The Joint Venture

Summer 2005 Volume 2 : 3 Vision for Closer to Reality

Over the last several months, through the steadfast and owned by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and cooperative efforts of many Joint Venture partners, a the Marin County Open Space District. Marin Audubon network of wetland ecosystems is finally being protected Society maintained title to about 60 acres. Plans are now and restored from Novato to Mare Island. While there is being developed for tidal marsh restoration and seasonal much work ahead to manage and restore these lands, the pond enhancement, including an upland transition zone recent protection of nearly 4,700 acres and the restoration between the marsh and the blue oak woodlands. Funding of over 10,000 acres being launched this summer are truly for the purchase of Bahia came from a number of different a cause for celebration! In this issue of the San Francisco Joint Venture partners and individuals, including Calfed, Bay Joint Venture newsletter, we provide a simple Coastal Conservancy, Conservation Board and the overview of our latest accomplishments in the North Bay North American Wetlands Conservation Act. and how they contribute to the Joint Venture goals.

Since the creation of the Joint Venture in 1996, and even before, Joint Venture partners have shared the vision of a protected and restored San Francisco Bay Estuary. Restorations at Sonoma Baylands and Carl’s Marsh, in addition to acquisitions at Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys provided momentum in the North Bay and demonstrated to partners and landowners that this vision could become a Late in 2004 – Dickson and the adjoining North reality. The acquisitions of Napa Sonoma Marshes and Point properties added 2,327 acres to the wetland habitat Cullinan Ranch in 1996 helped further the dream in San acquisitions of the JV. Now being referred to as the Sears Pablo Bay. Point Wetlands Restoration Project, these properties are critical to connecting all of the baylands between Just two years ago, a 1,400-acre Napa Plant Site was the and to those already added to the Napa Sonoma Marshes State Wildlife Area protected by DFG, the State Coastal Conservancy, as part of the salt ponds acquisition in the South Bay. Sonoma Land Trust, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. That same year, a 631-acre property known as Bahia, just A Conceptual Restoration Plan is available on the website west of the Petaluma River was purchased by the Marin www.sonomalandtrust.org, and interested parties are Audubon Society. The majority of the property is now invited to provide comment.

www.sfbayjv.org • 530 C Alameda del Prado #139, Novato, CA 94949 • 415/883-3854 (phone) 415/883-3850 (fax) On Tuesday, April 19, 2005, the Sonoma County salt ponds. At the recommendation of the Joint Venture, Board of Supervisors passed a resolution allowing for the the Wildlife Conservation Board recently contracted purchase of Tolay , bringing another 1,737 acres of with Ducks Unlimited to restore many of the ponds, protected land and the vital resource of an upland fresh and ground-breaking will occur in July. We plan to water lake to the mix. Recognizing the unique habitats celebrate this restoration project with a ceremonial event and cultural resources of this property, the Sonoma in October. In the meantime, Joint Venture partners are County Agricultural and Open Space District, Wildlife hoping to secure authorization of the Napa River Salt Conservation Board, and Coastal Conservancy provided Marsh Project in the next Water Resources Development the funding needed for purchase. Tolay Lake’s proximity Act which will include a recycled water pipeline to bring to the Bay provides buffers from storms, breeding places to dilute the ponds with the highest salinity. for waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as public access opportunities. It is also a culturally rich Native American Adjacent to the Napa Sonoma Marshes along Highway gathering site. 37 lies Cullinan Ranch, part of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. An Environmental Impact Continuing east through the Napa Sonoma Marshes Statement to restore the 1,500 acre former hay fields State Wildlife Area and the San Pablo Bay National to tidal action has just been completed, and the Fish Wildlife Refuge lies Skaggs Island, the center of the and Wildlife Service hopes to secure funding and begin hydrology of all of San Pablo Bay. The fate of the former restoration within a year. Navy radar antennae field site is still under negotiation. Joint Venture partners, the Resources Agency This is a brief summary of our latest successes in San and US Fish and Wildlife Service are seeking a solution Pablo Bay. We celebrate our recent accomplishments that will protect 3,310 acres. We hope to celebrate the while recognizing that difficult hurdles still lie ahead and protection of this key parcel by the end of the year. that there is much work to be done. We want to thank all of our partners and supporters for embracing our vision Surrounding Skaggs Island is the 10,000 acre Napa and for their perserverance and dedication. Without Sonoma Marshes. DFG, the Coastal Conservancy, and partnerships and a vision these lands would not have been other partners are working to restore these former Cargill protected for restoration to wetlands and wildlife habitat.

