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News Archives - 2004/2005

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GOVERNMENT OF CANADA RENEWS THE NORTH AMERICAN WATERFOWL MANAGEMENT PLAN WITH THE US AND MEXICO
Environment Canada News Release

OTTAWA, December 7th, 2004 - The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment, announced today that Canada is renewing its commitment under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP.)

NAWMP is an international partnership agreement among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, aimed at restoring waterfowl populations in North America to 1970s levels. The Plan details how it will achieve this, by securing, enhancing and managing wetland and upland habitat across the continent.

In signing the Plan, Minister Dion stated “I truly believe that a rich and healthy biodiversity is beneficial to the health, welfare and prosperity of all Canadians. This international agreement makes it clear that we, along with our American and Mexican partners, are serious about protecting waterfowl and their habitat, and, in a broader sense, the environment as a whole. Our collective prosperity depends on all of us taking concerted actions to protect the environment. Our future depends on it.”

NAWMP is implemented and financed through joint venture partnerships involving federal, state and provincial/territorial government agencies, along with non-government organizations, the private sector (such as mining, forestry, agriculture and power generation) and private landowners.
In terms of financing and numbers of hectares secured, NAWMP is one of the most successful environmental conservation initiatives anywhere in the world.

Related Document: The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (http://www.nawmp.ca)

For further information: please visit http://www.ec.gc.ca/media_e.htm

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Deal's Close Clinches Cows, Not Casinos, Along Highway 37

Santa Rosa—(13 January 2005) Sonoma Land Trust Executive Director Ralph Benson announced that escrow closed today on the Trust ' s purchase of 1,679 acres on Highway 37 where a major casino resort was proposed less than two years ago. Combined with the 648-acre Dickson Ranch, purchased in November, the land is now known as the Sears Point Restoration Project.

Buying these threatened North Bay lands, putting them into permanent stewardship, and restoring and preserving them forever is the largest single Bayland campaign since the purchase of the Cargill Salt facilities in the South Bay and one of the last large-scale acquisition and restoration opportunities on the shore of San Francisco Bay. With lands to the west of Lakeville and Reclamation Roads, the Trust now protects 4,000 contiguous acres in the region, a target area since the 1980s. Nearly all the protected lands were tidal wetlands a century ago.

It will be about 5 years before the beginning of on-the-ground restoration to salt marsh of the portion of the newly acquired lands below the old Southern Pacific/Northwestern Pacific railroad tracks. For the present, cattle grazing on the uplands and silage farming on the southern portion of the land will continue, as will the lease on the adjacent Dickson Ranch to the Black Point Game Bird Club.

Sonoma Land Trust will ultimately restore to salt marsh about a thousand acres of North Point and Dickson lands below the tracks. Salt marsh restoration is well underway on 300 adjacent acres to the west, the southernmost portion of the former Leonard Ranch, purchased by the Trust in 1990 with a grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy. A bonus for hikers is the 4 miles to be added to the San Francisco Bay trail as part of this acquisition and the adjoining land now protected.

In November 2003, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria acknowledged the importance of ongoing efforts at bayshore restoration with the donation of their option to purchase the North Point Joint Venture lands to the east of Lakeville and Reclamation Roads and began a search for a casino site elsewhere. The tribe added a contribution of $75,000 to the Land Trust toward its campaign to raise $20 million to purchase both the 1,679 acres and the adjacent 648-acre Dickson Ranch.

The Land Trust raised the funds to buy the total of 2,327 acres, combining public funds (from the California State Wildlife Conservation Board, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the State Coastal Conservancy) and private donations from hundreds of individuals. A $7.9 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation capped the private funds, ensured the deal, and gave the Trust a leg up on the stewardship and restoration, which is expected to cost upwards of $15 million and take 20 years.

The importance of the Sears Point Restoration Project lands is underscored by geography and natural diversity. Their proximity to the Land Trust's Petaluma River Marsh, Sonoma Baylands Restoration Project, and North Parcel and Leonard Ranch Seasonal Wetlands Enhancement Projects--in addition to Napa-Sonoma Marsh, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and Tolay Creek and Tubbs Island Levee Setback wetland restoration projects by other agencies—makes them a substantial contribution to the more than 21,000 acres protected around the San Francisco Bay. Sensitive and endangered species benefiting from the projects include the Calippe silverspot butterfly, burrowing owl, California red-legged frog, California clapper rail, and Salt marsh harvest mouse.

The Sonoma Land Trust is a private non-profit organization that has protected more than 17,000 acres in and around Sonoma County . The Trust works directly with willing landowners who choose to keep their lands intact. Local, private, and not-for-profit, the Trust can act quickly and flexibly to address landowners' goals and provide permanent protection of Sonoma County land, its natural beauty and its biotic resources for the public benefit. The Land Trust can be reached at (707) 526-6930; its website is (http://www.sonomalandtrust.org/).

#####

Reference map and photo available on request from reta@sonomalandtrust.org

Sonoma Land Trust
966 Sonoma Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Contact:

  • Ralph Benson, Executive Director, (707) 526-6930 x 104, ralph@sonomalandtrust.org, or
  • John Brosnan, Baylands Project Manager, (707) 526-6930 x 109

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Clean Water Team Citizen Monitoring Program

The State Water Resources Control Board and many of the Regional Water Quality Control Boards, located throughout California, are actively involved in citizen monitoring.  To learn about the Citizen Monitoring Program, go to http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/nps/volunteer.html.

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DVD of "Bay Area Stream Buffers" Now Available

Copies of a two-DVD recording of the January 13 conference on riparian buffers, "Bay Area Stream Buffers: Recent Regulatory Efforts and Next Steps," held January 13 as part of the Conversations about Watersheds conference at Merritt College, are available at $15 plus tax ($16.31) from SF Bay Video, 1803 Bonita Ave., Berkeley CA 94709, 510 644 2489, sfbay@sfbayvideo.com, www.sfbayvideo.com.

A data CD with conference program, PowerPoint presentations, and abstracts, plus a variety of related reports, articles, sample ordinances, etc., is available for a donation to Friends of Five Creeks, 1236 Oxford St., Berkeley CA 94709. Recording of the conference was made possible by San Francisco Bay Joint Venture.

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"Bringing Oysters Back to San Francisco Bay"

The following story by Andrea Kissack aired on 2/18/05 on KQED-FM. It features NOAA-sponsored work by Richardson Bay Audubon.

San Francisco Bay is one of the world's most popular destinations. But that popularity has come with a cost: toxic runoff, dredging and development have killed many native species that once thrived in the Bay. Now an ambitious plan is underway to restore the Bay to its natural state. One critical step is to bring back native oysters. Click for audio on: http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R502180833.

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Restore America's Estuaries Conference 2004 Proceedings Now Online

Thank you for participating in the 2nd National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, September 12-15, 2004 in Seattle, Washington. We are pleased to announce that the Conference Proceedings are now available on-line at http://www.estuaries.org/objects/conference_2004/MAINMENU.PDF. We also encourage you to check out the Restoration Video that premiered at the Conference. The video highlights the successes of the restoration community and can be viewed at http://www.estuaries.org/ (listed in the Highlights section).

We look forward to seeing you at our next Conference, in December 2006 in New Orleans.

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WCB Funds Largest Tidal Marsh Restoration Project on West Coast

SACRAMENTO, March 7, 2005 - The California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) has approved an $11.8 million grant to restore approximately 5,000 acres of wetland and surrounding upland habitat at the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, making it one of the largest tidal restoration projects on the West Coast.

The restoration project, a cooperative effort with Ducks Unlimited, Inc., the State Coastal Conservancy, and other state and federal agencies, will re-establish tidal wetlands and surrounding marsh habitats on six ponds of the Lower Napa River Unit. "These efforts follow years of planning by many supporters, beginning in 1997," Save the Bay Executive Director David Lewis stated.

The Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, which is owned and managed by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), lies north of San Pablo Bay between the Napa River and Sonoma Creek. The restoration project will restore a mosaic of environments, including tidal habitats and managed ponds, and provide better management of ponds to support populations of fish and wildlife, including endangered species, migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and anadromous and resident fish.

The main focus of the Napa-Sonoma marshes restoration effort is to reclaim former tidal marsh areas that were diked many years ago to become salt ponds. Diking or filling has destroyed up to 90 percent of the original tidal wetlands of the San Francisco Bay Area, greatly reducing the amount of habitat available to fish and wildlife.

Benefits of the project include improved water quality, the potential use of recycled water, enhanced public open space and recreational opportunities. The long-term goal is to produce a natural, self-sustaining habitat that can adjust to naturally-occurring tidal influences.

Other benefits of the project include the creation of:

  • Large areas of contiguous tidal marsh for a diversity of fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species, such as salt marsh harvest mouse, California clapper rail, and black rail;
  • A variety of slough channel sizes, a large increase in slough habitat, and improved connections between San Pablo Bay, the Napa River and the tidal salt marsh. These improvements will benefit estuarine fish, potentially including listed species, such as Delta smelt, splittail, steelhead trout, and Chinook salmon, and other aquatic species, such as the Dungeness crab;
  • Large tracts of tidal marsh that extend up the Napa River that allow fish and wildlife to adjust to changes in salinity that occur seasonally and over longer periods because of variations in precipitation.

The WCB approved allocating funds for the project during its regularly-scheduled meeting in February. Eventually, nearly 9,000 acres on the wildlife area will be restored. Ducks Unlimited, Inc.'s Director of Conservation Programs, Jim Well, stated, "this project will further DU's goals in the San Pablo Bay area and we're enthusiastic about being involved with all of these partners in a project of this magnitude."

WCB will finance the project with funds from Proposition 50, the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Fund of 2002. An additional $3.17 million needed for the project has been allocated by the California Bay Delta Authority.

The WCB was created in 1947 to administer a capital outlay program for wildlife conservation and related public recreation. While it works closely with DFG, the Board is a separate and independent panel with authority and funding to carry out an acquisition and development program for wildlife conservation.

# # #

For more information, contact:

  • Al Wright, Executive Director WCB, (916) 445-8448
  • Larry Wyckoff, DFG Central Coast Region, (707) 944-5542

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Department of Fish and Game Examination Reminder

The Department of Fish and Game invites you to take the Open Non-Promotional Examination for Associate Biologist (Wildlife). Applications will be accepted continuously and test dates will be established as the Department's needs warrant. Submit your application as soon as you meet the minimum qualifications for these examinations as test dates can be set at any time.

If you meet the qualifications for this exam, we encourage you to apply. You can find the exam bulletin on the DFG website at www.dfg.ca.gov/hrb/pages/currentdfgexams.html. The bulletin gives you a detailed description of the qualifications needed.

To apply for an exam, you must submit a completed Standard State Application (Form 678). If you have any questions about these exams, you may call the Human Resources Branch at (916) 653-8120.

