The California Biodiversity Council (CBC) traveled to Fort Bragg for a two-day event highlighted by a field trip to Point Cabrillo and Jackson Demonstration State Forest on June 9, and a Council meeting on June 10.

During the field trip, William Ahern and Julia McIver from the Coastal Conservancy welcomed Council members and over 90 interested participants to Point Cabrillo. The trip then moved inland to the Jackson Demonstration State Forest, where Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CDF) Director Andrea Tuttle and State Forest Manager Marc Jameson welcomed participants. There, the group visited three sites along stream and major forks in the Noyo River watershed. Each site illustrated the different roles of riparian vegetation and woody debris in providing critical habitat elements for amphibians and fish within a working forest.

The featured speaker at the evening dinner was former BLM California State Director Ed Hastey. Ed addressed the CBC on collaboration, a topic with which he has much experience. Ed was recognized by the Regional Ecosystem Office for his role and support in the Northwest Forest Plan. Ed recently retired from the Bureau of Land Management after 42 years of government service.

The June 10 council meeting convened at the historic Eagles Hall in Fort Bragg. Mary Nichols, in her new role as Secretary for Resources, presided as chair. David Colfax, Mendocino County supervisor, welcomed the CBC to Fort Bragg. Maria Rea, assistant secretary for Watershed/Salmon Restoration for the Resources Agency, summarized the watershed workgroup recommended priority areas. Bill Stewart of the CDF Fire and Resource Assessment Program described a planned spatial data atlas for coarse-level North Coast watershed assessments.

The afternoon watershed and salmon protection efforts panel addressed statewide efforts to assess conservation needs, as well as three examples of successful, locally-designed and led conservation projects for forests and watershed in the North Coast region. Speakers from Mendocino, Humboldt, Sonoma, and Siskiyou counties made presentations, and a lively public comment period concluded the meeting.

The California Biodiversity Council meets four times a year to improve coordination and cooperation between the various government resource management and environmental protection organizations. The next regional meeting, to be sponsored in conjunction with the Regional Council of Rural Counties, will be held October 6 and 7, 1999, at the Granlibakken resort in Tahoe City.