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SRF Posts Second Call for Abstracts for 25th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference March 7-10, 2007

River Partners Posts Three Job Positions

EPA Posts Multiple RFPs for Capacity Building, Project Implementation, and Grants to Restore Waterways

Legislation Spells No Relief for the Salmon Fishermen

25th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference Second Call for Session and Presenter Abstracts

The 25th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference will be held in Santa Rosa, California at the Wells Fargo Arts Center from Wednesday, March 7 through Saturday, March 10, 2007.

The first two days of the conference w+++ill be filled with full-day workshops and field tours. A half-day, plenary session will be followed by 1.5 days of technical, biological, and policy-related 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.

Potential topics of interest include:

Potential Workshops:

• Urban Creek Restoration, workshop and tour
• Bioengineering and Instream Structures, workshop and tour
• Ecologically Sustainable Water Management
• Fish Barrier Removal Tools
• Fish Passage Design and Implementation
• Fluvial Geomorphology

Potential Field tours

• Sustainable Grazing Tour of Southern Sonoma and West Marin
• Restoration Projects in Dutchbill Creek
• Steelhead Habitat Restoration in Upper Sonoma Creek
• Bioengineering and In-stream Restoration Practices
• Roads and Up-slope Restoration in Western Sonoma County
• Coho Salmon Habitat Restoration in Lagunitas Creek & Estuary

Potential Sessions

• Coho Recovery Program
• Water Justice
• Water Diversions: Water Quantity and Quality Issues
• How Climate Change and Oceanic Conditions Affect Salmonids
• Chinook Fisheries Closures: the Economic, Cultural, and Recovery Impacts
• Salmonid and Watershed Environmental Education
• Dam Removal and FERC Relicensing
• Stories and Songs of Salmon
• Coastal Watershed Recovery
• Russian River Management
  

Final deadline for session abstracts and a summary of recommended presenters is September 30, 2006. Successful session proposals include presentations that address salmonid restoration and recovery from a fishery resource, physical watershed processes, or broad policy perspective. Sessions should be developed with 5 to 7 speakers, with talks lasting 25 minutes with a 5-minute question period. SRF encourages presentations on projects that have a monitoring and assessment component and/or have been completed. Panels can be incorporated into session design. The Agenda Coordinator will work with each Session Coordinator (SC) towards confirming presenters by November 15 and soliciting speaker abstracts. SC’s and speaker’s conference fees are waived or reduced and they receive a commemorative conference t-shirt.

Format for submitting Session and Presentation Abstracts or Posters
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@calsalmon.org 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. For any additional information, please contact SRF at (707) 923-7501 or at srf@calsalmon.org

River Partners Posts Three Job Positions
Organization
River Partners is a nonprofit corporation with offices in Chico and Modesto, California. Our mission is to create wildlife habitat for the benefit of people and the environment. Founded in 1998, River Partners has emerged as a leader in river land restoration throughout the Central Valley of California. River Partners combines farming practices with state of the art restoration ecology to provide for the implementation of large scale native habitat projects at low cost. Through government agencies and private partnerships, we have invested over $20 million to convert flood-prone agricultural land into wildlife habitat. To date, we have planted more than 510,000 native trees and shrubs and restored more than 3,900 acres of riparian habitat.

Positions
River Partners seeks well-qualified applicants to join our growing team in the following positions:

· Regional Director - San Joaquin (Modesto) Office. Minimum requirements: JD, MBA, MPA, or MS in appropriate field, and at least five years of progressively responsible work experience as a project leader in a team environment. The Regional Director will develop, fund, and implement successful riparian habitat projects in the San Joaquin River Watershed. Other requirements include: 1) Demonstrated success in securing public and private project grant funding; 2) Completion of conservation land deals; 3) Excellent contracting, administrative, supervisory, and leadership skills; 4) Good writing, interpersonal, communication, and time management skills; 5) Experience in the San Joaquin Valley in riparian restoration, river conservation or agriculture preferred.

· Restoration Ecologist - San Joaquin (Modesto) Office. Minimum requirements: B. S. or M. S. in biology, ecology, environmental science, or related science and at least three years of progressively responsible work experience. This position will be responsible for the planning, monitoring, and reporting duties for large scale riparian restoration projects. The Restoration Ecologist must possess knowledge of California plants, riparian ecology, GIS, hydrology, soils, wildlife, and relevant federal and state environmental regulations. Other requirements include: 1) Excellent writing, research, analytical, interpersonal, communication, and time management skills; 2) Sophisticated understanding of statistics, experimental design, and data collection; 3) proficiency in word processing, spreadsheet, database, and other programs; 4) ability to communicate in basic Spanish preferred, but not required.

