CBC Co-Chair Mike Pool introduced the first panel by reminding the Council that the West’s warming and drying trends of the past two decades are influencing vegetation patterns. This elevates concern for fire protection and long-term ecological change.

Sean Curtis, County Resource Analyst, further explained that the LUC consists of 24 members reflecting all sectors of the public. The Committee reviews proposed agency programs, projects, and regulations. The LUC then makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors aiming to find win–win solutions that meet the needs of the agencies and the community. Reflecting on work done in Modoc, Mary Nichols, Secretary for Resources, asked the CBC to revisit work with the Regional Council of Rural Counties in build capacity in rural counties.

Dr. David Wood (University of California, Berkeley, retired) discussed patterns in insect populations of the San Bernardino Mountains related to climate. Always present in forests, bark beetles and other wood-boring insects have played a key role in killing drought-weakened forests. Dr. Wood further stated that public forests could have been thinned earlier to avoid the current conditions.

PNext, Gene Zimmerman (San Bernardino National Forest) and Tom O’Keefe (Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) described work to provide fire protection in southern California bug-killed forests. Mr. Zimmerman discussed the massive interagency effort on 350,000 acres of the San Bernardino Mountains where over 100,000 people reside. He also explained the projected impacts to water, watersheds, species, habitat, and other natural resources.

Mr. O’Keefe went on to describe the current vegetation densities and related them to increased potential for extreme fire behavior as well as high risks to life and property. In closing, he listed the major lessons learned including the adverse effects from long-term fire exclusion; the challenge to remove the tremendous solid waste stream from fuels reduction work; the adverse effects of losing a local forest products industry; and the impacts of local zoning and ordinance deficiencies.

Dr. Richard Minnich (University of California, Riverside) discussed the ecological effects of accelerated forest mortality that is increasing throughout the western United States. He explained that many forest types can be resistant to drought effects by thinning and prescribed fire. He argued that more conditions like those in the San Bernardino Mountains would result without large-scale management interventions.

Kamyar Guivetchi (Department of Water Resources, DWR) began the second panel discussion with an overview of the work under way at DWR to update the California Water Plan. The Plan will be completed in two years and will become the strategic plan for water in the state.

Jeff McCracken (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) described the new federal “Water 2025 Initiative.” The initiative focuses on cooperation and coordination as well as guiding how the federal government allocates funds. Six principles, five “realities,” and four key tools will guide the program.

Patrick Wright (California Bay-Delta Authority) provided an overview of the new California Bay-Delta Authority. Next, Gwen Buchholz (CH2M-Hill) and Mike Roberts (The Nature Conservancy) described a new CALFED project that is linking planning for the North of the Delta Off-Stream Storage Project with biodiversity considerations. Conceptual ecological models are being used to integrate biodiversity considerations into the project planning. The results will be used to propose strategies for multiple species conservation benefits while simultaneously providing flows for human needs.

Beginning the final session of the day, Art Baggett, Jr. (State Water Resources Control Board) spoke about the multiple ways that water quality regulations influence supply issues in California. The Board largely regulates water quality through the federal Clean Water Act. The Act’s 303(d) provisions for maintaining Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) of pollutants has resulted in very complicated planning programs to ensure compliance. Comprehensive water quality, supply, and water rights planning is now viewed as the only feasible way of integrating water supply planning with water quality protection.

Peter Gleick (The Pacific Institute) discussed the potential roles for water conservation in meeting California’s projected water demands. He provided examples to show that water-use efficiency is a cost effective and reliable way of merging water supply with future demands. Mr. Gleick described methods for reducing urban use by roughly 35 percent. Agriculture offers even greater opportunities for savings. He calculated that the energy needed for wastewater treatment is costing California enormously, yet costs can be recovered through conservation. To encourage conservation, water must be priced at costs approximately commensurate with the public value of the use.

Bob Wilkinson (University of California, Santa Barbara) discussed the recent national assessment of the potential effects of the increasing greenhouse effects on California’s water supply. Dr. Wilkinson noted that the National Academy of Sciences believes current scientific information supports previous findings that temperatures are rising. Many federal agencies are now cooperating in research on this subject. Surprises are anticipated and cumulative impacts are likely to natural resources, including biodiversity.

Dale Hoffman-Floerke (Department of Water Resources) provided a quick overview of the new task force on desalination formed by AB 2717. The 27-member task force will identify potential opportunities and impediments for using ocean and brackish water for human uses. Key issues include permitting and regulations, amount and availability of energy needed for conversion, costs of desalination, and siting issues for facilities.

Full minutes and supplemental materials are available on the CBC website at http://ceres.ca.gov/biodiv/minutes.html.