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CBC Special Projects Featured in this Issue:
Watershed Work Group & California Continuing Resources Inventory Strategy Program
CBC Watershed Work Group Tackles Thorny Funding Issues By Nina Gordon, Resources Agency After more than a year of meetings, in-depth discussions, and background research on watershed funding issues, the California Biodiversity Council Watershed Work Group (WWG) is preparing to make final recommendations to the Council for endorsement at the September meeting in Rohnert Park. The document, Best Funding Practices for Watershed Management, contains an assessment of the most prevalent issues regarding funding and also recommendations for addressing those issues. The Watershed Work Group’s mission is to facilitate watershed restoration and conservation through the coordination of statewide projects, policies, funding, and support of local efforts. The group is co-chaired by Maria Rea, Assistant Secretary for Salmon and Watersheds at the California Resources Agency, and Diane Holcomb, State Resource Conservationist at the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Nina Gordon, Special Assistant for Watershed and Biodiversity Programs, serves as the facilitator and coordinator of the group. The WWG decided to first address the issue of coordinated funding of watershed programs. The recent passage of Propositions 12 and 13 (Park and Water Bond Acts), in addition to the Federal Coastal Salmon Recovery Program funding, increased the urgency to address these issues. With over 40 significant funding programs, watershed groups face a confusing web of funding sources, rules, and processes. The Watershed Work Group includes representatives from diverse geographical and organizational backgrounds. Members of watershed groups, volunteers, local, state and federal government representatives, and organizations such as the California Farm Bureau and the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, are all active participants. Following the Biodiversity Council meeting in September, the WWG will meet to discuss the Council’s recommendation and the next watershed management topic to address. Notice will be made when the completed document is available. For more information on the WWG, please contact Nina Gordon: nina@resources.ca.gov.
CCRISP: California Continuing Resources Inventory Strategy Program By Dennis O'Connor California Research Bureau On June 30, Governor Davis signed the new state budget. Included in the Resources Agency’s budget was $2 million for the California Continuing Resources Inventory Strategy Program, or CCRISP. This marked the culmination of a one-year effort to design a strategic approach to protecting and restoring California’s significant lands and natural resources and, perhaps, the beginning of a new era in resource conservation. CCRISP’s mission is to enable the state and its partners in conservation to develop and implement a strategic and inclusive approach to conserving and restoring California’s lands and natural resources. CCRISP’s objective is to ensure that the state and its partners in conservation answer and act upon five fundamental questions:
In addition, the scoping process developed a set of guiding values for the project. In developing this strategic approach to conservation, we will:
Two groups identified most of the elements of this design—a core working group and a steering committee. The Core Working Group meets weekly throughout most of the year and provides key staffing and research for CCRISP. This Core Group has grown to include representatives listed below.
State agencies: Department of Fish and Game, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Conservation, and State Library’s California Research Bureau Federal agency: Bureau of Land Management Industry and public interest groups: Californians and the Land, California Farm Bureau, H.T. Harvey & Associates, California Center for Public Dispute Resolution, and California Wilderness Coalition Key advice came from the project’s Steering Committee. Meeting in a series of four two-day workshops, they were instrumental in developing the project’s mission, objectives, and values. The Steering Committee was composed of high level representatives of key constituency groups, as indicated below.
CCRISP Steering Committee State: Department of Fish and Game and California Tahoe Conservancy Federal: USDA Forest Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Bureau of Land Management Rural: Regional Council of Rural Counties Agriculture/Ranching: California Range Land Trust and California Farm Bureau Land developer: Irvine Company Local government: San Diego Association of Governments Business: Sierra Business Council and Bank of America Environmental interests: Cal Trout, TNC, Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, Endangered Habitats League, NRDC, and Pacific Forest Trust Other interests: Californians and the Land and University of California Now that the budget has been approved, the next step is to hire a project director. We expect the new director to be on board some time in September. For more information on CCRISP, please contact Dennis O’Connor, California Research Bureau, at doconnor@library.ca.gov or 916-653-7843. |