· Restoration Field Manager - Sacramento Valley (Chico) office. The Restoration Field Manager will work with staff and manage field technicians to successfully manage the field implementation of riparian habitat restoration. Minimum requirements: B.S. in agriculture or related science and at least three years of progressively responsible work experience with direct field experience in restoration or the production of field, row, or orchard crops in the Central Valley. The Restoration Field Manager must possess knowledge of budgeting, plant propagation, agricultural equipment calibration and operation, weed control, irrigation management and system installation. Other requirements include: 1) an excellent ability to organize multiple tasks and manage time; 2) demonstrated success with the supervision of contracts and subcontractors, field staff, and seasonal labor crews; 3) Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and experience working in a team environment; 4) Ability to speak basic field Spanish or the willingness to learn; 5) Possession of a valid California Drivers license with no restrictions and be able to lift 70 pounds.

Application Instructions
These are full time, at will positions with benefits. Successful candidates must posses a valid California Drivers license with no restrictions and be able to lift 70 pounds. If you are interested in these challenging opportunities, send a cover letter with resume, writing sample, and three professional references to:

Email: info@riverpartners.org

Mail: Attn: Mona Cross
River Partners
580 Vallombrosa Avenue
Chico, CA 95926

Open until filled, but we will begin processing applications on September 8, 2006.

EPA Watershed and Capacity-Building Grant RFPs are Posted

EPA opened application for the 2006-2007 Targeted Watershed Grants Program. The EPA plans to award up to $19 million in grants to help clean up and restore the nation's waterways. Proposals must reach EPA by October 16, 2006, for capacity-building grants and November 15, 2006, for project-implementation grants. Capacity-building grants provide for education and training, whereas implementation grants involve actions such as protection and preservation.

Under the Targeted Watersheds Grant Program, EPA has awarded nearly $40 million to 46 watershed organizations since 2003. In excess of $2 million has gone to five watershed capacity-building organizations to further the activities of more than 3,000 local watershed groups. For this grant cycle, the focus will be on supporting community-based approaches and strengthening local capacity to protect and clean up water resources.

The EPA also released its 2005 Targeted Watersheds Grant Annual Report. It provides examples of how grant funding helps watershed partnerships advance the goals of the Clean Water Act through sound watershed plans. Comprised of informative fact sheets and colorful maps, the report highlights 34 community efforts to reach measurable clean-water goals. The report also includes summaries of grantees focused on capacity-building efforts.

For More information, please see:
Targeted Watershed Grants: http://www.epa.gov/twg
_Grant process: http://www.grants.gov
2005 Annual Report: http://www.epa.gov/twg/2005annualreport

Legislation Spells No Relief for the Salmon Fishermen

Legislation that would have provided $35 million in relief programs for salmon fishermen is dead in the legislature. And with no Federal government help in sight, proponents of the bill say California’s ailing salmon industry could suffer another critical setback in their drive for needed relief as a result.

Salmon fishermen have been negatively impacted by the Federal government’s severe restriction of salmon season fishing along the West Coast. SB 1127, sponsored by Senators Wes Chesbro and Sam Aanestad, would have provided grants and loans for salmon fishermen who have seen their livelihoods decline along with the state’s Klamath Basin Chinook Salmon run.

“The administration in Washington has single handedly created this disaster but it is now up to the state of California to help our people,” Chesbro said in a news conference last month.

Governor Schwarzenegger has called on the Federal government to provide critical relief to salmon fisherman and has introduced additional support for a relief effort via California lawmakers in SB 1127.

The federal government enforced the near-closure of the season. And, local salmon fishing area representatives have since blamed the federal government for poorly managing Klamath River water policies. The local representatives say this is the cause of the huge 2002 fish die-off and subsequent decline in the fishery industry there.

SB 1127 would have transferred $20 million of recreational boaters' tax dollars from the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund (HWRF) to the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BTHA) for a zero per cent loan program for commercial fishermen and commercial passenger vessel operators directly affected by the restrictions and closures of salmon fisheries.

Recreational Boatgers of California (RBOC), an organization opposed to SB 1127, states "The financial needs of commercial fishing businesses that are being impacted by restrictions and closures on salmon fisheries should be addressed by state emergency funds that exist for this very purpose."

The RBOC says a the $20 million raid would take funds away from essential boating facility development that has already been approved.

"California will not be able to address the deteriorating boating infrastructure that exists throughout the state," the organization said in a statement. "Critical boating programs will be placed at risk including local boating law enforcement, as well as boater safety and education."

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