San Franicisco Bay Joint Venture – The Bulletin Newsletter for December 18, 2015

 

THE BULLETIN              timely news from the SFBJV              December 18, 2015 Eric Carpenter and Michale Heumann photo of Sears Point Levee Breach in October 2015   Proud to be the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture 2015 has been a year filled with project milestones for several of our partners, including four major breaches that restored tidal action to lands long cut off from the Bay.  The year began with a breach at Cullinan Ranch on January 6th, returning tidal waters to over 1200 acres within the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  In October, our partners at Sonoma Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited and the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) breached a levee at Sears Point, adding another 1000 acres of tidal marsh to a swath of protected land stretching across the northern edge of the Bay from the Petaluma River to the Napa River.  And in the last two weeks Audubon California, along with the FWS, added another 400 acres of tidal marsh habitat to the region, as part of the Sonoma Creek Marsh Enhancement project, while FWS also breached a levee at inner Bair Island bringing to near completion a decades-long project and adding 1000 acres of tidal marsh habitat to the South Bay.  You can read about several of these projects and others on ourfeatured projects page.  In addition to these larger scale projects, there were many more creek and pond projects completed around the Bay.  If you are interested in finding out more please contact Sandra Scoggin, manager of the Project Tracker.   Also, if you have a project you’d like us to feature in 2016, let SFBJV Outreach Coordinator Caroline Warner know.  As a final note, we will also be fully transitioned to our new and improved project tracking database, in collaboration with the SFEI Ecoatlas, in early 2016.  So stay tuned and keep up the great work!! GRANTS with deadlines  By December 31 Prop 1 Funding, California Coastal Conservancy For this second competitive grant round, the Conservancy invites project proposals that protect and enhance anadromous fish habitat. By January 8, 2016 2016 Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise Program This NOAA funding source supports informed adaptation planning and coastal management decisions through a multidisciplinary research program. February 3, 2016 Five Star & Urban Waters Restoration Grants Foundation   This National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant Program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support. By February 8, 2016 Alameda County Fish and Game Propagation Fund  The Alameda Fish & Game Commission encourages applications relating to activities that protect and conserve fish and wildlife, including improvement of fish and wildlife habitat, public education about fish and wildlife conservation, and scientific fish & wildlife research in Alameda County for these funds. By February 18, 2016 Grants and Partnerships to Restore Wildlife Habitat  $760,000 of funding is still available for this grant program and the RFP has been extended until February 18.  A Q&A session will be held at 1:30 pm on Jan. 12, 2016 for those interested.  More information about this grant can be found on our website or theirs. By February 26, 2016 North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Standard Grant The NAWCA program provides matching grants to wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and requires coordination well in advance of the due date with SFBJV Coordinator Beth Huning.   Ongoing Grants Many of our funding source links have no deadlines, are cyclical or ongoing, please visit our grants page for more information.        JOBS with deadlines for applying By December 28 Outreach Specialist Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association By January 6 Environmental Inspector I/II The City of San José By January 10 Social Scientist  United States Geological Survey           OPEN until filled  Communications Intern Friends of the San Francisco Estuary West Coast Geospatial Coordinator NOAA Office for Coastal Management Stewardship Team Member Center for Social & Environmental Stewardship Senior Environmental Specialist California Department of Fish and Wildlife Development Associate Marine Science Institute Director of Conservation, Science and Innovation Bay Area Open Space Council Coastal Program Analyst I or II        California Natural Resources Agency & the Ocean Protection Council job opportunities are updated frequently, please visit our jobs page to stay current! UPCOMING EVENTS – find all the events we know about here Dec 21             Webinar on King Tides January 12     Bay Currents talk: Delta Matters January 17     Climate Academy – a 6 month online course January 21     King Tide Walks January 26    Alameda Creek Watershed Forum February 1-5  7th North American Duck Symposium IN THE NEWS MEDIA 11 Dec 2015 – Decades-long Bair Island Restoration Project comes to fruition San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society 9 Dec 2015 – Counties can offset greenhouse gases with stream restoration Daily Democrat 7 Dec 2015 – Marin environmental group launches project to plant 10,000 redwood trees – Marin Independent Journal 30 Nov 2015 – Marin coastal waters under review as part of state program Marin Independent Journal 24 Nov 2015 – Where and When to See King Tides in the Bay Area and California KQED Science 26 Oct 2015 –  Levee breach transforms Sears Point farmland back into wetlands The Press Democrat 26 Oct 2015 – Restored Wetlands and the floods in our Future San Francisco Chronicle ANNOUNCEMENTS Share your love and appreciation for the wild places of the Bay Area with a holiday gift subscription to Bay Nature magazine  Check out new NOAA website “Coastal Flooding in California” addressing the issue of elevated sea levels from El Nino and how King Tides may cause coastal flooding Register NOW for the 2016 North Bay Watershed Association Conference! Santa Clara Valley Water District extends RFP for grants and partnerships to restore wildlife habitat to Feb 18! From the Air, King Tides Show What’s Coming with Sea Level Rise National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration (NCER) 2016 Abstracts due January 8 Enrollment Period for USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is open through February 26, 2016, as the Program Celebrates 30 Years Pt Blue Conservation Science featured on KQED Forum Redwood Creek Trail Realignment & Dias Ridge Trail Extension EA/IS Open for Public Comment through January 8, 2016!     CONTACT US:  Beth Huning – Coordinator Sandra Scoggin – Assistant Coordinator Caroline Warner – Public Outreach Coordinator STAY CONNECTED