HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 02262008 - C.29 P.
Contra
.;
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORSCosta
FROM: FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMITTEE `~ County
...
DATE: February 26, 2008
SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION TO AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS
MADE EXCEPTIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS
APPROVE awarding of a Certificate of Appreciation to Bob Wisecarver for exceptional contributions to the
protection and conservation of fish and wildlife resources of Contra Costa County, as recommended by the Fish
and Wildlife Committee.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND
In 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors initiate
a Fish and Wildlife Committee certificate of appreciation program. The committee believed the program would
be a valuable mechanism for expressing appreciation to those who have made substantial contributions to the
local environment. They also felt the recognition program could increase community awareness about the
importance of protecting and enhancing the County's fish and wildlife resources. The Board of Supervisors
approved this recommendation on February 3, 1998 and recognized nineteen individuals as the first recipients of
this award. The award has been presented several times since then to a number of worthy recipients.
n^
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: x YES SIGNATURE:
Daniel Pellegrini
Chair, Fish &Wildlife Committee
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD
COMYITTEE
_✓✓APPROVE OTHER
r
SIGNATURES
ACTION OFBOJON 08 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED O�HER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT 1Z 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: Michelle Luebke (925) 335-1315 ATTESTED 6jELjffV
cc: Community Development Department JOHN CULL , CLEIRK OF THE
County Administrator's Office BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND
Clerk of the Board COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
r n 1
DEPUTY
PRESENTATION OF A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION TO BOB WISECARVER
February 26, 2008
Page 2 of 2
On January 26, 2008, the Fish and Wildlife Committee (FWC) voted unanimously to
recommend this award be presented to Bob Wisecarver for exceptional contributions to
the protection and conservation of fish and wildlife in the County. The Board is being
asked to authorize the Chair to sign the award and to authorize the presentation of the
award to Mr. Wisecarver at his home by representatives of the Fish and Wildlife
Committee
Bob Wisecarver is an avid outdoors person who loves and honors all aspects of the
world around us. He has been committed to habitat restoration for decades, active in
educating the public about wildlife and creative in finding resources to complete
restoration projects.
Mr. Wisecarver was instrumental in bringing wildlife-friendly range management to the
Borges Ranch with the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation. When he began work on
improving quail habitat in the Shell Ridge Open Space Area in 1996, the quail population
was between 10 and 20 individuals. By constructing dust piles for escape covers and
installing "gallinaceous guzzlers" for water sources, he improved the habitat so much
that the present-day population of quail is between 100 and 200. Amphibian and brush
rabbit populations have also increased, which in turn, provide an important food source
for nesting Golden Eagles and other predators. For the past two years, this area has
had a resident Cooper's hawk, an indication of how much richer the habitat is today. Mr.
Wisecarver's work was featured in Quail Unlimited's magazine in 2006. The Shell Ridge
Area project was so successful that Mr. Wisecarver initiated a program of protective
plantings for animal life in a small creek bed in Lime Ridge North in the hope that the
planting's success will improve quail habitat in other parts of Contra Costa County.
Mr. Wisecarver has also worked 'tirelessly to protect bats and barn owls. He has
contributed countless hours to educating the public about their benefits, teaching people
how to build and install houses, and installing houses particularly on East Bay Municipal
Utility District land at Pardee Reservoir. He is widely regarded as an expert for this work
throughout the Bay Area and Central California. Following his bat adventures, Mr.
Wisecarver would often bring gifts of guano to his gardening friends.
His dedication to the natural communities on Contra Costa County, commitment to
educating the public, and his ability to scrounge and improvise the materials he needs
for his various projects, shows his environmentalist ethic: he recycles and reuses to
restore habitat. While his contributions to habitat improvement throughout the Bay Area
and Central California are indeed impressive, perhaps the most lasting contribution he
has made is his commitment to educating our youth and encouraging them to continue
his work.
Attachment: Certificate for Board Signature
N
� y
Cd
cd
t° ,° v
ON 0
w