If there is an exam that you are looking forward to, make sure and check the DFG website frequently or call the Exam Hotline at (916) 653-8949.

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New Summary of ISP Activities for South Bay Salt Ponds

A new summary of activities of the Initial Stewardship Plan (ISP) of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project has been posted to the Project website:

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CC Watershed Forum Members Shirley and Igor Skaredoff
Receive 2005 John Muir Conservation Award

Congratulations to Shirley and Igor Skaredoff who have been awarded the 2005 John Muir Conservation Award given by the John Muir Association. The award is presented to "individuals who have contributed significantly to conservation" and recognizes more than a decade of Igor and Shirley's efforts in the Alhambra Creek Watershed. Nominators included representatives from Friends of Five Creeks, Urban Creeks Council, Contra Costa County, Alhambra Watershed Council, Friends of Pinole Creek, Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, Bay Area Open Space Council, and Friends of Alhambra Creek. The award was presented at a ceremony at the John Muir House in Martinez on April 23, 2005.

Links for articles about the award in the Saturday, April 23, 2005 Contra Costa Times and SF Chronicle:

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ACWD Awarded $1,000,000 to Improve Steelhead Migration in Alameda Creek

May 2, 2005 — The Alameda County Water District (ACWD) has been awarded two $500,000 grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to improve steelhead migration in Alameda Creek.

NFWF recently announced that it has awarded over $2,178,000 to 11 projects from the 2005 San Francisco Bay Salmonid Habitat Restoration Fund.  The selected projects will accomplish on-the-ground restoration of riparian habitat and migratory fish passage, involve community participation, and benefit salmon and steelhead trout in central and southern San Francisco Bay watersheds.

NFWF funded two ACWD projects that will help improve passage for steelhead trout in the Alameda Creek Flood Control Channel.  In conjunction with other Alameda Creek watershed projects completed, planned, or underway, these projects will restore a steelhead run in the largest local watershed tributary to San Francisco Bay. Upward of 15 miles of stream habitat will once again be available to migrating and spawning steelhead upon the completion of all projects.

One NFWF grant will help fund the removal of an inflatable rubber diversion dam in the lower Alameda Creek Flood Control Channel which acts as a barrier to migrating steelhead when inflated.  ACWD diverts water impounded behind three rubber dams in the flood control channel to groundwater recharge ponds.  This water percolates into the aquifers beneath the Tri-City area and supplies up to 50% of the water used in Fremont, Newark, and Union City. Since the removal of the dam will impact the water supply for some of the recharge ponds, the project also calls for construction of a pipeline connecting the affected pond to other recharge ponds to maintain ACWD groundwater recharge capacity.

The other project funded by the NFWF grant provides for the installation of fish screens on ACWD's water supply diversion point at the mouth of Niles Canyon.  Fish screens eliminate the potential for out-migrating juvenile steelhead from being trapped and entrained in the diversion pipelines and adjacent groundwater recharge ponds at Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area.  Both projects will be completed by fall of 2006.

These two projects are part of a much larger effort to restore steelhead in the Alameda Creek watershed.  The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is planning on removing two small dams on Alameda Creek upstream in Niles Canyon in summer of 2006.  As part of the project to realign Arroyo Las Positias and to widen Arroyo Mocho, Zone 7 Water Agency in the Livermore-Amador Valley engineered and constructed two fishway passages that improve fish passage in these tributaries to Alameda Creek.  The East Bay Regional Park District removed two swim dams from the creek in Sunol Regional Park in 2001.  ACWD and the Alameda County Public Works Agency are also looking for funding to provide fish passage at other barriers in the flood control channel. "These grants are an important step in restoring this very important resource to Alameda Creek," said Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty.  "With the support of local agencies, environmental groups, and resource agencies we hope to secure additional funding so that in the near future we will see native steelhead trout completing their lifecycle in the Alameda Creek watershed."

ACWD's efforts to improve fish passage at its facilities on Alameda Creek have been strongly supported by the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Work Group, a multi-agency stakeholder group formed in 1999 to develop and implement a strategy to restore steelhead trout to Alameda Creek.  The Work Group is composed of numerous community and citizens' groups, local water management and flood control agencies, state and federal resource agencies, and others.  The Work Group has been supported with contributions from participating agencies and by grants from the California Department of Fish and Game.  

Jeff Miller, Director of the Alameda Creek Alliance, was encouraged by NFWF's decision to fund the ACWD projects. Said Miller, "ACWD is to be commended for modifying its water supply facilities to begin to allow steelhead to thrive once again in Alameda Creek.  These two critical fish passage projects in the lower creek mark the beginning of a concerted effort to return steelhead to upper Alameda Creek and will hopefully open the floodgates of community support for further creek restoration."

Both projects were also supported by Representative Pete Stark. "With sufficient funding, we can bring one of the greatest spectacles of nature back to Alameda Creek," stated Stark.  "Because of the size of the watershed and the preservation of its headwaters during the past century, Alameda Creek could form the nucleus for returning steelhead to the larger South Bay region."

ACWD Board President Marty Koller was enthusiastic about the grants, stating that the NFWF funding is a tangible example of the success of the Work Group.  "Over the past six years, members of the Work Group have put an incredible amount of effort into restoring steelhead to Alameda Creek," said Koller.  "Their support of our efforts to remove or modify barriers to fish passage in the creek has resulted in grant funding from NFWF that will bring those efforts to fruition."

Initial funds for the San Francisco Bay Salmonid Habitat Restoration Fund were provided by the California Department of Transportation as required mitigation for potential impacts to steelhead and salmon from pile driving and other activities undertaken during construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge East Span Seismic Safety Project.

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Local Nature Magazine Wins Award for South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Coverage

BERKELEY, CA-BAY NATURE magazine has been awarded the 2005 "Maggie" for Best Editorial Supplement by the Western Publications Association for its special report "South Bay Challenge: Reclaiming the Salt Ponds for People and Nature."

"South Bay Challenge" is one of a series of 8- and 16-page supplements produced by BAY NATURE magazine to provide in-depth coverage of important topics relating to the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area. This supplement was funded by the California Coastal Conservancy and was produced with additional support from the San Francisco Estuary Institute. The full report was printed in the October-December 2004 issue and overprinted for distribution by nonprofit organizations and government agencies. Copies of the supplement are available at http://www.baynature.com/store.

The Maggie Awards invite magazines west of the Mississippi to compete in various categories, including Best Consumer Quarterly, which BAY NATURE won in 2003. Eighty-six awards were given for editorial, design, and promotional excellence among nearly 1900 entries during the 2005 competition.

Clyde Morris, Manager of the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge, congratulated BAY NATURE for the award. He said, "It was the best article describing the restoration process and its challenges. It gives a human side to the whole restoration project."

Wildlife Stewards, a nonprofit organization that provides outreach for the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, uses "South Bay Challenge" to educate visitors about the ecology of the San Francisco Bay. "BAY NATURE has shown a dedication to talking about nature in a reader-friendly way that you don't usually find in other publications," said Eileen McLaughlin, Wildlife Stewards Founder. "It's filling an information gap that we all want filled."

"We're very pleased about our partnership with BAY NATURE," said Robin Grossinger, Director of the Historical Ecology Program at the San Francisco Estuary Institute. "The supplement is a great example of getting information on cutting edge science about the Bay out to the public."

He added, "It's a great accomplishment to have something that is accessible, yet has depth and a lot of ideas that should be considered and debated."

The upcoming July-September 2005 issue of BAY NATURE will feature a supplement on Point Reyes National Seashore, revisiting the park on the tenth anniversary of the Mt. Vision Fire.

BAY NATURE, published by the nonprofit Bay Nature Institute, is a full-color, quarterly magazine devoted to exploring the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit http://www.baynature.com for more information about BAY NATURE, or http://www.baynature.com/store to order subscriptions, back issues, and supplements.

The Western Publications Association is a non-profit trade association working to advance the business of print and electronic magazines in the western United States (http://www.wpa-online.org/).

For more information, contact:

Tracy Held, Marketing & Outreach Director
510.528.8550 (ph)
510.528.8117 (fax)
tracy@baynature.com
http://www.baynature.com

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Governor Makes Appointments to BCDC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05/10/2005

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the following appointments:

Larry Goldzband, 47, ofLafayette, has been appointed to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. He is manager of charitable contributions for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Goldzband was previously director of the Department of Conservation, regulatory affairs director at San Diego Gas and Electric Company and chief deputy cabinet secretary for the Office of the Governor from 1990 to 1993. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Goldzband is a Republican.

Anne Halsted, 62, ofSan Francisco, has been appointed vice chair of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. She has served on the Commission since 2001 and is currently acting chair. Halsted is a trustee and vice president of the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association and vice chair and former president of San Francisco Planning and Urban Research. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Halsted is a Democrat.

Colleen Jordan, 41, o fSan Carlos, has been appointed to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. She is a consultant and a member of Hewins Financial Advisors LLC, an investment management consultancy. Jordan is a former Redwood City Council member. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Jordan is a Republican.

Stan Moy, 56, of Piedmont, has been appointed to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. He is currently president of architectural services and owner of FMG Architects. Moy is a member of the Seismic Safety Commission and the State Building Authority for San Francisco. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Moy is a Democrat.

Sean Randolph, Ph.D., 54, of Corte Madera, has been appointed chair of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. He is the president and chief executive officer of the Bay Area Economic Forum. He was previously director of international trade for the State ofCalifornia and was co-leader of the Bay Area Water Transit Initiative. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Randolph is a Republican.

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USDA Provides $4 Million and Requests Proposals for Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2005 — Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced that $4 million is available in financial assistance for Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) partnership proposals that restore and protect habitat for migratory birds and other wetland dependent wildlife.

"These public-private partnerships are a prime example of cooperative conservation," said Johanns. "These partnership projects can help at-risk species and go a long way toward helping us meet the President's goal to improve, restore and protect three million acres of wetlands."

The Natural Resources Conservation Service issued today a request for proposals (RFP) that is available on the agency's website and the Federal eGrants website at http://www.grants.gov. Applicants will have 45 days to submit proposals. Funds will be awarded through a nationwide competition that also includes the Pacific Basin and Caribbean Area.

Of the $4 million available for WREP, a minimum of $500,000 will be available for partnership proposals that address bog turtle habitat in the east and $500,000 for Ivory-billed woodpecker habitat in Arkansas. These funds are a portion of the $1.5 million in Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) funds and $1 million in Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program funds announced last month as part of USDA's contribution to help save the rare Ivory-billed woodpecker.

The bog turtle is a threatened species, scattered from New York and Massachusetts south to southern Tennessee and Georgia. Population declines are due mainly to loss of habitat, which is wet meadows and other shallow,
sunny wetlands, and encroachment of vegetation. WREP projects have the
potential to help this species survive. Bog turtle proposals will compete only with other bog turtle proposals.

