In the News: Tule Trust Hires New Executive Director

New director hired at Tulare County trust dedicated to preserving farmland through water conservation

By Lisa McEwen | July 15, 2025 | Originally published at sjvwater.org

Springville native Nick Reed-Krase is the new executive director of the Tule Basin Land & Water Conservation Trust. 

Reed-Krase, 39, came on board in June and is already making the rounds at water agency meetings and getting to know growers and residents in the Tule subbasin, which covers the southern half of Tulare County’s flatlands. 

The trust’s primary goal is to preserve farming by strategically fallowing less productive land to use it for habitat. The groundwater associated with those retired lands can then be used on more productive farmground and the ecosystem.

New Executive Director

Reed-Krase was hired in June 2025 as the Executive Director for the Tule Basin Land & Water Conservation Trust.

During a July 10 interview, Reed-Krase said he is ready to help the trust refocus its efforts, what he called “Tule Trust 2.0.” 

One key priority is coordination, a concept that has been challenging for the subbasin, which was placed on probation in September by the state Water Resources Control Board for lacking a coordinated groundwater plan that protects domestic wells and halts runaway subsidence in the region. 

“Coordination and collaboration has been, is, and will continue to be, a huge role of the trust,” Reed-Krase said. “Our diverse board brings many perspectives and we will build off their networks to find solutions. There are solutions to these challenges, it’s just that the collaboration (in the subbasin) isn’t quite as strong as it could be.” 

The stakes are high as approximately 70,000 acres of farmland in the Tule subbasin will have to be fallowed to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which mandates the end of overdrafting aquifers. More than 600,000 acres will likely have to come out of production in Kern, Kings and Tulare counties. 

The Tule Trust was formed in 2020 by area farmers and water managers intent on finding solutions to the region’s groundwater woes that didn’t include massive and random shuttering of productive farmland.

Reed-Krase brings both non-profit and for-profit experience to his new role, with skills in grant management, financial reporting, operations and technical support. He most recently worked as a contractor for USAID, supporting projects in Malawi, Madagascar and South Africa both in-country and from Washington, D.C. 

With the recent defunding of USAID, Reed-Krase made the pivot back to California. 

“That’s why I was interested in joining the trust and supporting a community I care deeply about,” he said. “There is so much opportunity in the valley.”

Reed-Krase attended Porterville schools before heading off to college. He holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Saint Mary’s College of California and a Master’s in international development from Cornell University.

Tule Trust board president Frank Fernandes said Reed-Krase brings the right skills at the right time for the trust. 

“He is a rare find who fell at our feet,” he said. “He brings a lot of experience to the table. He’s got the drive and tenacity to tackle this thing.” 

Fernandes said the trust spread itself too thin over the past few years helping with state land repurposing programs. He wants to see the Tule Trust do more work acquiring land near its current projects, help landowners navigate reduced groundwater allocations and understand their options as SGMA is implemented throughout the region.

“Our goal is to give landowners a way out on ground that maybe until 30 years ago, wasn’t ever farmed,” he said. “Our primary goal is to purchase land, take it out of production and protect it, saving water for more productive areas.”

That includes acquiring parcels near the trust’s flagship restoration project, Capinero Creek, formerly the home of a 467-acre dairy operation next to Pixley National Wildlife Refuge. 

The trust’s work is funded by a variety of grants. It is currently administering $1.7 million of a $10 million grant from the state Department of Conservation Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program that was awarded to Pixley Groundwater Sustainability Agency. 

The land repurposing program pays farmers to switch land from farming to less water intensive uses, such as wildlife habitat, recreational open space or recharge basins.

“If anybody can meet this challenge, it’s the growers of Pixley and the Tule subbasin,” Fernandes said. 

Reed-Krase said strengthening communication and accessing accurate data is key to helping the region’s residents and farmers.

“This is people’s livelihoods and we need to understand what the groundwater requirements and ecological needs are, to figure out how to make that work for each other. It’s not an easy road or problem to solve.”

Reed-Krase said these first weeks on the job are devoted to listening. 

He encourages folks to stop by the trust’s office at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, at 4500 S Laspina Ave., call (559) 358-4414, or email nick@tuletrust.org.