INSIDE:
2006 SRF Conference Final Call for Abstracts
SRF & Central Coast Salmon Enhancement Road Decommissioning Field School Oct 25-27
Healthy Rivers, Happy Fish Conference in Santa Cruz October 29-30
Salmon 2100 Conference Announcement
CA Governor Vetoes SB 1086 to Provide California with Restoration Funding
Fish Passage SB 857 Passes
Northwest Environmental Training Center Opportunities

FINAL CALL FOR ABSTRACTS FOR THE 24TH ANNUAL SALMONID RESTORATION CONFERENCE FEB 22-25, 2006
 
 
The 24th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference will be held in Santa Barbara, California at the Veteran’s Memorial Center from Wednesday, February 22 through Saturday, February 25, 2006.
 
The first two days of the conference will be filled with full-day workshops and field tours. A half-day, theme related plenary session will be followed by 1½ days of technical, biological, and policy concurrent sessions. This conference focuses on a broad range of salmonid and watershed restoration topics of concern to restoration practitioners, agency scientists, and land planners and owners.
 
Proposals and abstracts for sessions, field tours, and workshops are required.
 
Topics of interest include:
 
Workshops:

• Urban Creek Restoration
• Fish-friendly Agricultural and Rangeland Management
• Water Conservation
• Habitat Restoration and Invasive Species Eradication in Support of Native Fish Populations

 
Potential Field tours

• Fish-friendly Vineyard and Rangeland tour
• Mission Creek and other Urban Streams
• Chumash Restoration Sites by Malibu Creek
• Ventura River and Matilija Dam
• Santa Clara River and Santa Paula Creek

 
Potential Sessions
·        Southern California Steelhead Research and Recovery Planning
·        Environmental and Political Context in Santa Barbara County: Watershed
         Planning and Fish Restoration Efforts
·        Salmonid Ecosystems: Linkages between Physical and Biological Processes
·        Fish Passage- A barrier to recovery
·        Dam Removal: Technical and Policy issues
·        Environmental Justice in the Watershed Restoration Movement
·        Estuaries
·        Project Monitoring and Watershed Assessment
·        Salmonid Education efforts

Session and presentation abstracts should be prepared as MS Word or WordPerfect files in 12 point, Times New Roman font, and left justified only.
Each abstracts should include:

1. Title
2.  A list of all the authors, their affiliation, and contact information. Presenters must be clearly identified
3. An abstract of 500 words of less.  Extended abstracts (up to 2 pages) will also be accepted for distribution via the proceedings, web, and/or CD.
4. An indication of what concurrent session you would like to contribute to or indicate “Poster.”  Include preference of presentation type- 2x2 slides or Powerpoint LCD projector
5. Indicate if the presenter is a student

 
All contributions, including Session and Presentation Abstracts, should be submitted electronically by email to srf@northcoast.com with abstract attached as an MS Word or Wordperfect file.  Receipt of your submission will be acknowledged by email and forwarded to the correct session chair.  Please contact Dana Stolzman regarding workshops and field tours.  For any additional information, please contact Dana Stolzman at (707) 923-7501 or at srf@calsalmon.org
 
Final deadline for presentation abstract submission will be December 4, 2005.    
 
Information related to the 2006 conference can be found on the Salmonid Restoration Federation web site at www.calsalmon.org. This site will be updated regularly and will contain information on conference registration, accommodations and transportation, the banquet and cabaret, sponsorships, and FAQs.
 
Culvert and Road Drainage Practices to Protect and Benefit Steelhead and Water Quality In the Central Coast Region
http://www.calsalmon.org/fs/fs-flyer-10-05.pdf
October 25-27, 2005
Arroyo Grande, California with Course Instructors Bill Weaver and Danny Hagans of Pacific Watershed Associates
The course will include several sessions in the field. At a minimum the following topics and examples will be covered in the course:
1) Proper ditch relief and stream crossing culvert installation, with and without downspouts, flared inlets, trash racks, etc.
2) Proper installation of critical rolling dips or measures to eliminate stream diversions,
3) Classroom and field methods to determine appropriate culvert sizing for peak stream flows, sediment and woody debris in transport,
4) Proper approaches for addressing potential road fill and landing failures, as well as spoil disposal techniques,
5) 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,
6) How to properly excavate a stream crossing fill to minimize post excavation erosion and sediment delivery to streams, and
7) How to reduce roadbed width on excessively wide segments of road.
Course cost: $100 (fees are non-refundable)
Includes lodging for October 25 & 26, and class materials.
Class will begin Tuesday at 8am and end Thursday at 6pm. Space is limited to 30 participants.
To register for the field school please download the registration form at http://www.calsalmon.org/fs/fs-flyer-10-05.pdf

Healthy Rivers, Happy Fish Watershed Conference + Field Tours, October 29-30, 2005

Don't miss this very special event. If you haven't sent in your registration yet, it's not too late. We have an outstanding line-up of experts coming to Santa Cruz October 29 for an informative and inspiring watershed conference.  Fred Keeley will be our Keynote speaker.

During lunch we will have two exciting presentations: Local documentary filmaker, Lois Robin, will be on hand to present and discuss her latest release, Stuck in the Mud, the Pajaro River in Peril.  In addition, we are fortunate to have Rebecca Moore, of the Mountain Resource Group and Google Earth, who will give a fascinating demonstration of Google Earth's latest GIS wizardry.  Join Rebecca for a 'virtual fly-over' of the Santa Cruz Mountains using the latest technology. See this brilliant tool for conservation work in action.

