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Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 2:03 PM
Subject: [SBCWMA News] April 2010

 

Hello WMA Newsletter Subscribers:

 

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NEWS

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Agricultural Commissioner's Office Awarded Grant to Remove Arundo donax from Rincon Creek

            The County of Santa Barbara Agricultural Commissioner's Office has been awarded a $53,500 grant by the California Department of Fish and Game’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program to conduct an Arundo donax removal project from Rincon Creek.  Arundo donax is widely recognized for its detrimental impact on biodiversity, water quality, water quantity, flood risk, and fire risk.  This project proposes to eradicate an incipient infestation of Arundo donax from the riparian corridor of the Rincon Creek on the border of Santa Barbara County and Ventura County.  Rincon Creek was ranked eighth (out of 24 creeks) for steelhead recovery on South Coast streams by the Conception Coast Project.  The Rincon Creek Watershed Management Plan (Santa Barbara County Water Agency. 2007.) prioritized projects based on the estimated level of technical impact and feasibility factors, including cost, time to complete, and landowner interest.  Arundo donax eradication ranked second in priority after the (# 1 ranked) implementation of best management practices on agricultural lands.  This project is part of the overall plan to improve the biological health and infrastructure of the creek.

 

CDFA Proposes to Add Thirty-three Plants to Noxious Weed List

            The California Department of Food and Agriculture proposes to add thirty-three plant species to Section 4500 of the regulations in Title 3 of the California Code Regulations pertaining to noxious weed species.  A public hearing is not scheduled.  Any person interested may present statements or arguments in writing relevant to the action proposed to CDFA on or before April 12, 2010.  Click here for a copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Initial Statement of Reasons.

            Significantly, many of the proposed species are available for purchase, especially in the aquarium trade, or are used in revegetation projects.  Designation as a noxious weed would prohibit their sale in California (3 CCR § 3060.3), or movement interstate (Plant Protection Act § 412 A).  All 33 species proposed for listing are listed below.  Those plants that might be available for purchase, or by trade with hobbyists, or are still planted in landscapes are highlighted with ***.

 

 

Calflora Installs the Consortium of California Herbaria’s Data 

            Calflora has announced that the Consortium of California Herbaria's 1.1 million records from its 16 member herbaria are now available for searching and mapping on Calflora. This generous addition effectively doubles the number of georeferenced observations available to you on Calflora.

            The increase in observation density is wonderful to see in areas where there were relatively fewer observations, (for example, San Benito County and northern San Luis Obispo County), but is perhaps most striking in areas where coverage was already pretty good (the East Bay).  Maps in the What Grows Here? application are completely transformed by the presence of this data.

            Compare a What Grows Here? query for the plants near Table Mountain in Plumas Co. with and without the CCH data!

            Calflora has a good deal more work ahead of them to improve the presentation of this new material on Calflora – they will be working on it in the coming months and need to hear from you about any errors, omissions, or suggestions for improving this project.  But Calflora thinks they have reached a stage and time when the benefits of the data as now presented are ready for everyone to enjoy.

            Calflora thanks staff from the Consortium of California Herbaria, UC Jepson Herbarium, and funding from the JiJi Foundation, an anonymous donor, the California Native Plant Society and individual Calflora users.  Calflora is a non-profit and would appreciate your support by PayPal, or a check to Calflora, 1700 Shattuck Ave. No. 198, Berkeley, CA 94709

 

Fish and Wildlife Service Designates 1.6 million Acres of Critical Habitat for California Red-Legged Frog

            For the third time in nine years the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has revised the designation of critical habitat for the California red-legged frog. The new designation includes 1.6 million acres in 27 counties in California.  The final rule, final economic analysis, and maps are available at: http://www.regulations.gov and http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/.

            The revised designation impacts the following counties: Alameda, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Riverside, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Yuba, and Ventura.  The revised designation reflects a continuation of policies adopted by the Clinton and Bush administrations to exclude from critical habitat certain areas within approved habitat conservation plans (HCPs).  The designation also excludes certain lands managed under other state or local conservation programs.

            The FWS has estimated the total economic cost of protecting the red-legged frog to be approximately $1.34 billion and estimated the incremental economic cost of the revised critical habitat designation to be approximately $500 million.

            The rule becomes effective on April 16, 2010. For additional information, contact Kathy Mannion at kmannion@rcrcnet.org or (916) 447-4806.

 

 

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EDUCATIONAL EVENTS

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Watershed U – Ventura River

            Watershed U – Ventura River is a course for those who live, work, or spend time in the Ventura River Watershed.  Learn how the river works for you and how you can help the river.  Each session will focus on different topics including history, geology, water supply and quality, ecology, conservation, land use, and watershed management.  Watershed U is presented by the University of California Cooperative Extension and the Ventura River Watershed Council, with support from the Ventura County Watershed Protection District and U.C. Hansen Trust. Continuing Education Credits are available.

WHEN:    Every Thursday afternoon for six weeks, April 22 thru May 27, 2010, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm.

WHERE: Patagonia Headquarters, 259 West Santa Clara St., Ventura

COST:    $45.00 by April 1; $55.00 thereafter. The fee covers all six sessions.

To register or for more information, go to http://ucanr.org/watershedu_ventura, or contact Valerie Borel at vtborel@ucdavis.edu or 323-260-3851

 

Guide to Funding and Grant Programs Available

            The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) has released a new tool that will help farmers with federal programs and grant opportunities.  NSAC is introducing an updated "quick-guide" to federal programs and grants for farmers, ranchers, food entrepreneurs, and the researchers, educators and community groups who serve them.  This chart is a one-stop shop for links to the relevant USDA program websites (where they exist), brief descriptions of programs, and important dates and deadlines.  For more information click here.

 

2010 Headwaters to Oceans (H2O) Conference CANCELLED

            The 2010 Headwaters to Oceans (H2O) Conference has been cancelled due to a year-long labor action at the Long Beach Hilton, which was not disclosed during contract negotiations with the hotel.  Save the date of next years conference: May 10 – 12, 2011.

 

 

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GRANTS

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North American Wetlands Conservation Act Standard Grant Applications Due July 30, 2010

            The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (Act, or NAWCA) of 1989 provides matching grants to organizations and individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the benefit of wetlands-associated migratory birds and other wildlife.

            There is a Standard and a Small Grants Program. Both are competitive grants programs and require that grant requests be matched by partner contributions at no less than a 1-to-1 ratio. Funds from U.S. Federal sources may contribute towards a project, but are not eligible as match.

            The Standard Grants Program supports projects in Canada, the United States, and Mexico that involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats. In Mexico, partners may also conduct projects involving technical training, environmental education and outreach, organizational infrastructure development, and sustainable-use studies.  Standard grant applications are due July 30, 2010. 

            The Small Grants Program operates only in the United States; it supports the same type of projects and adheres to the same selection criteria and administrative guidelines as the U.S. Standard Grants Program. However, project activities are usually smaller in scope and involve fewer project dollars. Grant requests may not exceed $75,000, and funding priority is given to grantees or partners new to the Act’s Grants Program.  Small grant applications are due October 28, 2010

 

 

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Acknowledgement

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This newsletter is compiled from various sources, including emails I receive from people who are involved in the invasive weed field, and from listserves.  I modify the emails, but sometimes they are inserted here nearly verbatim.  I thank those people for this information and for their devotion to protecting and conserving habitat.  If you recognize something that you wrote and object to its use here or on my website, contact me and I will promptly remove it from my website.

 

 

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Sincerely,

David Chang

Agricultural Commissioner's Office

County of Santa Barbara

(805) 681-5600

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