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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10271998 - C66 CUP TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS :i� '. Contra. Costa FROM: FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMITTEE County [SATE: October 27, 1998 SUBJECT: APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS FROM THE FISH AND WILDLIFE PROPAGATION FUND TO SUPPORT A STEELHEAD EGG RESCUE PROJECT SPECIFIC REQUEST(5) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECQMMENDA' IQN5 APPROVE recommendations of the Fish and Wildlife Committee regarding thowarding of a grant from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund; DIRECT the Auditor/Ccanitroller to release $1400 from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund to the Golden West Women Flyfisher Foundation, FINANCIAL IMPACT No impact to the general fund. A portion of the fines collected from violations of fish and game regulations in the County is deposited in the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund, which has a current balance in excess of $40,000. State law defines how money in this fund may be spent,but the Board of Supervisors is responsible for authorizing specific expenditures. The project recommended to receive funding is consistent with the expenditure criteria established by State Law. REASQN FOR R CfaR OMMELIDAT€ON/BACL(GROUND Following its re-establishment in February of 1996, the Fish and Wildlife Committee ("FWC") elected to establish a structured process for reviewing funding requests. The intent of this structured review process was to replace case-by-case decision-making (such as occurred previously and such as is the norm with most rather Fish and Wildlife Committees) with a grant process that enables comparative and efficient review of applications. Fiscal year 97/98 was the second time this annual grant solicitation and review process has been performed, and of the ten funding requests received, the FWC recommended funding awards to six applicants, R CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: —X- 'YES SIGNATURE: omas .`Studley air, Fish & Wildlife Committee RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE - -APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON October 27, 1998 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED XX OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS XX UNANIMOUS (ABSENT - - - - _ I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND AYES: NOES: CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact: Jahn Kopchik (925) 335-1227 ATTESTED October 27,_ 1991 cc: Community Development Department PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE County Administrator's Office BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND Clerk of the Board, Maddy Bonk itCOUN A MINISTRATOR County Auditor-Controller BY , DEPUTY J:jkopc:f&wbo$.o98 Appropriation from Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund October 27, 1998 Page 2 of 2 The Board approved these recommendations on May 18, 1998. However, to avoid unnecessary inflexibility in the grant process while maintaining the basic competitive review structure, on May 21, 1997 the FWC approved the following criteria for reviewing grant requests outside the normal grant review cycle: The majority of projects will be reviewed simultaneously once per year. Projects can be reviewed individually, outside the annual review cycle if: • the project is a FWC-initiated project • delaying review of the project until the annual review cycle would cause substantial harm to the fish and wildlife resources of the County • the project cannot be performed at all unless funding is received from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund sooner than would be possible under the annual review cycle • the project has substantial matching funds which will expire unless funding is received from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund sooner than would be possible under the annual review cycle On September 16, 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Committee reviewed afunding request submitted by the Golden West Women Flyfisher Foundation for $1400 to purchase equipment to sustain steelhead eggs rescued from unsuitable waters. Historically, steelhead lived and spawned in many creeks in the County, but migration barriers and disturbance of natural channels now force steelhead to lay eggs in inhospitable sections of these creeks where successful reproduction is extremely unlikely. The Golden West organization proposed to rescue such eggs, stare them in one of two newly acquired chiller units, place these units in the care of two middle school classrooms, and release the juvenile fish back to County creeks. The FWC unanimously found that the project met the criteria for consideration outside the normal review schedule because if review were delayed until January 1, no opportunity would exist to provide funds in time to rescue steelhead during the 98/99 rainy season. The FWC unanimously approved the following recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding this grant application: 1) Appropriate $1400 to the Golden West Women Flyfisher Foundation to support the steelhead rescue project (check payable to: Golden West Women Flyfisher Foundation, 8949 Edenvale Place, Oakland, CA 94553, attn: Annette M. Thompson), 2) Require that the Golden West Women Flyfisher Foundation release all rescued fish within Contra Costa County and that the two chiller units be maintained in separate classrooms in Contra Costa County 3) Require the following three general commitments from the applicant which have been required in the past of other grant recipients: a) return funds if the project is not performed; b) provide documentation and/or accounting for how funds were spent; and c) provide an annual or summary report on the progress or results of the project. ATTACHMENTS: • Criteria established by state law for expenditures from the Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund • Grant application from Golden West Women Flyfisher Foundation', j:ltjkopclf&wbo$.o88 ......... ......... ......... .............................. _........ ... ..... . ...... _ ....... .......... ......._... ........ ................................_................._... ........_._... ._....._...._..._. SEC. 2. Section 13103:of.the:Fish and Game.ode is amended to-read: 13103. Expenditures from the fish and wildlife propagation fund of any county may be made only for the following purposes: •;;wy~ tr: (a) Public education relating to the scientific principles of fish and wildlife conservation, OWW f supervised formal instruction.carried out pursuant to a planned curriculum ' and aids to education such as literature, audio and video recordings, « ' ` training models;•and-nature_study facilities .. . . . - - . • . - _ . (b) Temporary em rgeney'treatinent aria care if injured or orphaned w cliife: (c) 'Temporary treatment 'and care .of wildlife confiscated by the; department as evi- dence. (d) Breeding, raising,Ypurchasing, or releasing fish or wildlife which are to be released upon approval of the department pursuant to Sections 6400 .and 6401 onto land or into waters o .. oca state.-or era ' agencies or onto nd or o waters open to the public. Ojj (0)*..Improvement•of,fish and wildlife;habitat,-.including,'but not limited.to, c onstructson fish sc eens;••weirs, agtl,,iadders; ,age pr.other.watershed'ixnprovements; gravel :and rock removal or place;nent;` construction of irrigation and water,distribution:systems; earthwork'and grading, _fencing; pla#qg:.�.trees and other vegetation izianagement; and ioval of barriers-to-thee migration 6f fiA and wn7dlife. f . Construction, maintenance, and operation of public hatchery facilities .,and`.tnaurtann mat,rls,...supplies,, or. equipment for .either the `c epartcinent's pWnerahip an use or the deparament's_iise.in the noir'nial perfo*mm4ce of thdement'$ respafii*16 ties. %.;..ih) P dator.control actions.for the benefit of.f h or.wildlife following certification in, ►y#ie.depart nent•tit-the proposed ieUgns wiH significantly benefit a particular " sle;se pec es.. 3 r` 1 Scielitif'ic•ash-and wildlife research conducted by institutions of higher learning, qued researchers, or governmental agencies, if approved by the .department. . j4x 'Reasonable:administrative costs -excluding-the costs of audits required bX Section -13104,.'-for secretarial service,-ftrave , and. postage. y e- county fish and wildlife eco cion when authorized by the county board of supervisors. --For' purposes of this i subdivision,."reasonable cost",•means an amount which does-not`exceed 3 percent:of the averse amount received by the fund --dry-�-g the previous three- ear period, or thousand040 annually-�c- r whichever s rea#er, exec excluding any u cirried over from a previous fiscal year. ontrnibutions to. a secret witness ro m for the u se of facilitatingenforce- "Ment fent o -t is a ana regi ations'a opte pursuant to this code. Costs incurred by the district attorney or city attorney in investigating and prosecut- ing cd crtrninal actions for violations o this code, as a prove by the epartment. m Other expenditures, approved by the department, for the purpose of protecting. conserving,propagating, and preserving fish and wildlife. 11 ......... . ........ ......... ......... ............................... ......... ......... .11.11__. __ ........ .......... .......... .......... ........._.............._. ._.._._._. .._....... ...._.... ......... ......... JJ< Contra Costa County 93 AUG 20 PPI 3: 52 Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund Fund Application Project Title GWWF Inschool-Aquatics Program Organization/individual applying Golden West Women Fly€fisherFoundation Annette Mary Thompson Address 3949 Edenvale Place Oakland, CA 94605 Telephone 510-524-6400 FAX 510 982-2702 Name and Title of contact person - Annette Mary Thompson Address same Telephone same FAX same Requested Grant $1400 for the purchase of 2 chiller units, 2 -30 gall anks, and 2 power head pumps Proposal prepared by Ann e Thompson, Director Special Projects Signature Date r 1. Description of Project Steelhead were listed as a Federally threatened species in 1797. Several creeks in Contra Costa County once supported steelhead runs: Wildcat Creek, Walnut Creek, Alhambra. Creek, and Pinole Creek. During exceptionally wet winters, adult steelhead can occasionally be observed migrating up these creeks and attempting to spawn below migrational barriers. The purpose of our project is to rescue steelhead and rainbow trout eggs from the gravels of Wildcat Creek and potentially other Contra Costa creeks, that would have a low chance of survival. The eggs removed would be those spawned in the creek below migrational barriers and subject to degraded gravel beds, low flows, and high water temperatures. This project would aid in