Greg Reis Email & Phone Number

My goals are to promote the livability, sustainable use, and restoration of (greater) California's environment, minimize environmental impact (with a focus on water, energy, transportation, and land use efficiency and minimization of waste), and inspire Californians to appreciate, protect, and responsibly use the environment.I learn how systems work and apply that understanding to solving problems, especially redesigning and reoperating infrastructure in order to minimize environmental impact and maximize environmental compliance. A primary focus of mine has been to restore more natural instream flows and restore streams below dams through the technical aspects of negotiation and implementation of settlement agreements.I have worked for the Mono Lake Committee (MLC) for almost 30 years. I am an expert in Mono Basin hydrology, water operations, and stream restoration and monitoring, and have coordinated MLC's involvement in many restoration projects.Until recently I was a Staff Hydrologist with The Bay Institute (TBI), which was a leader in protecting the San Francisco Estuary from 1981-2024. Since June I am now River Restoration Hydrologist at Friends of the River, where our core TBI team has coalesced and we continue our important work under a compatible mission and focus on protecting California's Rivers. I am an expert in wilderness travel and have climbed all the named peaks in the Mono Basin. I was an EMT for 20 years and was a firefighter on the Lee Vining Volunteer Fire Dept. for 15 years. I was a first aid/CPR instructor for several years. I am a Neighborhood Leader for the San Geronimo Valley Emergency Readiness Group.My public safety and natural resources management interests meet in my interest in natural hazards and disasters. A disaster occurs when people get in the way of a natural process. Restoring the natural recurrence interval of disturbances in disturbance-adapted ecosystems (esp. fire and flood) helps not only to restore ecosystems, but if planned and funded well, can help people get out of the way of the hazard and save lives. Giving rivers room to flood benefits everyone, and in many forest ecosystems, burning more acres with good fire means fewer bad fires.

Listed skills include Environmental Awareness, Ecology, Environmental Education, Sustainability, and 46 others.