The recently rediscovered Ivory-billed woodpecker, which was thought to be extinct, is the largest woodpecker in the United States. Found in Arkansas, conservation projects and practices to improve and restore the bird's native habitat are necessary for its survival. Local WREP projects that could potentially benefit the Ivory-billed woodpecker are being requested. These projects will only compete against other projects determined to have potential benefits to the rare bird.

For fiscal year 2005, NRCS will focus on WREP proposals that address wetland creation and enhancement efforts on prior-year enrolled contracts, those where partners will contribute significantly to WRP delivery and technical assistance costs, and easement management projects. NRCS estimates these funds, along with contributions from partners, may result in wetland restoration, creation, enhancement and easement management on approximately 5,000 acres.

WREP is available to individuals, nongovernmental organizations and state, tribal and local governmental agencies. Proposals must include nonfederal funding for at least 50 percent of the project's technical assistance cost.
Technical assistance contributions may be in the form of in-kind contributions. NRCS will accept proposals for single or mulit-year projects, not to exceed three years.

The WREP RFP that includes an overview of the program, proposal requirements, evaluation criteria and application information is available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp.

Source: USDA News, oc.news@usda.gov, 202/720-4623

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2005 Annual Report - Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances

The San Francisco Estuary Institute has announced that The Pulse of the Estuary is now available for distribution. If you would like to receive a copy of The Pulse of the Estuary, click here for order form (doc) or order form (pdf), complete it and mail, email or fax to Linda Russio (Linda@sfei.org), San Francisco Estuary Institute, 7770 Pardee Lane, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94621; fax 510/746-7300. Data tables can be found on SFEI's website at www.sfei.org. They will not be distributed in hard copy format.

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San Francisco Estuary Institute Regional Monitoring Program (RMP)
2003 Annual Monitoring Results Now Available

The 2003 Annual Monitoring Results and data are now available on the RMP website. This document is a summary of the RMP’s 2003 Status and Trends Program monitoring effort with graphical displays and summary statistics of contaminant concentrations in water, sediment, and bivalve tissue. The Data Access Tool allows one to download all available RMP Status and Trends data (1993-2003).

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New Guide to the Exotic Species of San Francisco Bay

The San Francisco Estuary Institute has just released an internet-based guide to exotic organisms which they hope will be a useful resource for educators, researchers and others. It contains photographs, descriptions and ecological information on several common marine invaders in San Francisco Bay. The San Francisco Estuary Institute plans to expand it to include additional species in the SF Bay/Delta tidal waters and elsewhere on the Pacific Coast. The Guide to the Exotic Species of San Francisco Bay, which can be found at http://www.exoticsguide.org, was created with funding from the NOAA Restoration Center, NOAA Fisheries Southwest Region and the San Francisco Estuary Project, and in-kind support from the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

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Songbird Missing From California's Central Valley For 60 Years Reappears at
San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge — CALFED Funds Began Successful Restoration

News Release: June 15, 2005

A husky-voiced little songbird once common in California's Central Valley but not heard there for the last 60 years has reappeared on the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) west of Modesto.

The least Bell's vireo ( Vireo bellii pusillus) is a musical, chatty bird. Some males have up to 15 different songs that finish with a distinctive, “cheedle, jeew.” That song was heard by bird counter Lynette Lina along the banks of the San Joaquin River last Friday, who then verified it with other bird monitors. On Tuesday, they were able to record the birds to confirm the species.

The sighting of a nesting pair of least Bell's vireo occurred on the refuge, a unit of the San Luis NWR Complex that was restored under the CALFED program. The restoration began just three years ago and was completed this spring. In that time, the former farm field has quickly grown into a tangle of willows, blackberry, wild rose and other native riverside plants, some already 30 feet high. It is reminiscent of the original valley riverside habitat, and least Bell's vireos soon found the area, even though they haven't nested in the Central Valley for 85 years.

“Hearing the least Bell's vireo again demonstrates that a good recovery plan, committed partners and resources to carry it out, can bring many species back to life in areas where they seemed lost forever,” said Steve Thompson, manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's California-Nevada Operations Office.
The wildlife refuges increasingly play a major role in the survival and recovery of species. The Aleutian Canada goose, for example, recovered from the brink of extinction after it began wintering at the same San Joaquin River refuge.

The least Bell's vireo once was common from Red Bluff down throughout the Central Valley and south into Baja California. But the removal of 90 per cent of the riparian habitat resulted in their steep decline. The last time least Bell's vireo breeding was confirmed in the valley was 1919. By the 1940's, birders could no longer hear them in the Valley. Exhaustive searches for the bird in the 1970s and 1980s also came up empty-handed, and biologists sadly concluded that the bird no longer nested in the valley.

When the least Bell's vireo was federally listed as endangered in 1986, only 300 pairs were left, all along small streams in Southern California.

This week's success is the outcome of a broad partnership involving at least nine different organizations. CALFED spawned the effort in 1998 when it provided key funds to purchase an 800-acre farm owned by the late Ed Hagemann. Many other agencies also contributed, among them the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Resources Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Audubon Society.
Three years ago, CALFED provided funds to the San Luis NWR to restore a 164-acre section along the San Joaquin River where the least Bell's vireo now has nested. The restoration quickly filled in the farmed land with classic Central Valley riparian habitat.

The hands-on restoration work was an adaptive effort by three conservation partners -- PRBO Conservation Science, River Partners and the Endangered Species Restoration Program at CSU-Stanislaus. Each year they made refinements to improve the quality of habitat being developed for native bird and animal species. The process is closely monitored by PRBO and ESRP, two wildlife organizations that work closely with state and federal agencies to monitor special species.

Geoff Geupel of PRBO said the least Bell 's vireo's return “is a success for CALFED's adaptive management approach to habitat restoration.” Learning from earlier restoration efforts, they planted more shrubby understory and created a varied pattern of planting that mimics the natural floodplain habitat. That created an area perfect for the least Bell 's vireo -- dense shrubby understory.

Contact us:

Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
2800 Cottage Way
Room W-2605,
Sacramento, California 95825
Phone (916) 414-6600
FAX (916) 414-6713

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Rare Chatty Songbird Spotted in Calif.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 17, 2005

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- A chatty songbird thought to have disappeared from the Central Valley 60 years ago has been spotted nesting in a patch of restored habitat along the San Joaquin River.

The least Bell's vireo, a little gray songbird that fits in a closed fist, was once widespread in the Central Valley. It disappeared from the area as the riparian habitat it favors was ripped up to make way for development and agriculture. About 90 percent of the valley's historic riverside vegetation has been lost, said Al Donner, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The bird was put on the federal endangered species list in 1986, when there were only about 300 pairs left in the low-lying shrubbery along creeks and streams in southern California.

Linette Lina, a seasonal biologist at the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge west of Modesto, first recognized the vireo by its distinctive song on Friday.

''It's unlike any other song out there,'' she said. ''They're little birds, but they sing loudly, and a lot.''
Dropping her equipment, Lina focused her binoculars on the bird -- a male perched on a branch about 30 feet away, singing and shaking his tail feathers. As she called her supervisor about the discovery, a female joined him and did a copulation dance.

Further investigation showed the nesting pair was feeding two baby birds, which were just learning to fly, said Lina, who does bird counts and observation for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science.
Other bird monitors were called to verify, and they were able to record the birds and confirm the species on Tuesday.

The area where they were found had been a ranch, which was bought in 1998 and restored over the last three years by Fish and Wildlife with help from the state of California.

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Education outreach materials and lectures available from the
Non-native Invasive Species Program, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Now that we have all recovered from Watershed Awareness Month, I would like to take the opportunity to meet with some of your groups in a more focused way. My predecessor Roger Buttermore has already presented for many of the area watershed groups. I would like to present watershed-specific information to any interested watershed group or make a follow-up presentation to Roger's. My goals are to provide information that is specifically of interest to your partners, and to find out the current status and needs of your organization. I would also like to offer our services in reviewing/commenting on non-native species related proposals, RFPs, watershed assessments/plans, or other documents or information related to non-native species. I enjoyed the watershed outreach events I participated in and look forward to working with you in the future. Please contact me if I can be of any assistance.

PS: For those interested in the outreach materials, we have placed our request for the zebra mussel displays and I will let you know as soon as I have an idea of the delivery date. To save on postage, we will ship all items together.

Lia McLaughlin
Non-native Invasive Species Program, Watershed Coordinator
US Fish and Wildlife Service
4001 N Wilson Way, Stockton, CA 95205
Phone (209) 946-6400 x 337
Fax (209) 946-6355
lia_mclaughlin@fws.gov

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Big News on Assessment Districts

The long awaited "Santa Clara" case has been decided (see attached pdf file). Over a vigorous dissent, the 6th District Court of Appeal upheld the validity of the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority benefit assessment as against Prop. 218 challenge. The open space assessment was upheld on every point. Open space, is indeed, a valid purpose under Prop. 218. Perhaps most important, the court rejected a "bean counter" approach to determining special benefit. The dissent was vigorous and well reasoned. Perhaps the most important part of the case was that both majority and dissenting opinions confirmed that parks and open space can be the legitimate subjects of a benefit assessment district under Prop. 218. In the Santa Clara case no specific property was identified for acquisition, although general areas and priorities were, and the assessment was perpetual.

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Waterbirds Journal Article Available On-line

SFBBO's Birds of The Baylands program is finishing up a busy season of nest searching, nest monitoring, and all sorts of activities to keep up with the Terns, Gulls, and other bay birds.  They've been doing this work since SFBBO began.
Biologist Cheryl Strong recently published an article using SFBBO's extensive data on Terns and Gulls in the Bay Area. Click here to access her article and see what kind of management implications SFBBO's ongoing research provides.

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Canadian Ag Ministers Approve Testing Conservation Program
ALUS Could have CRP-Type Impact

For immediate release: August 10, 2005

BISMARCK , ND —Canadian agriculture ministers have given their stamp of approval to test a conservation program that hopefully will have the same impact on duck production as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the United States .

“For duck hunters, this could be the best news to come out of Canada in our lifetimes,” says Delta Waterfowl President Rob Olson. “This decision opens the door to landscape-level conservation on a scale never before seen in Canada .”

The agriculture ministers approved further development of a new federal policy on Ecological Goods and Services (EG&S) and testing of EG&S through pilot projects.

The driving force behind EG&S was Alternate Land Use Services (ALUS), which was designed and promoted jointly by Delta Waterfowl and Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) of Manitoba . The decision paves the way for testing ALUS in pilot projects across the country.

Under ALUS, farmers and ranchers will receive annual incentives for conserving and/or restoring wetlands, and for planning and managing vast tracts of upland cover for nesting birds like waterfowl.

Olson had high praise for several individuals he says were mostly responsible for making ALUS a reality. “You have to give a lot of credit to Ian Wishart, vice president of KAP for his tireless efforts in behalf of ALUS,” Olson says. “He was really the founding architect of ALUS. Equally important in the process were three individuals from Delta—Executive Vice President Jonathan Scarth, Vice President of Policy for Canada Dr. Robert Bailey and Vice President of Policy for Prairie Canada Robert Sopuck.