the current restoration effort of Wildcat Creek and increase the numbers of migrating steelhead trout and rainbow trout utilizing Wildcat Creek and other creeks. The Steelhead redds are identified, and the eggs removed by hand using a small shovel and net. The shovel dislodges the eggs from the redd and the current carries the eggs into a fine mesh seine. Eggs are transported in a cooler equipped with an aerator and 50 degree F. bottled spring water to the rearing facility. The rearing facilities are located in preselected middle schools with a history of successful trout and amphibian rearing. Teachers have been provided inservice training in rearing aquatics in the classroom for release. The equipment used is a 30 gallon aquarium equipped with a chiller unit to maintain water temperatures at 50 degree F. Fresh bottled water is added on a daily basis and the water is circulated by a power head pump to maintain oxygen levels above 7ppm. The entire unit is kept in a no/low light situation to protect eggs from damaging fluorescent light rays. All non-viable eggs are removed on a daily basis. The entire unit is maintained until eggs hatch into alevins (30-45 days - depending on development of eggs at time of rescue.) Alevins, with trace of belly sac still attached, are thein transported in a cooler with 50 degree water and aerator, to the upper Wildcat Creek watershed and released. The project is coordinated with California Department of Fish and Game, East Bay Regional Park. District, and Contra Costa County Flood Control, Project schedule Winter 1998 - no end date Project budget All labor involved is volunteered and includes (but not limited to): Delivering all equipment to selected schools; on-call for sightings of spawning fish and collection of eggs; delivery of eggs to schools; on-call for any situation that might develop at schools; coordinating fish releases with schools, EBRPD, media; hosting „releasee party" for children involved with rearing; community outreach and presentations when asked by various government or private organizations. All foundation monies are raised at the annual Golden West Women Flyfishers Foundation Fund Raising event. Additional expenses for the "Contra Costa County steelhead rescue" (beyond the one-time equipment cost to be covered by this grant request) include: $75 in water costs, each tank, per batch of eggs; $100 each bus,per release; (Bus costs are subsidized by EBRPD's Park Express) any permit expenses ($4010 flood control access permit expense has been waived for this project), additional rescue equipment if needed - $50- $100; educational materials per class - $30; refreshment costs at time of release the children - $60 per 30 children; film and developing costs - $50 per release. Cost per single class release - $215 apx. (does not include any rescue equipment costs or grant money.) In the event of two or more steelhead or trout spawning periods each spring, the system would be utilized to produce as many "hatching events" as possible. Organization The Golden West Women Flyfishers was founded 15 years ago to promote the sport and education of flyfishing to women in northern California. The GW WF Foundation a non-profit organization {501C ID#94-30690497 was established 12 years ago for the purposed of raising funds to supports environmental / water issues, establish an aquatics education program rearing natives in East Bay area;classrooms, and distribute annual scholarships to women graduate students in relevant marine/biology studies. Officers and Board of Directors are all volunteer and elected yearly. Individuals and Qualifications Annette M. Thompson- Director of Special Projects, Working with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) since 1990, Annette Thompson, has been responsible for 8 years of In-School Aquatics programs in the East Bay area (Castro Valley, San Leandro, Pleasanton, Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, San Pablo, Richmond, and Pinole. ) The Aquatics program initially focused on rearing hatchery trout in the classroom environment to release into',local, stocked lakes. In 1993 the Aquatics program started rearing native Pacific Tree Frogs in the same local classrooms for release into suitable, local streams. 1994 initiated the beginning of the native rainbow trout rearing program in selected schools. Eggs are collected in the late winter, from redds in Redwood Creek, Oakland, reared as described above, and released into Wildcat Creek, Alvarado Park, Richmond. Pat Magnuson joined the In-School Aquatics project in 1994. With her 10 years experience as a special education teacher she expanded the creek/watershed awareness curriculum of the project. On March 21, 1998, at the request of the Alameda Flood Control District, Annette Thompson and EBRPD Fisheries Specialist, Pete Alexander, removed 273 steelhead eggs from Alameda Creek as they had been spawned in an unsuitable section of the geek where they were not likely to survive. 240 eggs were viable and survived to be released as alevin in the upper Alameda Creek in Sunol Region Park, East Bay Region Park with approval from California Department of Fish and Game. Permits All projects are done under State of California Collecting Permit #801044-06 for both native trout and frogs. Collection permit to be issued by National Marine Fisheries Service this fall. Contra Costa Flood Control access permit application has been submitted and all fees were waived for project.