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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 a