“ALUS didn't just happen,” says Olson. “These individuals have been working behind the scenes for five years. The strong support of other farm groups across Canada was also critical. I just can't say enough about what they've been able to accomplish.”

“Development of EG&S policy creates a national home for ALUS,” says Wishart. “We believe this decision will allow the federal government to support our ALUS pilot project in the Rural Municipality of Blanshard, a very important duck production area in Manitoba . We already have provincial and private-sector funding for that pilot project in place, including a commitment for state duck-stamp funding from Mississippi and Tennessee , which was secured by Delta Waterfowl.”

US duck hunters have committed support for the initial ALUS pilot project in the RM of Blanshard . Wildlife officials in Mississippi committed $60,000 (Canadian) from the state duck stamp, and Tennessee has committed $25,000 (Canadian). Another $100,000 has been committed by the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council.

The agriculture ministers also committed to host a national symposium on EG&S led by Manitoba . “The national symposium will make Canadian decision-makers aware of how landscape conservation policy has been implemented in other countries, including the 1985 US farm bill,” says Scarth. “CRP and other conservation titles of the US farm bill have been vitally important to enhancing waterfowl production in the US .”

Scarth noted that duck production on the US side of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) actually exceeded Canadian production in recent years, and credited CRP and the US federal duck stamp for the 1990s explosion in duck numbers.

“We had excellent water on the Canadian prairies in the mid-1990s, but very limited cover because there are no large-scale programs like CRP to put nesting cover on the ground in Canada ,” Scarth says. “The 330,000 acres of permanently secured habitat in prairie Canada is dwarfed by the nearly 5 million acres of CRP on the US side of the border, and as a result duck production on the Canadian prairies has fallen off dramatically.

“Waterfowl interests have permanently protected only about one quarter of one percent of the priority duck habitat on the Canadian prairies,” Scarth says. “That's why Delta believes policy reform is the key to the future of duck production in Canada , and that's why the development of ALUS, the EG&S policy and the national symposium are such huge steps for waterfowl conservation.”

Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) President Bob Friesen welcomed the ministers' announcement, noting that it supports the initiative already undertaken by Canadian farmers and ranchers to improve the environment through ALUS. “Delta Waterfowl understands the issues facing producers in Canada and has worked in good faith with the farm community to achieve positive change for producers and the environment,” said Friesen. “We look forward to working closely with Delta to implement our ALUS pilot projects across Canada .

Saskatchewan is the heart of the once-great Canadian duck factory, and most waterfowl experts agree the province is the key to the future of ducks and duck hunting in North America . Cecilia Olver, vice president of the Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan (APAS), said, “We have developed a good working relationship with Delta Waterfowl on ALUS because they understand the pressures on producers, and realize that waterfowl and other environmental benefits cannot be sustained at a high cost to producers. This decision recognizes the fact that so much more can be achieved for the environment and for waterfowl by working with producers rather than against them.”

“ALUS is not just another short-lived side-aside program,” says Olson. “ALUS is designed to create enduring change for ducks by providing incentives for producers and rural communities to become pro-active conservationists.

“Although this is great news, there's still a lot of work ahead. We've taken the first steps down a road to a brighter future for ducks and duck hunting, but now begins the process of implementing and testing ALUS as a policy option.”

# # #

For more information, contact Robert Sopuck at 204-848-4007. For high-resolution photos, visit www.deltawaterfowl.org and click the “media” tab.

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Report of the Task Force on WHSRN Criteria for Dispersed
and Ephemeral Wetlands, Comments Invited by 9/30/05

In many regions within the Western Hemisphere, shorebirds are dispersed not only among many strategic predictable sites, but also across vast landscapes where habitat availability varies spatially and temporally and where broad scale changes due to anthropogenic influences are extensive. Examples of such landscapes occur within the vast interior prairie regions of North America which has experienced substantial wetland loss through conversion and sedimentation.

An ad hoc task force of the WHSRN Science Advisory Committee was formed to explore the role WHSRN can play in the conservation of ephemeral and dispersed wetlands. These may be present one year and dry the next,  and while individual sites may not support large number of shorebirds, in aggregate these are important as migration stopover and wintering sites.  The task force recommends a new designation for landscape-scale sites as "advisable and necessary to capture the true distribution and habitat needs of many shorebird species throughout their annual cycles," using the following criteria:

  • Landscapes of Hemispheric Importance: at least 500,000 shorebirds annually or at least 30% of the biogeographic population of a species
  • Landscapes of International Importance: at least 100,000 shorebirds annually or at least 10% of the biogeographic population of a species
  • Landscapes of Regional Importance: at least 20,000 shorebirds annually or at least 1% of the biogeographic population of a species
  • Endangered Species Landscapes: are believed to be important for the vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered biogeographic populations of a shorebird species
The Task Force report addresses the issue of the definition of "landscape" and suggests the following procedure for incorporation of landscapes with diverse landownership patterns:  At the landscape scale, a legally recognized agency or entity (such as a joint venture, landowners' coalition, or watershed council) could agree to the following terms in writing, in lieu of individual landowner agreements. As for a site level nomination, the recognized entity would accept responsibility for
  • making shorebird conservation a priority,
  • working with landowners to protect and manage habitat for shorebirds,
  • keeping WHSRN updated of changes in the landscape's status and
  • point-of-contact information.

The responsible entity would work with other private, state, and federal entities with interests in the landscape and develop management objectives within the context of the partnership.   The responsible entity would work with the WHSRN Executive Office to design tools to encourage and enable individual landowners formally to join the Network. Individual landowner approval would be welcomed and encouraged but not required.

The full text of the Task Force's report is available in Spanish and in English at http://www.manomet.org/WHSRN/proposed_criteria.php.  

Comments on the proposed changes and recommendations will be received until 30 September 2005, at WHSRNcriteria@manomet.org.

Readers are reminded that comments will also be received at that same e-address until 15 September 2005 concerning the proposed changes to the criteria for Sites of Regional Significance as announced in last month's Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network newsletter.  Those changes are also found at http://www.manomet.org/WHSRN/proposed_criteria.php.  

WHSRN thanks the members of these task forces and especially to Dr. Susan Skagen (United States Geological Survey) and Dr. Guy Morrison (Canadian Wildlife Service) for so capably chairing the task forces.

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Shorebird Video Footage Sought

The Executive Office of WHSRN is seeking high-quality, professional video footage of shorebirds. The footage will be used to produce programs used for outreach, education, and development purposes including on websites. While footage of all species shorebirds is desired, one of our partner sites is especially interested in finding in-flight footage of Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) and Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus). Contact: Rob Kluin, rkluin@manomet.org, (508) 224-6521.

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The Bay Classroom — a New Online Resource From Save The Bay

San Francisco Bay is not a bay. What is it?

The answer to that question and more about the Bay can now be found in The Bay Classroom, a new online resource Save The Bay has launched to make learning about the Bay easier, more fun and more stimulating!

Students of all ages can learn how the Bay formed millions of years ago, who the first settlers to live along the Bay shoreline were, and fun facts about the unique plants and animals that depend on the Bay for survival.

The Bay Classroom supplements Save The Bay's outdoor education programs, where you can experience the Bay firsthand with canoeing trips, planting native seeds in the nursery, monitoring the health of wildlife populations, and more.

The site's Creature Feature, profiling unique Bay species, interactive surveys and quizzes, Bay-related activities, including "Wetlands In A Pan", and educational links make The Bay Classroom a site to bookmark and come back to often.

Save The Bay hopes the site serves as a valuable resource for you and encourages you to visit often. We welcome any comments, questions or ideas that you have about the site. Please contact Desirée Aquino, Communications Manager for Save The Bay, at desiree@savesfbay.org or (510) 452-9261 x104.

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Avian Influenza — an Update from F&WS

From Matt Hogan, Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 8/26/05:

Most of us have read or heard media and other accounts regarding the spread of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, referred to as H5N1.   To date, this virulent form of avian influenza has not been detected in either wild or domestic birds or in humans, in North America.  In fact, between 1998 and 2004 more than 12,000 wild bird samples from Alaska have been analyzed, and no evidence of this virus has been discovered.  We know that birds migrating from Asia to Alaska could potentially carry the H5N1 virus.  However, based upon recent and ongoing surveillance, knowledge of the scope of the disease in Asia, and the projected movement of birds from affected areas, it is unlikely that H5N1 will be carried by birds migrating from Asia to North America this fall or winter.

The Service, along with USGS, State and university partners, is continuing surveillance of wild birds in Alaska for the H5N1 virus, and we are working with an interagency group of scientists, public health and policy officials to design an intensified effort for surveillance and early detection of this virus in wild birds.  This effort will help ensure that we are in position to support prompt detection and response activities, and take appropriate measures to conserve bird populations and protect the safety of our employees, partners and the public.

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has produced Wildlife Health Bulletin 05-03, entitled Interim Guidelines for the Protection of Persons Handling Wild Birds With Reference to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 [pdf].  While reiterating that the H5N1 virus has not been detected in North America, this occasion reminds us of the importance of sensible safety practices.  Therefore, all service employees and agents (including contractors and volunteers) are expected to adhere to this guidance in the handling of wild birds.

As the situation and information with regard to the H5N1 virus changes, these guidelines may be updated.

For additional information and references on avian influenza and H5N1, visit the National Wildlife Health Center Avian Influenza web page at http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/research/avian_influenza/avian_influenza.html.

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Tidal flood protection for Santa Clara County’s bayside communities moves forward

California Coastal Conservancy/Santa Clara Valley Water District News Release

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Sept. 23, 2005—The Santa Clara Valley Water District, in partnership with the California Coastal Conservancy, will be leading an effort with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to better protect Santa Clara County bayside communities from tidal and creek flooding.

The Water District and Coastal Conservancy agreed this week to cost-share a study with the Corps of Engineers that will address tidal flooding protection and ecosystem restoration for the SouthBay cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto.

The study — known as the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Study — will incorporate findings from the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, a massive effort to restore historic wetlands on 15,000 acres of former salt-harvesting ponds in the South Bay.

“We have the opportunity to move swiftly so that we can prevent the kind of tragedy we saw with Hurricane Katrina,” said Richard P. Santos, chairman of the Water District board of directors. “By co-sponsoring the project and providing meaningful funding, the Water District will be better able to protect areas like Alviso, which is 13 feet below sea level, from storm surges that could devastate the community.”

The total cost of the shoreline study is $15.8 million. The Water District is providing $6.4 million, or 82 percent, of the expected $7.8 million “local sponsor” share of the costs and the Coastal Conservancy is providing $1.4 million. The Corps of Engineers is providing the other half of the shoreline study cost.

