Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12082015 - C.101RECOMMENDATION(S): ACCEPT the Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife Committee 2015 Annual Report, as recommended by the Fish and Wildlife Committee. FISCAL IMPACT: None BACKGROUND: On June 18, 2002, the Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 2002/377, which requires that each regular and ongoing board, commission, or committee report annually to the Board of Supervisors. The attached report presented for Board consideration was approved by the Fish and Wildlife Committee on November 18, 2015. CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION: The annual reporting requirement to the Board of Supervisors would not be fulfilled. APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 12/08/2015 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor Contact: Maureen Parkes, 925-674-7831 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: December 8, 2015 David Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By: Stacey M. Boyd, Deputy cc: C.101 To:Board of Supervisors From:John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department Date:December 8, 2015 Contra Costa County Subject:Fish and Wildlife Committee 2015 Anuual Report ATTACHMENTS Fish and Wildlife Committee 2015 Annual Report Advisory Body Name: Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife Committee Advisory Body Meeting Time/Location: 3rd Wednesday of every month, 3 – 5 pm 2475 Waterbird Way County Public Works Department Road Maintenance Division lunch room Chair: Daniel Pellegrini Staff: Maureen Parkes and Abigail Fateman Reporting Period: January 2015 – December 2015 1. Activities and Accomplishments: The Fish and Wildlife Committee (FWC) met monthly to discuss matters related to fish and wildlife issues in Contra Costa County (CCC). The Committee is responsible for running a grant program that expends the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Funds (funds that are collected by the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife for code violations). The Committee also hosts an annual Fall Forum to raise awareness among people working in law enforcement, environmental restoration, education and outreach about fish and wildlife issues. Grant Program: The Committee received 15 proposals requesting Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund grant funds during the regular grant cycle. The Committee reviewed the proposals, interviewed applicants and selected 11 of the 15 proposals for full or partial funding totaling $61,155 to recommend to the Board of Supervisors. Grants ranged from $950 to $10,100 each. The Committee reviewed progress and final reports from previous grant cycles and extended invitations to grantees to give presentations. Outreach: The Committee hosted the annual Fall Forum on September 17th, which is open to the public and encourages people involved in fish and wildlife law enforcement issues in CCC to attend. Invited attendees included representatives of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney’s Office, Superior Court, Public Defender’s Office, the East Bay Regional Park District Police, the Board of Supervisors and members of the public. Participants have indicated that the Fall Forums have been helpful in raising awareness and fostering cooperation on fish and wildlife issues and law enforcement. Approximately 85 people attended the event. Volunteer Activities: Several members volunteer in the community with other organizations that are interested in fish and wildlife issues. Martha Berthelsen - Steering Committee for SPAWNERS; Rhonda Gehlke - Aquarium in the Classroom Program and Director of the Delta Science Center; Susan Heckly - Lindsay Wildlife Museum, CCC Master Gardener, International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and the FWC representative on the CCC Integrated Pest Management Advisory Committee; Kathleen Jennings - Co-chair of the Peyton Slough Wetlands Advisory Committee; Danny Pellegrini - Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District Board of Trustees, East Bay Regional Park District Park Advisory Committee, Sheriff’s Posse of CCC (Barbeque Captain) and the Martinez Sportsmens Club. Brochure: The Committee is updating the “Wildlife in Your Backyard” brochure. Committee members were regularly updated on activities related to fish and wildlife in CCC which included 11 presentations and updates by guest speakers and grant recipients, as well as a field trip. A 12th presentation is tentatively scheduled for December. The presentations, updates and field trip are listed below: • Presentation on “The Mt. View Sanitary District Wetlands Programs: Celebrating Community in CCC through Environmental Education and Wildlife Conservation.” (Kelly Davidson, Mt. View Sanitary District) • Two updates on the Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan (twin-tunnel project). (Ryan Hernandez, Department of Conservation and Development) • Update on the Temporary Emergency Drought Barrier in the Delta. (Ryan Hernandez, Department of Conservation and Development) • Four presentations regarding potential impacts of outdoor cats on wildlife by: Susan Heckly (FWC member),Stephanie Buzzard (No Kill Contra Costa County), Lisa Kirk (Homeless Animals Lifeline Organization [H.A.L.O]) and Julie Linford (Outcast Cat Help) • Presentation at the Fall Forum “California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wardens: Who They Are and What They Do” (Nicole Kozicki and Jessica Jacobsen, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wardens) • Field trip to Big Break Visitor Center and Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley • Update on the activities of the CCC Integrated Pest Management Advisory Committee (Tanya Drlik, Contra Costa Health Services Department) • Update on the Chelsea Wetlands project (Aaron Will, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.) • It is anticipated that there will be a presentation at the December meeting on the “Trout in the Classroom” program by Ethan Rotman, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2. Attendance/Representation The FWC is composed of ten members. Each Supervisor appoints a member and the Internal Operations Committee appoints four At-large members and one At-large alternate. The terms of the Committee members were converted from two-year terms to four-year terms, with four one-time, three-year appointments to achieve staggered expiration dates. The Committee meets monthly. As of November, the FWC met 11 times at which a quorum was always present. The December meeting has not occurred yet. The members were: Martha Berthelsen (D-1), Susan Heckly (D-II), Clark Dawson (D- III), Brett Morris (D-IV), Daniel Pellegrini (D-V), Rhonda Gehlke (At-Large), Kathleen Jennings (At-Large), Jeff Skinner (At- Large), Scott Stephan (At-Large) and Derek Jansen (At-Large Alternate). 