In this eNewsletter you will find:
- 2009 SRF Conference Agenda Now Online
- California Conservation Corps Restored
- DFG Hosts Meeting: the Outlook for CA Salmon Populations, March 3, Santa Rosa
- Scoping Meetings for the Klamath Water Quality Restoration Plan
- Watershed Day in Sacramento April 15
- SRF Conference Workshops and Field Tours
- SRF Annual Meeting, March 5
- Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival on Tour, March 5
- Organizing for Empowerment Public Forum March 6 at the SRF Conference
- SRF Conference Poster Session, March 6
- Saturday Awards Ceremony, Banquet and Cabaret
- Greenversations EPA Blog
2009 SRF Conference Agenda Available Online
Please check out the online Agenda for the 2009 Salmonid Restoration Conference, taking place March 4-7, in Santa Cruz.
California Conservation Corps Restored
A message from a CCC Leader: The Governor has signed a new budget and the funding for the CCC has been restored! Thanks to all of you who sent a letter, fax, or e-mail, signed a petition, or made a telephone call. It was through your time and energy, combined with those of CCC friends across California, that created this political miracle.
Your support and assistance will ensure that the CCC remains a vital and important element of California's environmental, employment, and youth development efforts. We could not have done it without you. Thank you very much.
DFG Hosts Meeting Regarding the Outlook for CA Salmon
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is hosting the annual meeting on California salmon populations and the "outlook" for 2009 ocean and river fisheries on March 3rd from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sonoma County Water Agency building located at 404 Aviation Boulevard in Santa Rosa.
The 2009 Salmon Information Meeting marks the beginning of a two-month long management process used to establish salmon seasons. A list of additional meetings for the season-setting process will be available at the meeting or can be found on
DFGs Web site .
Scoping Meetings for the Klamath Water Quality Restoration Plan
Right now the North Coast Water Quality Control Board (NCWQCB) – the entity charged with assuring water quality on the Northcoast and Klamath – has begun the process of developing a Water Quality Restoration Plan for the Klamath River. This is a critical part of what is called the TMDL Process. The Restoration Plan is where the rubber of science hits the road of enforcement. A good plan will provide the correct actions and enforcement mechanisms needed to (finally) clean up the Klamath.
The NCWQCB is currently conducting “scoping” for the Water Quality Restoration Plan including five workshops where the Water Board's staff will present the Plan and receive written and oral comments from the public. The five workshops are as follows:
- March 3, 12:30 PM, Yurok Tribal Office, Klamath, CA.
- March 3, 6:30 PM, Humboldt State U., BSS Building, Room 162, Arcata, CA
- March 4, 6 PM, Tulelake Butte V. Fairgrounds, Floriculture Room., Tulelake, CA.
- March 5, 6 PM, Willow Creek School, Montague, CA.
- March 12, 2 PM, Hearing Room, NCWQCB Office, Santa Rosa, CA
You can read or download various TMDL and background information at the
NCWQCB's web site . Comments can be submitted until 5 PM on March 27th to:
MStJohn@waterboards.ca.gov .
Watershed Day in Sacramento April 15
This year's event will focus on (1) the success of passing AB 2537 to allow volunteers to continue their great work, and the follow-up tasks that we need to accomplish to help make this regulation permanent; (2) the anticipated legislation emanating from the Watershed Advisory Committee and the Dept of Conservation to implement a Statewide Watershed Program; and (3) the work needed to respond to the Bond Freeze that has eliminated many of our on-the-ground restoration and management projects throughout the state. This will include a 1:00 p.m. rally on the west steps of the Capital with legislators and staff invited to join us! For more information please check out the
Watershed Network Calendar .
Take Immediate Action to Influence the Federal Stimulus Package
The conservation community in California is facing a crisis of an unprecedented nature and we need the assistance of Congress to help us all address it. The wetland, river, stream, fisheries, wildlife and watershed projects; and the organizations that implement these projects under voter approved Propositions 40, 50 and 84, are now subject to a devastating work order freeze by the California State Pooled Money Investment Board. While a few large transportation projects maybe reimbursed for their expenses incurred to date (or may even receive some continued funding), the non-profit community organizations are not receiving reimbursements for project costs they have already incurred for work contracted by the State. This freeze involves $647,000,000 in environmental grants affecting over 1100 organizations and 4000 projects. The length of time required for the recovery of the bond market and resuming bond sales may exceed the ability of many of the non-profit conservation organizations' ability to survive.
Because of the severity of this situation, the California Watershed Coalition and the Bay Area Watershed Network requests that the American Recovery and reinvestment Act (SB336) include watershed-related projects to create and save 3-4 million jobs. An attachment to this letter labeled “Green Watershed Jobs” contains a list of projects which should be eligible for funding under the federal economic stimulus package currently being drafted and a short list of federal programs which can help us administer shovel ready projects which are not contained in the House H.R. 1.
All regions of the state have numerous ‘shovel ready” conservation projects ready to employ all levels of skilled and unskilled labor. In the San Francisco Bay for example, the San Francisco Bay Joint Ventures has developed a list of 40 projects located among 22 northern California counties which can create 35,000 jobs and generate a $450 million economic output.
We request that the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program, or “Green Jobs Program,” formed under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 be funded and amended to integrate watershed projects and water conservation projects with the energy projects as part of the stimulus package. Watershed and water management are closely interrelated with energy projects and both kinds of projects should be funded in a coordinated manner.
Finally, we implore Congress to address the issue that while accelerated infrastructure projects are needed, they also need to be smart investments which do not incur unnecessary future costs to our federal and state budgets because we failed to learn from past engineering errors. Public works projects should be conditioned to meet common-sense criteria to avoid the fill or disturbance of floodplains and wetlands to prevent future flooding problems; and to minimize erosion hazards and harm to wildlife and fisheries.
Please visit SRF's
Advocacy site to see sample letters and more info re: how you can support these changes to the Federal Stimulus Package and California bills.
The 27th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference will be held March 4-7, 2009 in Santa Cruz, California. This is the premiere habitat restoration conference in the Pacific Northwest and hosting the conference in Santa Cruz affords wonderful opportunities to view projects on the Central Coast and highlight issues that pertain to coastal watershed and coho salmon recovery.
Take Action to Save the CCC
Governor Schwarzeneggar plans to eliminate the California Conservation Corps effective July 1, 2009. This action would dismantle the longest running and most successful youth conservation corps in America. The CCC is the preeminent environmental work force in California, providing hundreds of thousands of hours every year to construct, maintain, and restore trails, beaches, forests, and watersheds.
A website has been developed by the "Save the CCC" committee. The website lists media articles, supporters, as well as instructions on how to write to the Governor requesting that the CCC be saved. The website is www.save-the-ccc.org and includes fact sheets and a sample letter and a way that you can personalize the letter and send it electronically to the Governor. Although this option is easier for folks, we've heard that hard copies mailed or faxed carry more weight. For more information on this topic, please check out the SRF Advocacy page:
Save the CCC .
Please write the Governor ASAP and copy your local legislator. Also, please forward this alert to any other organization or individuals you think could help.
Please send any and all letters of support to Governor Schwarzenegger and your local elected officials: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-558-3160
