Residents around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta feel left out of the decision-making process over a local water conservation plan, University of California researchers learned by conducting "conversations" in five counties last year. Tim Hearden of Capital Press spoke to two of the UC Cooperative Extension advisors involved in hosting and evaluating the conversations, Jodi Cassell and Shelly Murdock of Contra Costa County.

Residents repeatedly said experts and policymakers gave their points of view at public meetings about a water conservation plan that could include a peripheral canal, but they didn't seem to absorb the public's perspective.

"I'm a scientist and I work on ecological things ... but you really have to work with the communities to get their buy-in to the lands you want to restore," Cassell said. "When you go to a public meeting and there are maps on the table or documents showing your property ... it gets people's dander up."

University researchers produced a 4-page report and a 13-minute video containing some of the comments made at the meetings, and plan to share the views with policymakers.