Sunday will consist of two hikes led by watershed specialists to learn about Cal Poly's monitoring program along Little Creek and to check out the large wood installations conducted by Santa Cruz County in San Vicente Creek to improve coho and steelhead habitat.

If you haven't sent in your registration yet, don't wait.  Lunch orders must be received no later than October 20.
For more info, see: http://www.crfm.org/


Salmon 2100 Project: Alternative Futures for Wild Pacific Salmon in Western North America
January 25, 2006, Portland, Oregon

The Salmon 2100 Project was founded on the premise that wild salmon in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and southern British Columbia are struggling to hang on as remnants of once flourishing species in small portions of their original range. Given current policy drivers and foreseeable trends, the long-term trajectory for wild salmon is downward. The Project has assembled 33 salmon scientists, policy analysts, and salmon advocates to answer the question:

What is it really going to take policy-wise to have wild salmon populations in significant, sustainable numbers through 2100 in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and southern British Columbia?

The main purpose of the Salmon 2100 Project is to raise the overall rigor and reality of the dialogue, not to argue for or against saving wild salmon, nor for or against any particular policy prescription. The Salmon 2100 project leaders asked authors develop realistic, effective, and straightforward policy prescriptions that allow policy makers and society to assess available and viable options. Some of them are radical, many of them are uncomfortable, all of them are still options that would only become policies if people explicitly choose to pursue them.

The conference will be a venue for presenting publicly a cross section of the policy prescriptions (the morning session) and an opportunity for government and nongovernmental salmon recovery leaders to respond to those policy prescriptions (the afternoon session).
William Ruckelshaus, chairman of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board for the State of Washington, will be the conference keynote speaker.

Contacts: Robert T. Lackey
lackey.robert@epa.gov
(541) 754-4607
Denise H. Lach
denise.lach@oregonstate.edu
(541) 737-5471
Sally L. Duncan
duncan.sally@epa.gov
(541) 754-4862

California Governor Vetoes SB 1086 which included language for Restoration Funding

It is unfortunate that the Governor chose to veto this bill. Letters of support came from a broad cross section of society that supports restoration funding. It is very disturbing that the Governor did not believe that fishery restoration funding was a high priority and has put at risk the DFG Fishery Restoration Grants Program funds and staffing as well as federal funding that requires matching funds from the state.

Our counties, private businesses, private landowners and in general our state economy will bear extra burdens as a result of this veto. In addition we will also forego increased opportunities for recreational, commercial and tribal fishing and all associated businesses. Unfortunately, the biggest losers are our watersheds and the fish who could not speak up on their own behalf.

The restoration community illustrated a very broad support base for fishery restoration in California.

We will continue our efforts to secure restoration funds and hope you will remain active in support of these efforts.

Fish Passage SB 857 Signed into Law

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)

Bill Summary
 
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
 

Northwest Environmental Training Center Opportunities
Introduction to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
November 2, 2005 at the Tsakopoulos Galleria in Sacramento, CA
Instructor:  J. William Yeates

A one-day overview of CEQA designed for all those who are new to working with CEQA or need to fill in the gaps of their understanding. Through presentation and discussion, Bill Yeates, a lawyer with extensive experience working with CEQA, explains the regulatory context, requirements and practical implications of CEQA. The public process mandated by CEQA is examined step-by-step, with exploration of the diverse perspectives commonly held by regulators, applicants, and consultants.

Register before October 17th to get our early bird discount rate of $150!

For more info, see: http://www.nwetc.org/cpol-303_11-05_sacramento.htm

Environmental Impact Assessment & CEQA: Getting It Right
November 8-10, 2005 at The Washington Inn in Oakland, CA
Instructor: Richard Grassetti, plus guest speakers.

A three-day in-depth examination of CEQA's process and documents.  The course will address some of the methods for assessing the environmental effects of various resource topics typically included in CEQA documents (including physical, biological, cultural, and social impacts). Emphasis will be placed on determining the adequacy of CEQA documents in terms of environmental settings, impact assessment, mitigation development, significance thresholds, key regulatory agencies, and data sources. At appropriate points, the documents and process for projects that are also regulated by the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) will be explained and discussed. The workshop will include a participatory exercise to examine the diverse roles and perspectives of stakeholders in the environmental impact assessment process.  Designed for professionals who deal with CEQA as part of their work and are seeking greater knowledge and skills in working with projects subject to CEQA to achieve publicly acceptable and legally defensible results.

Register before October 28th to get our early bird discount rate of $480!

For more info, see: http://www.nwetc.org/cpol-401_11-05_oakland.htm

Calendar of All Our Upcoming Trainings
http://www.nwetc.org/training.htm

You can register to reserve your spot in any of these classes by completing the online registration form on our web site, or by calling us at 206-762-1976, or by downloading a registration form from our web site and FAXing it to 206-762-1979.   Payment options include credit card, check, purchase order, or request for an invoice to your agency or company.


Northwest Environmental Training Center
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing high-quality, practical trainings for environmental professionals in Northern CA, AK, ID, MT, OR, and WA.

from....
Margaret Shield
Professional Training Coordinator, Northern California
Northwest Environmental Training Center
650 S. Orcas St., Suite 220, Seattle, WA 98108
206-762-1976 Office - 206-762-1979 Fax