The Salton Sea: Future, Past, and Present

Program Description:
Once a glittering desert oasis, the Salton Sea has played many roles in Southern California’s history—from accidental floodplain to agricultural hub, tourist playground, and now, a region facing pressing ecological and public health challenges.

This program will trace the Sea’s turbulent past, including the 1905–1907 flood that created it, the post-war agricultural boom, the tourism heyday of the 1950s and 1960s, and the subsequent ecological decline of recent decades. We’ll also explore the Sea’s present-day realities: worsening air quality, ongoing restoration efforts, and the potential to reposition the Sea as an economic and environmental asset.

Looking to the future, we’ll examine the promise of lithium production, the opportunities and challenges of equitable development, and the critical role of community organizations such as Alianza, Audubon, and Comité Cívico. The program will conclude with a discussion of what is needed—state investment, federal support, and collective action—to secure a healthier future for the Sea and the communities that surround it.

Presenter Bio:
Daniel Polk is a researcher who focuses on social equity and environmental health. He is a Research and Evaluation Associate at HARC, a community research nonprofit based in Palm Desert that provides data for the public good, with a focus on the social determinants of health. He has worked on numerous local research projects, including studies on childhood asthma near the Salton Sea and environmental health in the Coachella Valley. He earned a BA in history from UC Riverside and a PhD in cultural anthropology from Princeton University. He has carried out work in the United States and Latin America, with experience in archival, statistical, and ethnographic research. He is especially interested in how multiracial working-class solidarity can overcome entrenched challenges to democracy and to solving the climate crisis.