3. Training/Certification At monthly meetings Committee members were regularly updated on activities related to fish and wildlife in CCC and had 11 presentations/updates and one field trip as of November. A 12th presentation is tentatively scheduled for December (see Activities/Accomplishments). All members have viewed the required videos “The Brown Act and Better Government Ordinance – What You Need to Know as a Commission, Board or Committee Member” and “Ethics Orientation for County Officials.” Certifications are on file for all of the members. 4. Proposed Work Plan/Objectives for Next Year (1) FWC Operations: • Develop and refine Work Plan (working document). • Maintain FWC membership by advertising vacancies and forwarding applications to the Internal Operations Committee. • Seek to coordinate with other Fish and Wildlife Committees on regional matters. • Coordinate with the Contra Costa Watershed Forum. (2) Make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors via the Internal Operations Committee for the appropriation of funds from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund to support fish and wildlife projects in the community: • Conduct grant program to solicit proposals, evaluate their relative merits, and recommend funding for projects which will contribute most to the fish and wildlife resources of the County. • Develop and advertise FWC grant program by: 1) Reviewing past Request for Proposals (RFP), funding applications; and 2) Developing new RFP, funding application deadline, and funding priorities; and 3) posting to the County website, distributing these materials to the media, the FWC mailing list and RFP mailing list, and to anyone who requests them. • Work with agencies, organizations, and individuals to help them plan and develop projects suitable for support from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund. • Monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the grant disbursement process. • Review funding applications received. Make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors via the Internal Operations Committee for the awarding of grants. • Follow-up on projects that receive funding to assure that projects proceed as proposed. One way the FWC will do this is to extend invitations to prior Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund Grant recipients to future meetings to give status reports, outcomes and presentations regarding their projects. • Send out a letter to grant recipients requesting project status reports. (3) FWC priorities for 2016: • Make recommendations to the Board to approve Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund grant applications for projects that increase collaboration with law enforcement agencies, the court, and community cultural organizations on enforcement issues and increase education focusing on communities that may be unaware of local fish and game laws. • Provide public forum opportunities for open discussion on wildlife issues that affect CCC residents and impact natural resources in our County, increase outreach efforts and provide advisory updates to Board of Supervisors as needed. • Develop and disseminate “Wildlife in Your Backyard” booklet and other projects for involvement of the FWC and the community in CCC. (4) FWC projects (develop and prioritize a list of projects for potential FWC involvement; select projects for FWC involvement and provided appropriate support, including: initiation, planning, consultation, and/or funding): • Make recommendations to the Board on awarding Certificates of Appreciation for significant contributions to the fish and wildlife resources of the County. • Consider hosting a Wildlife Forum. (5) Improve enforcement of fish and game laws and regulations; increase flow of money into the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund: • Review status reports on Fish and Game Code enforcement in the County. Consider advising the Board on trends. • Help assure that, when appropriate, a portion of fines from violations of laws designed to protect fish and wildlife resources is deposited in the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund. Promote awareness of the harm caused by violation of fish and wildlife regulations and the value of enforcement. • Host a Fall Forum with law enforcement officials (CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Sheriff’s Dept., District Attorney’s Office, Superior Court, Public Defender’s Office, the East Bay Regional Park District Police) to discuss fish and wildlife issues and enforcement. (6) Monitor and advise the Board on projects that may affect fish and wildlife resources in the county: • Attend field trips to see major restoration projects and prior Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund Grant recipients’ projects in the County. • Consider tours of East CCC Habitat Conservancy properties, Marsh Creek Fish Ladder, Walnut Creek Drop Structure, Dow Wetlands and Chelsea Wetlands at Pinole. (7) Develop policy recommendations (“white papers”) on fish and wildlife issues: • Update FWC’s “Wildlife in Your Backyard” pamphlet. • Discuss impacts of invasive species. • Discuss wildlife and human interaction / interface. • Discuss public education on reducing the impact of cats on wildlife. • Discuss the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and proposal for water conveyance tunnels under the Delta.