SRF June enewsletter 2006
INSIDE: Central Coast Road Decommissioning Field School
scheduled for July 18-21 in Arroyo Grande Central Coast Road Decommissioning Field School scheduled for July 18-21 in Arroyo Grande Central Coast Salmon Enhancement and the Salmonid Restoration Federation are hosting a Field School on July 18-21 in Arroyo Grande, California. Course Instructors, Bill Weaver and Danny Hagans of Pacific Watershed Associates will present Culvert and Road Drainage Practices to Protect and Benefit Salmon and Steelhead in the Central Coast Region. The three-day course will include classroom material as well as several sessions in the field. The course will highlight proper ditch relief and stream crossing culvert installation, with and without downspouts, flared inlets, trash racks, etc. as well as proper installation of critical rolling dips or measures to eliminate stream diversions. Classroom and field methods to determine appropriate culvert sizing for peak stream flows, sediment and woody debris in transport; Proper approaches for addressing potential road fill and landing failures, as well as spoil disposal techniques. The course will illustrate a variety of road bed and ditch drainage approaches. These include when, where and how to convert insloped and ditched roads to outsloped roads with or without a ditch, when, where and how to construct rolling dips with and without rock, and when, where and how to dispose of berms along roads. The course will also address how to properly excavate a stream crossing fill to minimize post excavation erosion and sediment delivery to streams, and how to reduce roadbed width on excessively wide segments of road. Class is limited to 30 students. Cost is $100 and includes meals, lodging and materials. Scholarships
are available.
1st Annual Spring-Run Chinook Symposium Butte Creek, July 27-29, 2006 The Salmonid Restoration Federation, in partnership with Pacific Gas, and Electric, Friends of Butte Creek, Department of Water Resources, and Sacramento River Preservation Trust will host the 1st Annual Spring-Run Chinook Symposium, July 27-29, 2006, in beautiful Butte Creek. SRF is pleased to offer a three-day opportunity for local landowners, restorationists, fisheries biologists and agency staff to participate in workshops on fish monitoring and identification techniques, to tour and understand restoration projects, and, through positive dialogue, to increase their capacity to positively impact the recovery of Spring-run in California. The goals of the Chinook Symposium are two-fold. This new symposium will provide affordable technical and hands-on trainings for the fisheries restoration and water conservation communities to benefit Spring-run Chinook populations in California. Additionally, this event will provide cooperative opportunities for landowners, agency biologists, and community restorationists to discuss issues and perspectives in Spring-run Chinook restoration and recovery in California. Located in the Northern Sacramento Valley, Butte Creek contains one of the last self-sustaining populations of Spring-run Chinook in California. The recovery of the Butte Creek Spring-run Chinook provides a unique opportunity to highlight the importance of collaborative watershed planning efforts in the recovery of other Spring-run populations in California. The event will begin on Thursday morning with two concurrent full-day tours of the upper and lower watersheds. PG & E will lead a tour of their hydroelectric facilities in the upper watershed. Rob Capriola of California Waterfowl, and Olen Zirkle of Ducks Unlimited will lead the Lower Watershed tour to view and discuss recent and upcoming dam, diversions, and fish barrier modifications. SRF will host a BBQ and presentations on Thursday evening at the Butte County/CDF Firehouse near Butte Meadows. Zeke Grader from Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen Associations and Paul Ward of DFG will discuss Spring-run Chinook salmon and Tina Swanson of the Bay Institute will present about the status of the Spring Run Technical Review Team’s recovery efforts. On Friday and Saturday participants will break into two groups so they have an opportunity to explore both the upper and lower watersheds and attend all workshops. The Upper watershed tour will highlight roads and meadows. This workshop will be led by Kent Reeves of the California Native Grasslands Association, Roger Cole of Streaminders, and Eric Ginney with The Louis Berger Group. Mike Kossow, founder of the SRF field schools will lead a tour of Deer Creek Falls. Visits will be made to a restored meadow and one in recovery as well as roads that have been removed and ones that need repair. The Lower Watershed Workshop will start at the Centerville schoolhouse to provide an overview of fish identification and counting techniques, weirs, snorkel surveys, and carcass counts. Doug Demko of SP Cramer will discuss the fish counting weir on the Stanislaus and the Spring Run population model that they are developing. In the afternoon Mark Gard from USFWS will teach participants about spawning gravel survey methods to assess the habitat relationships between water flow and gravel quality. Saturday afternoon tours will include a visit to Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve to see fish passage design, invasives removal projects, and habitat restoration. SRF hopes to reestablish the spirit of the Spring Run Salmon workgroup founded by Nat Bingham to engage restorationists in watersheds containing Spring-run Chinook salmon by highlighting past and ongoing restoration and recovery efforts. For more information or to register for the Spring-run Watershed Symposium, please visit http://www.calsalmon.org/training/buttecrk.htm or call SRF at (707) 923-7501. The cost is $150 that includes workshops, field tours, food, and camping. If you are attending two days only or you will not be camping the cost is $100. A limited number of work trade and scholarship opportunities will be available.