In addition to the Coastal Conservancy and Corps of Engineers, the Water District is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, and Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to create the largest tidal wetlands restoration project on the West Coast.

One goal of the South Bay wetland-restoration project is increased flood capacities on local creeks by widening the mouths of waterways and reestablishing historical flood plains.

As former salt-evaporation ponds are breeched and opened to the bay’s tides, levees between newly created tidal marsh and Santa Clara County communities would be built up or strengthened to provide better flood protection.

In Santa Clara County, there are several streams that carry runoff through the valley and north to San Francisco Bay. The two largest rivers — the Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek — have been retrofitted to provide flood protection to most communities along their banks, including the community of Alviso in north San Jose.

Although the risk from creek flooding has been reduced, Alviso is as much as 13 feet below sea level and remains vulnerable to tidal flooding.

“The Water District’s partnership in the shoreline study will fortify our efforts to improve flood protection in the South Bay as we work to restore historic wetlands and make the baylands more accessible to the public,” said Steve Ritchie, the Coastal Conservancy’s executive project manager for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. “We welcome the partnership.”

Ritchie’s comment was echoed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Col. Philip T. “Tom” Feir, whose agency is spearheading tidal-flood protection elements of the restoration plan.

“We continue to embrace our partnerships with the Coastal Conservancy and Santa Clara Valley Water District as we forge ahead with flood control and environmental restoration initiatives in theSouth Bay,” Feir said.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages wholesale drinking water resources and provides stewardship for the county's vast watersheds, including a series of reservoirs, more than 800 miles of streams and groundwater basins. The District also promotes flood protection for Santa Clara County ' s 1.7 million residents.

#####

Contact: Mike Di Marco, (408) 265-2607, ext. 2423, Mobile: (408) 314-0559, www.valleywater.org.

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Bay Area Open Space Council Welcomes New Director

The Bay Area Open Space Council is very pleased to announce Bettina Ring as our new Executive Director. Ms. Ring has been a member of the Council's Steering Committee through her most recent position as Vice President of the Wilderness Land Trust. Prior to that, she served as Executive Director of the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts. In addition to her lauded collaborative skills, she brings a wealth of experience to the Council in program implementation, public policy, organizational development, fundraising, and administration. Ms. Ring also has extensive knowledge of natural resource management from over 14 years with the Virginia State Department of Forestry.

The Council's Executive Committee welcomes Ms. Ring with much excitement and in anticipation of the excellent experience she brings to the Executive Director position.

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Fall Migration on the Baylands from SFBBO

In the first round of the Birds of the Baylands pond surveys, biologists Ann Murphy and Sarah Stoner-Duncan reported that fall migration is indeed in full flight. The return in large numbers of Eared Grebes, Northern Shovelers and Black-bellied Plovers, as well as swirling clouds of Western Sandpipers, made counting the birds on salt ponds a treat! We also spotted the occasional Northern Pintail, American Widgeon, Pied-billed Grebe, and even one Golden Eagle. These monthly surveys from SFBBO will continue until fall 2007, and will help SFBBO document shorebird and waterfowl use of the Bay on a landscape level. For more information, visit http://www.sfbbo.org/landbirds.html.

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Lamont Creeks Presentation and Reference Materials Available On-Line

A number of people have expressed interest in receiving copies of my September 19 presentation to the City of Berkeley Creeks Task Force, entitled, "Creating Healthy Cities Through Healthy Watersheds," on behalf of the Urban Creeks Council, Live Oak/Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association, Strawberry Creek Lodge Restoration Project,
and Citizens for a Strawberry Creek Plaza. Many people also asked for the reference materials I cited in that presentation, regarding such issues as the US EPA's cost-benefit analyses of watershed restoration, scientific discussions of the benefits of riparian corridors, culvert repair costs, etc. Here are two PDF files are now available on-line for you to view and/or download:

1) "Creating Healthy Cities through Healthy Watersheds" Powerpoint slide presentation. This first document is of the presentation itself (the Powerpoint slides), and is available at the following Berkeley Creeks Task Force site (be forewarned, this Powerpoint document is very slow to download, because it's a big file with photos; the second document is much quicker to download): http://www.cityofberkeley.info/planning/landuse/Creeks/2005/EPackets/20050919/Lamont_CTF_Pres_9-19-05.pdf
9/Lamont_CTF_Pres_9-19-05.pdf

2) "Supplemental Information for the Creeks' Groups Presentation to the CTF..." The second document is a much more detailed written summary of the many issues I covered in the presentation, including the references materials, citations, specific figures, etc. - and can be considered an essential complement to the simple slides. It is much quicker to download. It is available at the following Berkeley Creeks Task Force site: http://www.cityofberkeley.info/planning/landuse/Creeks/2005/EPackets/20051003/Lamont_CTF_Crk_Writeup.pdf
3/Lamont_CTF_Crk_Writeup.pdf

While the presentation was designed for Berkeley's Creeks Task Force and its consideration of the Creek Ordinance and other creek/watershed policies, the issues covered in it are relevant to many cities and counties right now, which are supporting watershed and creek restoration strategies for improved water quality, flood control, bank and erosion control, enhanced habitat, and more. And the reference materials, citations, and and figures are applicable to many areas of watershed restoration, policies, and the like - so I hope you will find them useful. Please feel free to use these as you see appropriate.

If you have problems viewing or downloading the documents, please let me know, and I can send you copies individually. However, the Powerpoint presentation file is very large, so keep that in mind, since it could really clog up your e-mail system if I e-mail it to you. I can also send you the files on a CD, if that is preferable.

Juliet Lamont, jlamont@creekcats.com

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SB 857 Signed by Governor on October 6, 2005

http://info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_857&sess=CUR&house=B&site=sen

BILL NUMBER: SB 857 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT

PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 30, 2005
PASSED THE SENATE  MAY 26, 2005
AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 10, 2005
AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 2, 2005
AMENDED IN SENATE  MARCH 29, 2005

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Kuehl
   (Coauthors: Senators Chesbro and Kehoe)
   (Coauthor: Assembly Member Berg)

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2005

   An act to amend Section 5901 of the Fish and Game Code, and to add
Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 156) to Chapter 1 of Division 1
of, the Streets and Highways Code, relating to fish passages.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

   SB 857, Kuehl  Fish passages.
   Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has
full possession and control of all state highways.
   This bill would require the department to prepare an annual report
to the Legislature describing the status of the department's
progress in locating, assessing, and remediating barriers to fish
passage, as defined. The bill would require the department also to
complete assessments of potential barriers to anadromous fish prior
to commencing any project using state or federal transportation
funds. The bill would require the department to submit these
assessments to the Department of Fish and Game to be added to the
CALFISH database. The bill would also require projects to be
constructed without presenting barriers to fish passage.
   Existing law prohibits the construction or maintenance, in certain
fish and game districts, of any device or contrivance that prevents,
impedes, or tends to prevent or impede, the passing of fish up and
down stream.
   This bill would revise the fish and game districts in which this
prohibition applies.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) The decline of naturally spawning salmon and steelhead trout
is primarily a result of the loss of appropriate stream habitat and
the inability of fish to get access to habitat, according to recent
reports to the Fish and Game Commission and by the Department of Fish
and Game.
   (b) Increasing the naturally spawning salmon and steelhead trout
populations in California would provide a valuable public resource,
employment opportunities, and substantial economic benefits to the
state.
   (c) Federal, state and local governments and nonprofit
organizations are spending hundreds of millions of public dollars in
California protecting and restoring habitat for salmon and steelhead
trout through watershed and fishery restoration programs, with the
state alone spending over two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000)
for these purposes in the past five years.
   (d) The California Department of Transportation has maintenance,
construction, and oversight responsibility for the state's roads,
including approximately 5,000 stream crossings on coastal streams.
   (e) Stream crossings on roads frequently present barriers to the
migration of fish, and there is an extensive lack of information
regarding the number and extent of existing barriers to fish
migration at state road stream crossings.
   (f) Having this information would enable the department to better
predict the time and funding required to complete transportation
projects.
   (g) Substantial savings to the state would result from improved
ability to deliver transportation projects within their budgets and
on time, and substantial benefit to the state's salmon and steelhead
trout populations would result from remediation of barriers to fish
passage at stream crossings
  SEC. 2.  Section 5901 of the Fish and Game Code is amended to read:

   5901.  Except as otherwise provided in this code, it is unlawful
to construct or maintain in any stream in Districts 1, 13/8, 11/2,
17/8, 2, 21/4, 21/2, 23/4, 3, 31/2, 4, 41/8, 41/2, 43/4, 11, 12, 13,
23, and 25, any device or contrivance that prevents, impedes, or
tends to prevent or impede, the passing of fish up and down stream.

  SEC. 3.  Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 156) is added to
Chapter 1 of Division 1 of the Streets and Highways Code, to read:

      Article 3.5.  Barriers to Fish Passage

   156.  For purposes of this article, the following definitions
shall apply:
   (a) "Fish passage" means the ability of an anadromous fish to
access appropriate habitat at all points in its life cycle, including
spawning and rearing.
   (b) "Department" means the Department of Transportation.
   156.1.  The Director of Transportation shall prepare an annual
report describing the status of the department's progress in
locating, assessing, and remediating barriers to fish passage. This
report shall be given to the Legislature by October 31 of each year
through the year 2020.
   156.2.  The department shall pursue development of a programmatic
environmental review process with appropriate state and federal
regulatory agencies for remediating barriers to fish passage that
will streamline the permitting process for projects. The department
shall include a description of its progress on this review process in
the report specified in Section 156.1.
   156.3.  For any project using state or federal transportation
funds programmed after January 1, 2006, the department shall insure
that, if the project affects a stream crossing on a stream where
anadromous fish are, or historically were, found, an assessment of
potential barriers to fish passage is done prior to commencing
project design. The department shall submit the assessment to the
Department of Fish and Game and add it to the CALFISH database. If
any structural barrier to passage exists, remediation of the problem
shall be designed into the project by the implementing agency. New
projects shall be constructed so that they do not present a barrier
to fish passage. When barriers to fish passage are being addressed,
plans and projects shall be developed in consultation with the
Department of Fish and Game.
   156.4.  For any repair or construction project using state or
federal transportation funds that affects a stream crossing on a
stream where anadromous fish are, or historically were, found, the
department shall perform an assessment of the site for potential
barriers to fish passage and submit the assessment to the Department
of Fish and Game.

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Local Nature Magazine Wins Second Award
for South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Coverage

OAKLAND, CA-BAY NATURE magazine was honored with an award by the Friends of the San Francisco Estuary for its coverage of the South Bay salt pond restoration project in BAY NATURE's special report "South Bay Challenge: Reclaiming the Salt Ponds for People and Nature" at the 2005 State of the Estuary Conference on Thursday, October 6.

BAY NATURE was recognized for its production of an outstanding project that implemented one or more actions in the San Francisco Estuary Project's Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP). Projects were nominated by the general public.

