Christina Babbitt

Senior Manager, California Groundwater Program

Work

Areas of expertise:
Water resources management; water policy; groundwater management; adaptive management and resilience of impaired watersheds; institutional design and governance; social-ecological systems; strategic planning

Christina manages the California Groundwater Program at EDF. She and the rest of the California Groundwater Program are working to reform water transfer policy in California and to launch replicable groundwater sustainability pilot projects across California’s Central Valley. In these efforts, Christina works to build partnerships in the agricultural community, foster collaboration among NGOs, agencies, water districts, and agricultural partners, and contributes technical expertise on water governance structure and design.

Christina’s past research has focused on sustainable water resources management in stressed watersheds within the western U.S., Europe, and eastern Africa.

Background

Prior to joining EDF, Christina worked as a senior associate at Blue Earth Consultants, LLC in Oakland, California, where she specialized in natural resource management and governance, institutional design and effectiveness, and strategic planning.

Previously, Christina held positions with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center in Oakland, California, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water in Washington, D.C.

Education

Ph.D., Natural Resources, University of Nebraska - Lincoln; M.Sc., Environmental Science & Certificate in Geographic Information Systems, Florida International University; B.A., International Relations, Rollins College

Publications

Bleed, A. and C. Hoffman Babbitt. 2015. Nebraska’s Legal and Institutional Framework and the Evolution of Local Control: An Assessment of Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts.[PDF] Water for Food Institute – University of Nebraska.

Babbitt, C., M. Burbach, and L. Pennisi. 2015. A Mixed Methods Approach to Assessing Success in Transitioning Water Management Institutions: A Case Study of the Platte River Basin, Nebraska. Ecology and Society 20(1):54.

Birge H., C. Allen, R. Craig, A. Garmestani, J. Hamm, C. Babbitt, K. Nemec, and E. Schlager. 2014. Social-Ecological Resilience and Law in the Platte River Basin, Idaho Law Review 51(1), 229-256.Chan, J. and C. Babbitt. 2014. Exploring the Politics of Pork: Industrial Hog Farming and the Role of Local Newspaper Coverage in State Agenda Setting. Great Plains Research 24(1), 59-69.

Nemec, K. T., J. Chan, C. Hoffman, T. L. Spanbauer, J. A. Hamm, C. R. Allen, T. Hefley, D. Pan, and P. Shrestha. 2013. Assessing Resilience in Stressed Watersheds. Ecology and Society 19(1): 34.

Hoffman, C. and S. Zellmer. 2013. Integration and Adaptability: Assessing Institutional Ability for Adaptive Water Resources Management, Nebraska Law Review 91: 805-865.

Hoffman, C., A. Melesse, & M. McClain. 2011. Geospatial Mapping and Analysis of Water Availability, Demand, and Use within the Mara River Basin. In A. M. Melesse, (Ed.), Nile River Basin: Hydrology, Climate and Water. (pp. 359-382). Netherlands: Springer.

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