Participants convened in Oakland on May 9, 2026, for the fourth Bay Delta Bioregional Regeneration Unconference, a gathering designed to surface solutions from the community itself. Using Open Space Technology, the unconference operated without a preset agenda, instead allowing attendees to bring forward the topics most pressing to their work in the Bay Delta bioregion and beyond.
The participant-driven format proved effective in previous iterations. Past unconferences have yielded concrete outcomes including 100-year bioregional visions, mutual aid networks, and cross-sector collaborations that extended well beyond the event itself. This spring gathering continued that tradition while also serving a strategic purpose: preparing a delegation to represent the bioregion at the Turtle Island Bioregional Congress in September 2026.
Discussions ranged across interconnected themes of food systems and sovereignty, land stewardship, ecological restoration, governance models, and the solidarity economy. Participants included community gardeners, mutual aid practitioners, local policymakers, ecological restoration specialists, and place-based organizers. The unconference maintained its commitment to accessibility, with no one turned away for lack of funds and scholarships and work-trade arrangements available to those who needed them.
The event was organized through a collaboration of experienced practitioners. Kaliya Young brought expertise in unconference facilitation, while ajay tallam of the East Bay Permaculture Guild, Dave Witzel of the Global Regeneration Co-Lab, and Lawrence Grodeska of the Bay Delta Trust contributed their deep knowledge of regional regeneration work and local organizing.
The unconference model continues to demonstrate its value for bioregional organizing by creating space for emergent collaboration and shared vision-building among practitioners working across sectors and scales.