| Biodiversity Council to Meet with the Southwest Strategy in March By Michael T. Chapel Regional Forester's Representative, USDA Forest Service The California Biodiversity Council will meet with leaders of the Southwest Strategy in Yuma, Arizona on March 13 and 14, 2002. The Southwest Strategy (SWS) is a partnership of agencies from Arizona and New Mexico who have come together to improve working relationships and coordinate conservation programs. In March, the two groups will begin working together. They will learn about large–scale cooperative projects involving multiple agencies; review experiences with collaboration; and discuss multiple–state issues associated with the Colorado River.
On Thursday, March 14, the CBC and SWS will share their histories, goals, and accomplishments. Following these overviews, short presentations will highlight large cooperative programs at a variety of scales in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The group will discuss issues associated with the management of the Colorado River. After this, the CBC and SWS will share the lessons learned from cooperative projects and collaboration.
Additional details regarding this upcoming meeting in Yuma are available on the California Biodiversity Council website: www.ceres.ca.gov/biodiv, or by contacting Mike Chapel, CBC Staff Committee Chair (530.478.6203, mchapel@fs.fed.us), or Erin Klaesius, CBC Communications Coordinator (erin.klaesius@fire.ca.gov, 916.227.2661).
California Biodiversity News: Volume 9, Number 1 |
On March 13, the Biodiversity Council will join the Southwest Strategy in an all–day field trip. The morning will include a tour of cooperative projects on the Colorado River. After lunch, the group will embark on a canoe trip launching from the confluence of the Colorado and the Gila rivers. An optional tour of Yuma historical sites will also be provided in lieu of the canoe trip. Next, the Council will hear a presentation of the important laws and activities shaping the management of the Colorado River. The field trip will end with a visit to the West Wetlands Restoration Project, followed by a dinner hosted by the City of Yuma and the Yuma Convention and Visitors Bureau.