California fish and wildlife director leaves position to work for Nature Conservancy

Chuck Bonham, the controversial Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife since 2011, is leaving his state government post to work for the Nature Conservancy’s California business unit, effective January 26, 2026. As California Executive Director, Bonham will oversee TNC’s work across California as Executive Director. 

While Governor Gavin Newsom and administration officials applauded his record with the Department of Fish and Wildlife in overseeing dam removal on the Klamath River, fishing groups criticized his legacy for overseeing the collapse of Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Delta smelt and an array of other fish species in California. 

“Chuck led Fish and Wildlife with heart and conviction—the longest-serving director in its 150-year history and a champion for California’s natural heritage," said Governor Newsom. "From his leadership restoring the Klamath to bringing salmon back to long-lost habitats, his belief that nature can rebound has shaped our state. I’m grateful for his service and counsel, and I look forward to continuing to work with him at The Nature Conservancy.”

In welcoming Bonham, TNC California’s leadership and Board of Trustees said they “reaffirm their commitment to continuity and strong momentum across California, where TNC has protected and restored over one million acres of land, as well as rivers, streams and coastal and ocean habitats since 1959.” 

 “Chuck Bonham is an exceptional conservation leader,” said CEO of The Nature Conservancy Jennifer Morris. “His steadfast commitment to the people and nature of California, his vision for protecting biodiversity and his proven ability to guide complex organizations through intricate challenges will be instrumental in advancing TNC’s mission. California’s role in achieving TNC’s goals is pivotal, and Chuck will help us act with urgency to create a future where people and nature thrive.” 

But the legacy of Bonham has been tainted by the closure of the commercial salmon season for three years, due to the collapse of the Sacramento and Klamath River fall-run Chinook salmon populations; the virtual extinction of Delta smelt in the wild; and the free fall of other fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, fishing and environmental groups pointed out.

“Chuck Bonham’s legacy lies with the commercial salmon industry shuttered for three years and ocean sportfishing reduced to a mere 6-day season during the same timeframe,” said Vance Staplin, Executive Director of the Golden State Salmon Association. “Most all businesses dependent on a healthy salmon fishery have been knocked to their knees struggling to survive during Bonham's tenure.” 

“Although Chuck Bonham has been the head of CDFW, the disastrous water policies that have wiped out much of the Central Valley's salmon and other wildlife are now the policies of Gavin Newsom.  We can hope for a good person to take over at CDFW, but what is really needed is a new governor who recognizes that water policy in California needs a little compromise and balance to bring salmon and many other species back. Californians deserve better,” observed Staplin.

On their Facebook page, the Nor-Cal Guides & Sportsmens Association commented on Bonham’s departure: “Wanted: New CDFW Director who fishes and hunts on a regular basis.”   

Bonham’s departure from the CDFW comes at a time when the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem is in its worst-ever crisis. No Delta smelt have been found in the Delta in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fall Midwater Trawl Survey for seven years.

Other species, including longfin smelt, Sacramento splittail, green sturgeon, white sturgeon, striped bass and threadfin shad, are in a state of collapse, due to massive water exports out of the Delta, toxics, pollution, invasive species and other factors.
While there was a very limited recreational salmon fishing season this year on the ocean and a restricted recreational salmon on the American, Feather and Mokelumne rivers, the Sacramento River was closed to sport salmon fishing and California ocean waters were closed to commercial salmon fishing for the third year in a row.

While an array of factors are behind the collapse of Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations, the biggest contributing factor in the precipitous decline is the massive export of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta through the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Water Project, according to scientists and salmon advocates.

Bonham joins TNC after serving as Director of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, the nation’s oldest and largest state and wildlife agency, with a budget of approximately $1 billion and over 3,000 employees, according to the TNC. Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2011 and reappointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019, Bonham is the longest-serving director in the Department’s history.  

When I receive other responses to Bonham leaving the CDFW for work for the Nature Conservancy, I will post them here.