Coho Confab August 25-27 at Point Reyes National Seashore 9th Annual Coho Confab August 25-27, 2006 at Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County Hosted by Salmonid Restoration Federation, Department of Fish and Game, Salmon Protection and Watershed Network, and Trees Foundation Participants will learn about an array of restoration practices including macroinvertebrate sampling, fish passage barrier removal design, implementation, and resources, native plant propagation, underwater fish identification, fish rescue and relocation, bird riparian response to restoration, improving farm water quality and habitat conservation, wetlands and esturarine restoration, bioengineering techniques, rainwater catchment, tour of community-based projects in Lagunitas Creek watershed and Point Reyes National Seashore. On Saturday evening Tomales Bay Association will host a salmon feast and singer-songwriter Dana Lyons will share stories and songs of salmon. To learn more or to register for any of these trainings, please visit http://www.calsalmon.org/cohoconfab/index.html, email srf@calsalmon.org or call (707) 923-7501. A Sacramento court has upheld decisions by the California Fish and Game Commission to list coho salmon in Northern California as protected under state law. Judge Gail Ohanesian in Sacramento Superior Court ruled late last week that the commission and the California Department of Fish and Game acted within the law to list the fish as endangered between San Francisco Bay and Punta Gorda, and as threatened above Punta Gorda to the Oregon border.The case was brought by the California Forestry Association and others, including the Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce. The plaintiffs contended that the 2002 and 2004 decisions by the state were an abuse of discretion and unsupported by evidence. They argued that the California Endangered Species Act doesn't allow listing population segments of a species, as the federal Endangered Species Act does. But Ohanesian said that there was no further definition of a species or subspecies under the state law, and noted the federal definition. ”The court finds that the concept of 'species' is a scientific one, not a matter of common understanding among those not trained in biological science,” Ohanesian wrote. She also wrote that the record contains a large amount of information that supports that coho has been removed, or is in serious decline, from its entire California range. Conservation groups who intervened in the case said they hoped the decision would allow industry and environmental interests to work together to restore coho salmon. ”This was a biologically sound decision,” said Tom Weseloh with California Trout. “Now the courts have said it's not only biologically sound but also legal.” J Warren Hockaday, executive director of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, said the board believed that the state listing was duplicative of existing federal regulations. It joined the suit as a show of support for the timber industry, Hockaday said, concerned that some of its members would see significant costs from the state's actions. Ohanesian found that the state acted according to its policy because federal protection had not proven adequate to prevent the decline of coho.
Fishery Advocates Seek Share of State Oil Revenue Windfall
for Restoration: SB 1125 SB 1125 comes at a time when funding to pay for resource conservation
is in great demand, but short supply. There is insufficient funding
for the Department of Fish and Game to meet its public trust responsibilities.
There is close to a $1 billion backlog in state parks deferred
maintenance. Commercial salmon fishermen are sitting at the docks
with idle boats and no fish. Essential marine conservation work
remains years overdue and key wetlands restoration projects go
undone due to a shortage of funds. Before being elected to Congress in 1998, Thompson used his clout
as Chair of the powerful Senate Budget Committee and authored
SB 271 as a “trailer bill” to the Budget Act of 1997.
It established the Salmon and Steelhead Trout Restoration Account
and created a dedicated source of revenue for financing salmonid
habitat restoration projects, requiring that $8 million from revenues
collected by the State Lands Commission from tidelands oil and
gas leases be annually allocated to this account through 2003.