"South Bay Challenge" is one of a series of 8- and 16-page supplements produced by BAY NATURE magazine to provide more in-depth coverage of important developments in the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area. This supplement was funded by the California Coastal Conservancy and was produced with additional support from the San Francisco Estuary Institute. The full report was printed in the October-December 2004 issue and overprinted for distribution by nonprofit organizations and public agencies.

In April 2005, BAY NATURE received an award for the same report by the Western Publications Association in the category of Best Editorial Supplement.

BAY NATURE has produced other popular supplements, including "Out of the Flames: Point Reyes Ten Years After the Vision Fire," "Gardening for Wildlife Using Native Plants," and "Toward a Healthy Bay." The next supplement, studying the role of conservation easements in preserving local landscapes, will be available in the January-March 2006 issue.

###

BAY NATURE, published by the nonprofit Bay Nature Institute, is a full-color, quarterly magazine dedicated to exploring and celebrating the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit http://www.baynature.com for more information about BAY NATURE, or http://www.baynature.com/store to order subscriptions, back issues, and supplements.

The Friends of the Estuary is a nonprofit organization associated with the San Francisco Estuary Project. Its goal is to increase public awareness of the estuary and to encourage public involvement in related decision-making processes. Visit http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/sfep/about/friends.html for more information.

CONTACT:
Tracy Held, Marketing & Outreach Director
tracy@baynature.com
ph: (510) 528-8550
fax: (510) 528-8117
http://www.baynature.com

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Sonoma Land Trust Wins Regional Award for Baylands Restoration Project

Oakland (October 7, 2005) -- Every two years, the San Francisco Estuary Project (SFEP) awards one wetlands restoration project that makes a significant contribution to the health of the San Francisco Estuary. Yesterday SFEP presented that award to Wendy Eliot , Sonoma Land Trust's Conservation Director, at the 7 th biennial State of the Estuary Conference in Oakland . The award recognizes the Land Trust's 2,327-acre Baylands acquisition as an Outstanding CCMP Implementation Project.

Sonoma Land Trust's recent purchase near the intersection of Highway 37 and Lakeville Road is the single largest Baylands land purchase since the state bought South Bay Salt Ponds from Cargill in 2003. The site includes about 1,400 acres of agricultural baylands and 900 acres of upland grasslands. The project offers the only place in the entire Bay Area for restoration of a complete transition from hilltops 400 feet above sea level down through seasonal streams and wetlands to tidal marsh. Sonoma Land Trust is shaping a comprehensive wetlands restoration plan for the baylands portion of the property, the area historically affected by tidal action.

In the late 1800s, thousands of acres of historic North Bay wetlands were diked and drained and the land was used as dairy lands and for growing oat-hay. Overall, over eighty percent of the North Bay 's wetlands were destroyed. Now, groups like Sonoma Land Trust are seizing opportunities to recreate wetlands in their historic locations. Restoration of the Baylands will provide critical habitat for dozens of species of migrating ducks and shorebirds as well as resident wildlife, including endangered species like the California clapper rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse.

Sonoma Land Trust will complete geologic, cultural resources and hydrologic studies for the wetlands restoration plan in May 2006. The first on-the-ground restoration work could begin as early as 2008. Until that time, the Land Trust is working with local farmers and cattle ranchers to maintain agricultural activities across the property.

Along with major contributions from private individuals throughout the greater Bay Area, Sonoma Land Trust received generous support from the California State Coastal Conservancy and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The Moore Foundation is funding development of the restoration plan.

The Sonoma Land Trust, founded in 1976, is a private, non-profit membership organization that has protected more than 17,000 acres in and around Sonoma County by working directly with willing landowners who wish to protect their land for future generations. The Land Trust offers stewardship, education and advice for the preservation and enhancement of agricultural, natural and open space lands . Learn more about Sonoma Land Trust and the Baylands restoration at www.sonomalandtrust.org.

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Contact:
John Brosnan, Baylands Project Manager, (707) 526-6930 ext. 109
Ralph Benson, Executive Director, (707) 526-6930 ext. 104                    

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Governor Vetoes our Vehicle Registration Bill, SB 658

We finally have the tally from Gov. Schwazenegger on all of the 2005 legislative bills, including SB 658. Unfortunately, he vetoed the bill sponsored by the Bay Area Open Space Council and supported by the Joint Venture (as well as the three other vehicle registration fee bills) with a similar veto message for all four bills. He continues to call these bills "new taxes" as opposed to "fees" and calls for a "two thirds vote of the people."

SB 658: VETO Message

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 658 without my signature.

This bill seeks to impose a new $6 tax on all cars in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Ventura and does so without a two-thirds vote of the people. While the goal of the program to increase funds to mitigate the effects of traffic congestion is a worthy proposal to consider, I do not believe these fees should continue to be added without the approval from the people upon whom the fee is imposed.

Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger

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New British Trust for Ornithology Report:
"Climate Change and Migratory Species"

This report focuses on British and North Atlantic species. It documents climate change effects already being observed in species, as well as likely effects. From their exec summary:

"We conducted a literature review and consulted experts through a specially organized international workshop to identify the range of climate change impacts and to consider how migrant populations could be affected by these changes.

Knowledge of the likely impacts of future climate change varies greatly between taxonomic groups, being best for birds. Of the bird species listed on the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), 84% face some threat from climate change, almost half because of changes in water regime; this is equivalent to the (summed) threats due to all other anthropogenic causes. "

Click here to access report [pdf].

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San Francisco Bay Joint Venture and Ducks Unlimited receive
outstanding Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP)
implementation project award for new database

October 13, 2005, Oakland, CA -  Last week at the 7th biennial State of the Estuary Conference, the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture and Ducks Unlimited each received an award acknowledging their new habitat project tracking system as an outstanding CCMP implementation project.    

The CCMP is a blueprint of 145 specific actions to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Bay and Delta.  Established in 1992 by over one hundred bay area representatives, the CCMP has served as a guiding force for the protection, management and recovery of San Francisco Bay .

The San Francisco Bay Joint Venture (SFBJV), one of 14 habitat Joint Ventures in the nation, is a Bay Area partnership of public and private agencies working to protect, restore, increase and enhance the wetlands and watersheds of the San Francisco Estuary.

In 2001, the Joint Venture Management Board adopted an implementation strategy, with specific habitat goals for protecting over 200,000 acres of San Francisco Bay's tidal flats, marshes, lagoons and seasonal wetlands during a 20-year period. Over the last year the SFBJV and Ducks Unlimited developed and built a comprehensive, yet user-friendly database which can track regional progress towards the goals, store detailed information on habitat projects and provide a GIS component where partners can map projects, perform queries and generate .jpg maps.

As of October 2005, Joint Venture partners have been responsible for the acquisition of over 40,000 acres of wetlands, and the completion of nearly 70 wetland protection, enhancement or restoration projects.

For more information about the Joint Venture, please visit www.sfbayjv.org; and for more information on the project tracking system, contact sscoggin@sfbayjv.org.

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New resources available about San Francisco Bay wetlands,
shoreline modification, and the history of the Baylands

The San Francisco Estuary Institute would like to announce two resources providing newly available information about San Francisco Bay wetlands, shoreline modification, and the history of the Baylands.

US Coast Survey Maps Website

Produced to exacting technical standards since the early 19th century, the US Coast Survey maps are key sources for understanding coastal processes affecting the nation's shoreline. In the San Francisco Bay, these maps date from the 1850s and precede most Euro-American impacts -- but they have not been readily available to researchers, resource managers, and the public.

Developed jointly by SFEI's Historical Ecology, Wetlands Science, and IT Programs, this website now allows these remarkable maps to be viewed in full detail and overlaid on modern aerial photography. GIS files and JPEG images can also be downloaded. These baseline data will be useful for a range of current concerns, including wetland restoration, shoreline protection, and identifying engineering hazards and potential contamination associated with Bay fill. The site currently covers the South Bay and will soon incorporate additional parts of Alameda County. We would like to thank the City of San Jose for sponsoring the web site and the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Alameda Flood Control and Water Conservation District, and Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program for funding the development of the GIS data. The site address is http://maps.sfei.org/tsheets.

Baylands and Creeks of South San Francisco Bay

For those of you who may not have seen it yet, SFEI also recently completed a new map as part of the Oakland Museum Watershed Map series, this one focusing on the South Bay Baylands. One side of this convenient foldout map shows in exquisite detail the historical marshlands of the South Bay. The other side presents new mapping of the modern-day Baylands and lower reaches of creeks in the area south of the Dumbarton Bridge. Joint funding as part of the map series was provided by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the cities of San Jose, Milpitas, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale, the Silicon Valley Pollution Prevention Center, Region IX USEPA, San Francisco Estuary Project, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service San Francisco Bay Program. The map is available from the Oakland Museum at: http://www.museumca.org/creeks/BayMap.html.

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2005 Refuge Photo Contest Launched

The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) and Swarovski Optik of North America (SONA) are launching a 2005 Refuge Photo Contest - a digital photo contest designed to showcase America 's national wildlife refuges.

Images can be of birds, mammals, insects, fish, other animals, plants, people, or simply refuge scenery, in short, almost any sight at a National Wildlife Refuge can be submitted for this contest. The contest begins in July and ends in December 2005.

The judges will be Shawn Carey (Migration Productions), Maria Cecil (principal, Cecil Editorial and former editor of DEFENDERS magazine); Karen Hollingsworth (professional nature photographer), and Clay Taylor (digiscoping expert and Natural Markets Field Coordinator for Swarovski Optik of North America ). Winning entries will be selected by two rounds of judging. The first round will select up to 200 images to be included in the NWRA Refuge Image Library. The second round will result in the selection of the top prize winners.

Prizes will include a number of fine Swarovski products, including a full digiscoping outfit (telescope with eyepiece, tripod, tripod-head, and digital camera attachment), a Swarovski 8x30 SLC binocular, and a Swarovski Extremadura carrying bag. Trek Technologies has provided their novel TrekPod as a prize, and Houghton Mifflin has contributed a number of their wonderful field guides. The photographers for the top 200 images will also each receive a prize NWRA/Swarovski hat. This is a contest where everyone wins, with all photographers submitting an entry receiving a complimentary one-year membership in the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA).

Application deadline: December 15, 2005

See the Contest Prize Page for more information on the Swarovski and other prizes, as well as procedures, rules, and other details: http://www.refugenet.org/contest/ContestHome.html

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State Water Board Resumes Low Interest Loan Program

Sacramento, October 5, 2005 — The State Water Board announced today that it has resumed offering new loans from the State Revolving Fund program. The program was suspended in November 2003 because the available funds were committed. The State Revolving Fund program is key to helping the State Water Board protect and improve California's water resources. The program makes low interest loans to communities throughout California to improve wastewater treatment and recycling systems, to correct nonpoint source pollution, and to carry out programs that enhance estuaries. Since 1989 the program has funded more than $3 billion in loans, and averages about $250 million annually in loans. "The State Water Board is glad to be restarting the SRF Program. Helping communities with low interest loans is a great way for the Water Board to address pollution and protect long-term water quality," said Tam M. Doduc, Chairwoman of the State Water Board. The State Water Board approved the sale of $300 million in revenue bonds in September to provide funding for additional loans. These funds, along with existing loan repayments and federal grants, will be used to provide low interest loans.

