crystal Cove State Park, Cottage Check-In Deck
• Cost: $10 for members ($15 for non-members)
• Parking: Los Trancos Parking Lot across PCH ($15 day-use fee per vehicle; free with State Parks annual pass)

The evening will conclude with a sunset reception overlooking the ocean, offering guests the opportunity to continue the dialogue over light bites and beverages in one of California’s most breathtaking coastal settings.

Wade Crowfoot serves as California’s Natural Resources Secretary, leading efforts to conserve California’s environment and natural resources. He has served as Secretary since 2019 and advises Governor Newsom as a member of his cabinet. 

Secretary Crowfoot oversees an agency of over 25,000 employees spread across 26 departments, commissions, and conservancies. His agency is charged with stewarding California’s forests and natural lands, rivers and water supplies, and coast and ocean. It also protects natural places, wildlife and biodiversity, and helps oversee the state’s world-leading clean energy transition. 

Secretary Crowfoot is leading efforts to achieve Governor Newsom’s ambitious environmental vision, including a commitment to conserve 30 percent of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030. He oversees billions of dollars of public investment to protect people and natural places from climate change impacts, and has led efforts to navigate California’s record-breaking droughts, floods, and wildfires. Secretary Crowfoot has also initiated a new era of partnerships with California Native American Tribes and is shifting how the agency operates to better support all California residents and communities. 

Secretary Crowfoot has been on the frontlines of environmental leadership throughout his career. He served in Governor Jerry Brown’s Administration as deputy cabinet secretary and senior advisor to the Governor, driving climate action. He led the non-profit Water Foundation to build water resilience across the American West. He spearheaded efforts to establish and defend California’s landmark climate change policies as West Coast regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund.  As an environmental advisor to then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, he helped establish many first-in-the-nation urban environmental policies. Secretary Crowfoot received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics. 

Wade grew up in Michigan spending summers at a YMCA camp and in the woods around his family’s remote cabin in Northern Ontario. He moved to California in the mid-1990s and discovered backcountry camping with friends. His first time in the redwoods at Big Basin State Park is still one of his defining California moments. He loves to camp with his wife and daughter and learn new things in the outdoors, currently including fly fishing and soon backcountry skiing. He says his best days in as Natural Resources Secretary are spent outdoors with local groups that are conserving land and connecting people to nature. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Erin Andreatta, Public Programs Manager, at ErinA@crystalcove.org.