Pacific Coast Joint Venture Coastal Northern California Component STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE 2004 Big River, Mendocino County Pacific Coast Joint Venture Northern California Component STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE 2004 Prepared by: California Pacific Coast Joint Venture http://www.madriverbio.com/ca-pcjv.html Ron LeValley Coordinator, California PCJV [email protected] Dr. C. John Ralph, Chair California PCJV [email protected] or [email protected] Carey Smith, Joint Venture Coordinator U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service [email protected] Chet Ogan Redwood Region Audubon Society [email protected] Karen Kovacs California Department of Fish & Game [email protected] September 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary................................................................................................................. …iii Chapter 1. Introduction… .................................................................................................. ..…1-1 The North American Waterfowl Management Plan .................................................................... 1-1 Population Objectives ............................................................................................................ 1-1 International Administration........................................................................................................ 1-2 Regional Administration.............................................................................................................. 1-2 Habitat Joint Ventures............................................................................................................. 1-2 Species Joint Ventures ............................................................................................................ 1-3 The North American Bird Conservation Initiative and “All-Bird, All-Habitat” Conservation... 1-3 Chapter 2. The Pacific Coast Joint Venture............................................................................ 2-1 Purpose of the Pacific Coast Joint Venture.................................................................................. 2-1 Securement.............................................................................................................................. 2-1 Enhancement........................................................................................................................... 2-1 Restoration .............................................................................................................................. 2-1 Management and Private Stewardship.................................................................................... 2-1 Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research.................................................................................... 2-2 Communication and Education............................................................................................... 2-2 Chapter 3. Pacific Coast Joint Venture - Northern California Component…. ............... …3-1 The Land ...................................................................................................................................... 3-3 Del Norte County.................................................................................................................... 3-3 Humboldt County.................................................................................................................... 3-5 Mendocino County.................................................................................................................. 3-6 Trinity and Siskiyou Counties ................................................................................................ 3-7 The People ................................................................................................................................... 3-8 Coastal Wetland Ecosystems ....................................................................................................... 3-8 Tidal Wetlands........................................................................................................................ 3-8 Palustrine Dune Wetlands....................................................................................................... 3-8 Marine Areas........................................................................................................................... 3-9 Freshwater Wetlands............................................................................................................... 3-9 Upland Habitats ...................................................................................................................... 3-9 Wildlife Resources....................................................................................................................... 3-9 Waterfowl ............................................................................................................................... 3-9 Shorebirds ............................................................................................................................ 3-11 Integrated Bird Conservation................................................................................................ 3-11 PCJV Coastal Northern California Strategic Plan Septem ber 2004 Page 1-i Wetland Habitats........................................................................................................................ 3-13 Existing Habitat Protection........................................................................................................ 3-14 Del Norte County.................................................................................................................. 3-14 Humboldt County.................................................................................................................. 3-15 Mendocino County...................................................................................................... ……..3-15 Trinity and Siskiyou Counties .............................................................................................. 3-16 Chapter 4. Strategic Plan - Northern California Component ............................................... 4-1 Habitat Objectives........................................................................................................................ 4-1 Population Objectives .................................................................................................................. 4-2 Information, Education, and Recreation Objectives.................................................................... 4-2 Target Issues ................................................................................................................................ 4-3 California Coastal Act............................................................................................................. 4-3 Aleutian Cackling Goose ........................................................................................................ 4-3 Target Areas................................................................................................................................. 4-5 Del Norte County.................................................................................................................... 4-5 Humboldt County.................................................................................................................... 4-8 Mendocino County................................................................................................................ 4-13 Trinity and Siskiyou Counties .............................................................................................. 4-19 Multi-County Target Areas................................................................................................... 4-21 Area-wide Recommendations.................................................................................................... 4-24 References................................................................................................................................... 5-1 FIGURES 1. Map of California PCJV Boundary ................................................................................. 3-1 2. Map of Del Norte County ............................................................................................... 3-4 3. Map of Humboldt County................................................................................................ 3-5 4. Map of Mendocino County.............................................................................................. 3-6 5. Map of Trinity/Siskiyou Counties ................................................................................... 3-7 PCJV Coastal Northern California Strategic Plan Septem ber 2004 Page 1-ii Executive Summary This Strategic Plan Update 2002 revises the Strategic Plan for the Pacific Coast Joint Venture (PCJV) - Northern California Component prepared in 1992. The Northern California Component includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino counties, and the western part of Siskiyou County and is administered by the California PCJV. The Pacific Coast Joint Venture is among 11 habitat joint ventures and 3 species joint ventures established since 1991 to implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan adopted in 1986 to restore waterfowl populations in Canada, the United States, and Mexico to the levels recorded during the 1970s. The Plan set forth A Strategy for Cooperation in the conservation of waterfowl and emphasized the importance of a partnership approach