More information about the SRF Program, and the Water Board's other financial assistance programs, can be found
at http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/funding/index.html.

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Contact information:
Liz Kanter, State Water Resources Control Board
(916) 327-8239
email: info@waterboards.ca.gov

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"Recommendations for Monitoring North American Sea Ducks"
Draft Report Now Available Online

A draft report entitled "Recommendations for Monitoring North American Sea Ducks" is now available for public review and comments at http://seaduckjv.org. This report was prepared by the Sea Duck Monitoring Working Group (under the auspices of the Sea Duck Joint Venture) to identify and prioritize monitoring needs for North American sea ducks. We would welcome your comments and ask that you send them electronically to Tim Bowman, SDJV Co-Coordinator, at tim_bowman@fws.gov by October 14, 2005.

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Save The Bay Wins Two Awards For Education And Outreach Programs

At the recent State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference, Save The Bay's mercury thermometer exchange program (part of a Pollution Prevention Partnership with East Bay Municipal Utility District) and Watershed Education Programs (including Canoes In Sloughs and Community Based Restoration) received Outstanding Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) Implementation Project Awards by Friends of the Estuary. Friends of the Estuary organizes the biennial conference to assess the health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. Learn more

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New Conservation Director at Golden Gate Audubon

Golden Gate Audubon has a new Conservation Director: Samantha Murray. Samantha has recently been working as the Assistant Conservation Director at Audubon Society of Portland. She has a biology degree from the University of Wisconsin and a law degree from Lewis and Clark. Her work at Portland Audubon focused primarily on a campaign to establish marine protected reserves along the Oregon Coast in addition to other bird and wildlife conservation issues.

Samantha begins work the week of 11/14/05 and I know she will be eager to meet all of you and to begin to orient herself to the many complex conservation issues we face in the Bay Area.

Elizabeth Murdock, Executive Director
Golden Gate Audubon Society

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3rd National Conference and Expo on Coastal and Estuarine
Habitat Restoration "Forging the National Imperative" —
Call for Dedicated Sessions

Restore America's Estuaries is pleased to announce the Call for Dedicated Sessions for "Forging the National Imperative," the 3rd National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration scheduled for December 9-13, 2006 at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Proposals are due February 15, 2006. For more information or to download the application, visit http://www.estuaries.org/conference.

Following the devastating hurricane season of 2005, Restore America's Estuaries is more committed than ever to holding the Conference in New Orleans as scheduled. The Conference will bring timely national attention to the challenges and opportunities to comprehensive coastal ecosystem restoration throughout the U.S. and especially in Coastal Louisiana and the northern Gulf Coast. A major theme of the Conference is that habitat restoration at all scales is essential to the very fabric of our lives - the social, economic and ecological well being of humans in the coastal landscape. Through field sessions, participants will see first-hand how the city, the parishes and the coastal ecosystems are being rebuilt and restored. We will work to ensure that the Conference supports the rebuilding process.

The National Program Committee invites you to submit a proposal for a Dedicated Session. Dedicated Sessions generally consist of three or four presenters sharing best practices and lessons learned within one or more of the Conference themes and topics. Dedicated Sessions must include multiple perspectives and are strongly encouraged to address multiple aspects of restoration within the chosen topic. Submissions should be made by the proposed session chair/organizer, and should identify all proposed presenters. The session chair/organizer may propose him/herself as one of the presenters in the session.

Background --
The 3rd National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration will advance the science, pace, practice, and success of habitat restoration at all scales. Past Conference locations include Baltimore in April 2003 (800 attendees) and Seattle in September 2004 (1,000 attendees). This is the only National Conference that brings together the entire coastal and estuarine habitat restoration community. It provides a unique blend of people and policy, science and strategy, business and best practices.

The Conference Program will address all aspects of coastal and estuarine habitat restoration, in all habitats and at all scales. Habitat restoration - manipulation of the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of a site with the goal of returning self-sustaining natural or historic structure and functions to former or degraded habitat - offers great promise for reversing trends of habitat loss and degradation and is a crucial component of comprehensive ecosystem restoration, protection and management. Resilient coastal habitat and ecosystems are essential for the maintenance and security of the economic, ecological and social fabric of our lives.

Conference Audience --
The Conference is a national (and international) gathering of the full coastal and estuarine habitat restoration community, including participants from both the public and private sector. Restore America's Estuaries will work with 150 partners and supporters to develop and host the Conference, and we expect 1,500 attendees from the restoration
community: non-profit and community organizations, businesses and corporations from supporting industries, tribes, academic and research institutions, and agencies from all levels of government will participate. Restoration practitioners, citizens and community leaders, consultants, scientists, educators, planners, engineers, volunteers, program managers, field staff, contractors, regulators and others involved in restoration efforts are all encouraged to participate.

Requirements for Dedicated Sessions --
* Relate to the overall conference theme - Forging the National Imperative
* Present a variety of perspectives (e.g. from a broad range of disciplines)
* Include geographic diversity where appropriate
* Emphasize lessons learned and best practices
* Share a vision for success
* Include adequate time for discussion

Themes and Topics for Dedicated Sessions -- Restore America's Estuaries and the National Program Committee seek proposals for Dedicated Sessions in the following areas. You may also submit a proposal for a session that either involves more than one topic area or falls outside of the suggested themes.

I. Human Dimensions of Restoration --
Our coasts and estuaries are cultural landscapes. Healthy and resilient coastal ecosystems are essential to the economic, cultural, spiritual and physical well being of people. Sessions are sought in this theme that address the relevance of restoration and document the importance of our coasts to our national heritage: from small-scale projects to comprehensive ecosystem restoration, to people's lives (e.g. disaster prevention/relief), the economics of restoration, and the importance of using local and traditional knowledge in restoration processes.

II. Education and Outreach --
Proposals are sought for sessions that address building constituencies for coastal and estuarine restoration through formal and informal education programs and community outreach. Without the public will to proceed, restoration at all scales cannot advance. Sessions in this theme are encouraged to address the best practices and lessons learned in restoration education, working with volunteers and the benefits of volunteer participation, engaging key and new constituencies in restoration (such as faith-based organizations and environmental justice), and identifying the values and messages that should be used to engage and educate the public and public officials.

III. Comprehensive Ecosystem Restoration and Management -- Comprehensive coastal ecosystem restoration and management is imperative. Sessions in this theme may address many topics, including:
* Integrating the best scientific understanding of coastal ecosystems into planning and implementation
* Setting national priorities for comprehensive coastal ecosystem restoration and avoiding inter-regional competition
* Specific components/considerations of comprehensive ecosystem restoration and management (e.g. disaster prevention/relief, regional sediment management, transportation and other infrastructure, water quality, habitat protection, and storm/flood protection)
* Harnessing small scale projects in a cohesive direction
* Choosing the right scale
* Lessons learned from implementing comprehensive regional restoration plans
* The roles of integrated monitoring and modeling
* Restoration in the context of sea level rise and global climate change
* International restoration efforts, including trans-boundary initiatives
* Funding habitat restoration at all scales

IV. Science and Technology --
This theme addresses the latest advances in our understanding of coastal and estuarine ecosystems and innovative restoration technologies. Sessions are encouraged that address the integration of science into practice at any scale, and in any habitat type (e.g. SAV restoration guidelines). Other topics include lessons learned from regional restoration science initiatives, how to conduct effective monitoring, and new applications of technologies to achieve restoration success.

V. Best Practices On-the-Ground --
Sessions that address the best practices and techniques of various aspects of restoration in the field are invited. One approach to this theme is to present lessons learned from projects that went awry.
Specific habitat types and practices in this theme include, but are not limited to:
* Beaches and shorelines
* Beneficial use of dredged material
* Coral reefs
* Fish passage
* Invasive species control/removal
* Kelp forests
* Mangroves
* Mudflats
* Salt marsh
* Shellfish
* Tidal rivers and riparian corridors
* Underwater grasses
* Urban habitats

VI. Measuring and Communicating Results -- The restoration community must be able to document and communicate its successes. This theme communicates our vision for success and encompasses monitoring and adaptive management (concrete case studies of adaptive management in practice and triggers for adaptations).
Specific topics could include the nation's progress toward the one million acre goal, measuring the cumulative effects of smaller projects, measuring ecological services provided by restoration, cost-effective restoration, and integrating human values into measurements of restoration results.

Dedicated Session Format --
Dedicated sessions will last 90 minutes each and should include three or four presentations of approximately 15-20 minutes, with at least 30 minutes of each session dedicated to a moderated dialogue between presenters and the session attendees. Proposals will be considered that cover more than one 90-minute session. One of the primary goals of the Conference is to enable cross-sector dialogue within the restoration community.

Timeline and Due Dates --
* February 15, 2006 - Session Proposals due from Session Organizer/Chair
* March 31, 2006 - Session Organizers and presenters notified of proposal status

Selection Process and Criteria --
The National Program Committee will review proposals in conjunction with Restore America's Estuaries' staff, and proposals will be evaluated for their significance to the habitat restoration community, relevance to conference themes, and ability to provide generally applicable, take-home lessons. Sessions should include speakers from different perspectives as well as multiple aspects of restoration. The selection process is competitive, and not all submitted proposals will be accepted in the Conference Program.

Call for Presentations and Posters --
Restore America's Estuaries will announce a separate Call for Presentations and Posters in November 2005 to encourage proposals for talks and posters at the Conference.

For More Information --
Visit http://www.estuaries.org/conference to propose a session.

About Restore America's Estuaries --
Restore America's Estuaries, established in 1995, is a nonprofit organization working to preserve the nation's coasts and estuaries by protecting and restoring the lands and waters essential to the richness and diversity of coastal life. Restore America's Estuaries and its affiliate members collectively represent millions of citizens in all coastal regions of the United States. Restore America's Estuaries authored and championed passage of the Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 - groundbreaking federal legislation providing strong federal commitment and resources toward a goal of restoring function to one million acres of estuarine habitat by 2010. Restore America's Estuaries led in the design of A National Strategy to Restore Coastal and Estuarine Habitat, and defined and published the Principles of Estuarine Habitat Restoration in partnership with the Estuarine Research Federation. The 1st and 2nd National Conferences on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration (Baltimore in April, 2003 and Seattle in September, 2004) were attended by more than 2,000 people.