Funds deposited into the account are annually appropriated by
the Legislature in the Budget Bill for expenditure by the Department
of Fish and Game (DFG). SB 271 also established a citizen advisory
committee, appointed by the DFG Director to provide oversight
and make recommendations to the department on various grant and
expenditure proposals for the $8 million. The use of tidelands oil revenue to pay for natural resource conservation is an appropriate policy for the state to continue. The Legislature embraced this concept when it enacted SB 271 in 1997. All of these provisions, including the $8 million for salmon and steelhead trout restoration projects, become inoperative on July 1, 2006, and are automatically repealed as of January 1, 2007. SB 271 focused on salmon and steelhead restoration; marine conservation; maintenance of our parks; and a natural resources infrastructure fund for the Department of Fish and Game, water quality, and regional conservation planning. The intent of SB 1125 was to repeal the sunset clause and make the tidelands revenue a permanent source of restoration and conservation funding. Prior to 1997, most of the money collected from state tidelands oil leases was deposited as revenue in the state General Fund. In the 1996-97 fiscal year, the state was receiving slightly less than $100 million from this revenue source. Since then, tidelands oil revenues have historically fluctuated from a low of less than $25 million to nearly $200 million. Due to the state’s deteriorating fiscal situation, in recent years the Department of Finance under the administration’s of both Gov. Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger have requested that the Legislature suspend the operation of the SB 271 funding allocations and allow all tidelands oil revenue to be deposited into the General Fund. In the 2004 Budget Act, however, the Legislature agreed to again suspend SB 271, but decided to “cap” the transfer to the General Fund to $165 million because of an anticipated windfall in tidelands revenues caused by escalating world oil prices. In the 2005 Budget Bill, the Legislature provided $8 million from tidelands oil money for fisheries restoration work, but Governor Schwarzenegger reduced this amount to $4 million. A consortium of environmental and fisheries groups are working with Senator Chesbro’s office in an effort to enact the provisions of SB 1125 as part of a package in the 2006 Budget Bill. We’re hopeful because Sen. Chesbro is the Chair of the Senate Budget Committee and fully appreciates the importance of our salmon and steelhead fisheries to California. Currently, SB 1125 has passed out of the Senate and is in the Assembly. The contents of this bill-or a modified version of it-has been approved by the Senate budget subcommittee for inclusion in the 2006 budget trailer package. Regardless of what the legislative vehicle is, it is imperative to support long-term restoration funding. To track SB 1125 please see: www.legislature.ca.gov and do a search for SB 1125
California Trout, Conservation Director Job Search The Conservation Director will be responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of California Trout’s conservation programs throughout California. She/He will be responsible for the successful implementation of California Trout’s conservation goals including protection and restoration of wild trout and steelhead, establishing strong partnerships with academia, government agencies, and other conservation groups. The Director will supervise CalTrout’s regional field offices to identify conservation priorities, develop conservation programs and projects, and develop mechanisms to monitor, measure, and adapt these conservation efforts to ensure success. The Director will be responsible for facilitating and supporting the strategic development of California Trout’s conservation programs and she/he will oversee the technical, financial, and institutional reporting for these programs and lead the development of California Trout’s conservation policies. The Director will supervise at least 5 staff members and will report to the Executive Director. The Director will work closely with Administrative, Development, Marketing and Conservation staff and will take a lead advocacy role in Sacramento. Education, Skills, and Experience: 2. Demonstrated ability in strategic analysis and experience designing, implementing and directing multiple complex projects, setting deadlines, and ensuring program accountability and legal compliance. 3. Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PHD in public and environmental policy; non-profit, public, and/or business administration; conservation biology; fisheries ecology; or related field and a minimum of 5 years of related work experience. 4. Experience developing and successfully administering a departmental budget. 5. Superior verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to articulate complex conservation issues and California Trout’s mission and goals to a wide range of audiences. 6. Proven ability to identify with, build rapport, and develop constructive and effective working relationships with scientists, government representatives, conservation partners, community leaders, land owners, elected officials, corporate representatives, donors, CalTrout members and volunteers. 7. Knowledge of current trends in California water issues, conservation, fisheries, watershed science and experience in applying this knowledge to on the ground projects and to a legislative agenda. 8. Experience working with state/federal officials and state/federal agencies and knowledge of government workings and of federal and state laws that affect California’s fisheries and watersheds including the Public Trust Doctrine, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and the California Environmental Quality Act. 9. Experience assisting in fund raising including proposal writing, grant research and grant administration. 10. Ability and willingness to travel frequently and on short notice; and to work on evenings and weekends as needed. 11. Demonstrated experience using MS Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required. Experience with Geographic Information Systems (ArcInfo/ArcView) preferred. 12. Familiarity and understanding of fishing and the California fishing community a plus. How to apply: Please submit cover letter, resume/curricula vitae, writing sample and at least 3 references by mail or e-mail to: Brian Stranko
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