Inland Empire project will map river recreation and cooling sites to support people and wildlife

RIVERSIDE/SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Representatives of Orange County Coastkeeper and Inland Empire Waterkeeper told the Environmental Flows Work Group on Oct. 5 that a newly funded two‑year project will map potential public cooling and recreation sites along Inland Empire waterways and assess habitat and flow needs.

Ray Heimstrom, associate director at Orange County Coastkeeper and the Inland Empire Waterkeeper and the work group’s public representative on the Monitoring Council, said the project—state funded—will inventory waterways in San Bernardino and Riverside counties to identify stretches suitable for cooling access while also noting ecological stress. “There’s actually a lot of recreation on the Santa Ana River,” Heimstrom said; the project will map informal beaches and document where flows and access overlap with habitat concerns, he told the group.

Why this matters: Heimstrom said the Santa Ana Sucker is struggling and that increasing recreation and heat‑related needs are creating demand for cooling sites while also posing potential stress on aquatic habitat. The project aims to reconcile public safety and community needs for cooling with habitat protections by producing maps and data to guide flow management and site design.

Ending: Heimstrom invited attendees to contact him for details and collaboration opportunities as the project proceeds.