San Francisco Bay Joint Venture Launches New Project Tracking Data Base

Partners of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture now have the ability to track the progress of their projects on line. The new GIS-based tracking system was developed for both the San Francisco Bay and Central Valley Joint Ventures by Ducks Unlimited with funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Coastal Conservancy, Bureau of Reclamation, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Department of Fish and Game. The Joint Venture now has the ability to track the progress of each project and generate reports about their status including habitat, species and funding. The system enables partners to download maps or use the various map layers for project planning. Joint Venture partners contributed ideas and feedback throughout the design process to create a system that is an invaluable tool for partners working on projects and for tracking Joint Venture progress toward our goals. A password is needed to view or edit projects. Contact Sandy Scoggin, [email protected]. San Francisco Bay Joint regulatory community. The primary purpose would be to provide third party feedback on restoration design to Venture Working Committees projects in the planning phase. The Committee reviewed the former Wetland Restoration Program model and Restoration Strategy/Technical Committee outlined outcomes, opportunities and constraints. The Chair: Marc Holmes Committee continues to evaluate options. The Bay institute of San Francisco Creeks Sub-committee The Restoration Strategy/Technical Committee tracks Chair: BC Capps the progress of acquisition, restoration, and enhancement Bay Area Open Space Council projects. The Committee also determines which projects to place partner, staff, and funding emphasis on at any This committee is a sub-committee of the Restoration particular time and provides technical assistance to Strategy/Technical Committee focusing on creek and partners as needed to help deliver projects that meet JV riparian projects. The Committee has identified obstacles goals. to restoration and is seeking solutions to infrastructure The Restoration Strategy/Technical Committee has barriers associated with creek restoration. been working on several policy items over the past few On April 11 the Creeks Sub-committee sponsored a months. repeat workshop on the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture and urban restoration. The workshop was hosted • Assessing Joint Venture progress toward achieving by the Presidio Trust and was preceded by a tour of the the continental goals of the Tennessee Hollow watershed and North American Waterfowl restoration project. The workshop Management Plan- Committee was attended by more than 25 members pooled their people and was repeated because knowledge and research to indicated that the information provide information that will presented is valuable for designing contribute to a continental creek and riparian restoration and assessment of progress enhancement projects. We are toward the goals of the pleased that it has also attracted North American Waterfowl interest and participation from Management Plan. This local governments, those often was the first assessment of making land-use decisions. San Francisco Bay Joint Venture contributions toward federal bird conservation plans. Information was provided in writing and during Public Outreach Committee presentations at an all-day review session on June 15. Chair: Steve Cochrane This process has provided information to the Joint Friends of the SF Estuary and City of Oakland Venture as well, and it will be shared with partners and the Management Board to be factored into the decision- The Public Outreach Committee is responsible for making process for projects and priorities. external communications at the national, state and local • Consideration of the JV taking a lead role in project levels. They meet quarterly to consider key messages and management- Currently the SFBJV does not play target audiences for the JV, to address wetland related project lead role, but rather serves as facilitator building news and current issues, to develop and implement partnerships and connecting resources. The JV is not strategies and tools for informing the public about the a legal entity and would have difficulty as the project mission of the JV and the goals of Restoring the Estuary, lead in many of the steps of moving a project forward, and to update each other on current projects and such as permitting. For that reason, the Committee is upcoming wetland related events. recommending that the JV continue to support partners’ Over the last few months, the outreach committee efforts and not become a lead entity on projects. has been working on updating our communication plan • Project Design Review- The SFBJV is evaluating for West Nile Virus. With trends indicating a rise in whether a project review function can be a benefit the number of cases of WNV in California this year, to partners – those doing the projects as well as the the outreach team is working to insure that people The Joint Legislative Affairs Committee held the first understand the role of mosquito abatement and the value Legislative Day in Sacramento on March 1. Hosted by of wetland restoration and design for helping to eliminate Trust for Public Lands and Wildlands Inc., partners mosquito-breeding habitat. People need to know that they from San Francisco Bay, Central Valley, and the Pacific can reduce the threat of WNV by eliminating standing Coast Joint Ventures participated in meetings with key water in their backyards. committee chairs and agency secretaries. These meetings On April 28, the Joint Venture hosted a tour of San were an opportunity to educate legislators about the Pablo Bay with representatives from the state and joint ventures and our goals and a chance to focus on federal legislature as well as local foundations. We visited legislation of importance to the success of the joint the most recent acquisition projects featured in this ventures. newsletter. Please visit our website for updates and more Joint Venture NGO partners have subsequently been information – www.sfbayjv.org. working on a number of legislative issues including the proposed State Bond Act (AB 1269 and SB 153), the Environmental Vehicle Mitigation Program (SB658), the Legislative Affairs Committee Fish Passages Bill (SB857), the Delta Protection Bill (SB Chair: John Woodbury 200), and reinstating the Environmental Enhancement Bay Area Open Space Council Mitigation Program into the State budget. Over the past several months, many Joint Venture Consisting of NGO and business members of the Joint partners have also made visits to Capitol Hill to inform Venture, the Joint Legislative Affairs Committee, in agency staff and elected officials about joint venture partnership with the Central Valley Joint Venture, has projects and funding needs. We want to thank Bay Area been actively engaged in seeking funding and legislative delegations at both the state and federal levels for meeting solutions to issues related to Joint Venture projects. with partners and for supporting their efforts.

Management Board of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture

Chair, Ellie Cohen; Vice Chair, Arthur Feinstein SF Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Estuary Project, Bay Area Open Space Council, Bay Area Audubon Council, The Conservation Fund, California Resources Agency, National Audubon Society, Wildlife Conservation Board, Bay Planning Coalition, The Bay Institute, Sierra Club, PRBO Conservation Science, National Marine Fisheries Service, Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge, Save San Francisco Bay Association, California Department of Fish & Game, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ducks Unlimited, PG&E Corporation, California State Coastal Conservancy, Coastal Region Mosquito & Vector Control District, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Urban Creeks Council Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bay Conservation and Development Commission,