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Ospreys on the Refuge in Alviso

A note from Eileen, Wildlife Stewards dated 11/10/05:

This is fun news. For the last few weeks, there have been osprey sightings near the Environmental Education Center on the Don Edwards Refuge site in Alviso.  Usually one but two have been reported.  One has been seen carrying a fish and at another time, a stick.

Now, osprey have been a rather unusual species in the south bay for some time.  All those stagnant salt ponds held no fish, no food for them.  

Of course, this year, more of those salt ponds were opened to create an in and out flow of bay and slough water including pond A16 next to the EEC.  Birds common to the south bay have been enjoying the fresh fish that change has provided.  So why not a couple of osprey?

Will they stay, roost and reproduce?  Let's keep an eye on them.

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Save The Bay - Take Action for Education

We all know a student or a teacher. Help them learn more about the Bay by sending them a link to The Bay Classroom — http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M712220818012703520890665&af=y — a new online resource from Save The Bay.

Students of all ages can learn how the Bay formed millions of years ago, who the first settlers to live along the Bay shoreline were, and fun facts about the unique plants and animals that depend on the Bay for survival.

The Bay Classroom also provides teachers with free online access to Save The Bay's Watershed Curriculum, including Bay-specific activities to incorporate into lesson plans. Help spread the word about The Bay Classroom.

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NatureServe Report: Biodiversity of Isolated Wetlands

Some of the wetlands and other waters that are "isolated" from navigable waters are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act as a result of a 2001 Supreme Court decision (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County vs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC), 2001).  NatureServe has recently completed an assessment of the potential impacts of the SWANCC decision on the at-risk species and communities that are associated with these isolated wetland systems in all 50 U.S. states.  The information and analyses contained in this study are designed to assist policymakers and land managers at federal, state, and local levels to better understand the biodiversity value of isolated wetlands in their jurisdiction and plan for their protection.

Click here for the executive summary of the report [pdf]. The complete report and supporting data are available for viewing and download on NatureServe's website at www.natureserve.org.

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Heron and Egret Maps Available from SFBBO

SFBBO spent spring 2005 busily studying Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, and Great Egret nesting colonies around the Bay Area. To get an idea of where the birds established breeding colonies this year, check out the maps at the bottom of this webpage: http://www.sfbbo.org/hrnegrt.htm.

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EPA's New Website for Watershed Funding

The Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW) Sustainable Finance Team has launched a new "Watershed Funding" section of EPA's Web site. The new pages contain links to tools, databases, and resources about grants, funding and fundraising. The Web site is designed to help nonprofit watershed organizations, state and local governments, and funders (such as foundations) more easily find information on how to effectively obtain and invest resources to improve watershed health. Please visit the Watershed Funding homepage at http://www.epa.gov/owow/funding.html.

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New Coast and Ocean Website

The Coastal Conservancy's publication, Coast and Ocean, now has a redesigned website at www.coastandocean.org.  It includes news about projects that the Conservancy is involved with and may be of interest to JV members. 

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Contra Costa Resource Conservation District Request for Qualifications

This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is an official notification of needed professional services for the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District (CCRCD) located in Concord, California. This RFQ is being issued to solicit statements of interest from individuals or firms qualified to assist the District in conducting a geomorphic survey of Alhambra Creek in collaboration with landowners, local community watershed groups and other involved organizations. Funding for this project is through the Supplemental Environmental Programs of the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board. The project must be completed by August 1, 2006.

The project may include some or all of the following components:

  • Field Data Collection & Processing
  • Develop Conceptual Design Alternatives
  • Prepare Report
  • Attend Community Meeting

NOTICE

The Contra Costa Resource Conservation District's general criteria for selecting providers of professional services is based on an evaluation of general qualifications, experience in the field of geomorphic surveys, availability of local staff personnel, ability to meet project and budget deadlines, and past performance with the District and/or other clients.

Information should be addressed to: Carla Koop, Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, 5552 Clayton Road , Concord , CA 94521 or email to carla.koop@ca.nacdnet.net.

Statements of qualifications and hourly rates for services must be received from interested parties no later than Friday, January 27, 2006.

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Christmas Steelhead Ruling Scrooges Alameda Creek Trout

Following is reprinted from Alameda Creek Alliance 12/23/05 Email Newsletter

The National Marine Fisheries Service today [12/23/05] announced final Endangered Species Act listing decisions for 10 populations of west coast steelhead trout, including the Central California Coast (CCC) population, which encompasses Alameda Creek. NMFS' decision reaffirms the threatened status of CCC steelhead, which were originally listed under the ESA in August 1997, but excludes resident rainbow trout and landlocked steelhead trout above dams.

NMFS had proposed in June of 2005 to include resident trout and some landlocked steelhead, including those in Alameda Creek, as part of the CCC steelhead trout population based on genetic evidence that Alameda Creek's resident fish are similar to adult ocean-run steelhead.

The ACA is looking into a legal challenge of this flawed listing and exclusion from critical habitat. Other conservation and fishing groups will likely challenge the new listing policy as well.

Read the ACA press release at: www.alamedacreek.org/Press_Releases/index.htm.

Anti-Endangered Species Bill in Senate

Late last week, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced a bill to radically undermine the Endangered Species Act. Senate bill S. 2110, cynically titled the "Collaboration and Recovery of Endangered Species Act," would completely derail the endangered species listing program, remove protections for endangered species habitat, and cut federal oversight of projects that threaten endangered species. This is the companion bill to Richard Pombo's assault on the Act. Read the Center for Biological Diversity's press release on the bill at www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/PRESS/crapo_s2110_12_15_05.html.

A full explanation and full text of the Crapo bill is also available at www.biologicaldiversity.org.

What to Do if You Spot Steelhead in Lower Alameda Creek

It's getting to be steelhead season and winter storms will likely bring steelhead back into Alameda Creek. Iinformation is posted on the ACA web page on what to do if you spot fish. Go to www.alamedacreek.org and click on "If You Spot Fish in the Creek" in the upper right corner.

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Save The Bay Honors 40 Years of BCDC

Excerpted from 12/16/05 Save The Bay Email Newsletter

More than 200 guests toasted 40 years of accomplishments by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) at an anniversary celebration this month [Dec. 2005] hosted by Save The Bay. The agency Save The Bay helped create in 1965 to halt filling in the Bay has reversed that trend ­ wetland restoration projects have made the Bay 13 square miles larger BCDC has required 95 miles of new public shoreline access, and another 300+ miles of public trails have been added by other agencies. And the Commission has approved $15 billion worth of shoreline development. 

Leaders Call for Renewed Effort

Sylvia McLaughlin addressed the assembled guests.  "BCDC's record is really impressive, and the chore ahead of us is bound to be bigger," said BCDC's first chairman Mel Lane, the former Sunset Magazine publisher. "We have a long way to go."

"It really is overwhelming to me to see that so many people are carrying on the work that was begun in 1965," said Joe Bodovitz, BCDC's first executive director.

"I'm so proud of BCDC," added Save The Bay co-founder Sylvia McLaughlin, who quoted her co-founder Kay Kerr, "When we started out, we thought all we had to do was get a good law and the Bay would be saved.  What we learned instead is that the Bay is never saved, it is instead always in the process of being saved."

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Bird Flu: Vectors or Victims?

Excerpted from The Birding Community E-Bulletin (January 2006)

As 2005 comes to a close and we start a new year, millions of wild birds have arrived at their wintering destinations across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Fortunately they have accomplished this without the widely predicted outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu that some experts feared might be associated with their migration.

"The most obvious explanation is that migrating wild birds are not spreading the disease," said Michael Rands, Director and Chief Executive of BirdLife International.

While migratory wild birds have been blamed for spreading bird flu westward from Asia, there has been no spread back eastward, nor to South Asia and Africa this autumn. Although outbreaks might have been expected to occur along regular migratory flyways for Asian birds, such as in the Philippines, Taiwan, and Australia, flu outbreaks have not been recorded. The limited outbreaks in Eastern Europe are on southerly migration routes but are just as likely to be caused by other vectors, such as the import of poultry or poultry products. "The hypothesis that wild birds are to blame is simply far from proven," said Dr Rands. "Wild birds occasionally come into contact with infected poultry and die: they are the victims not vectors of H5N1 bird flu."

Better biosecurity is key to halting the spread of bird flu. In particular, BirdLife has been urging governments and other relevant agencies to concentrate their control and detection efforts on the poultry and cage-bird trades, banning the movement of poultry and poultry products from infected areas, and restricting the international movement of captive birds.

Domestic bird waste is widely used as food and fertilizer in fish farming and in agriculture, and infected poultry are known to excrete virus particles in their feces. The use of untreated chicken feces in fish farming was recently described by the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization as a "high risk production practice." Russian fish farms have begun using chicken feces as fish farm fertilizer, and this practice is also employed in Eastern Europe on agricultural land. The Government of Vietnam has warned its population against the risk of dumping tons of chicken feces into rivers and lakes as fish food. One boy in Vietnam has already died of bird flu after swimming in a river where infected chicken carcasses were discarded, and in October Mute Swans similarly died at fish farms in Croatia and Romania.

At the same time, Vietnam has reportedly begun to cull wild birds in Ho Chi Minh City. Juan Lubroth, an FAO officer in charge of infectious animal diseases, said that culling wild birds is likely to be ineffective.

In contrast, implementing measures to regulate the movement of poultry and poultry feces are proven to work. "For example," said Dr. Rands, "Malaysia and South Korea both experienced bird flu outbreaks through importing infected poultry products, but stamped the disease out and have remained disease free through improved biosecurity. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of waterbirds have arrived to winter inSouth Korea, and many migrant waders have successfully passed through Malaysia."

Because the virus has the capacity to mutate, it is still essential to monitor wild bird populations to look for any evidence of new flu strains arising.

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Message from the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District
regarding the Cross Currents newsletter articles

Are you looking to publicize an activity, event or achievement relating to central county watersheds? Cross Currents, a semi-annual newsletter by and for central Contra Costa County watershed stewards, is seeking information about recent watershed activities (July 2005 - Dec 2005/Jan 2006) or upcoming watershed events/activities (Feb. 2006 - June 2006) if they pertain to the following watersheds: Alhambra, Kirker, Las Trampas, Mt. Diablo, Peyton Slough, San Ramon, Tice, Upper San Pablo, and Walnut Creek.

Topics can relate to restoration, stewardship, research, wildlife, watershed planning, funding for watershed activities, and watershed education/outreach.

You may submit an article of 300 - 600 words or send me an idea for an article. Deadline is Friday, Jan. 13. The next issue comes out February 1, 2006. The newsletter is distributed regionally and to regional watershed organizations. Photos are accepted (they should be legible in small-size b&w format). Send them to me via email.

The last issue is available at http://www.ccrcd.org under "News and Announcements." I can also send you a formatted print version. Please feel free to distribute this notice to anyone who might be interested in submitting an article.

Carla Koop, Editor
carla.koop@ca.nacdnet.net
925-672-6522 x110

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