ISSUES & ACTIONS

California Fish and Game Warden Stamp

Only 385 Game Wardens Patrol and protect 159,000 square miles of California's Natural Habitat

The 2010 California Game Warden Stamp can now be purchased for $5 at CDFG Regional and Licensing Offices or by downloading and mailing in a PDF form available here. The inaugural stamp is a decal which can be proudly displayed to show your support for the work wardens do. All proceeds will be deposited into a special account and used to provide important tools for the 385 fish and game wardens statewide, including:

• New communications and surveillance devices
• Protective equipment
• Training in specialized areas
• New law enforcement programs, such as the DFG’s K-9 Program

For more information, go to the Warden Stamp Page on CDFG's website.

$260 Million in Economic Recovery Investments to Help California Address Long-Term Water Supply Challenges and Devastating Drought Conditions

Water-Related Economic Investments Total $1 Billion in the West

At a recent press conference with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California congressional leaders, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the Department of the Interior will invest $1 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) in America’s water infrastructure to create jobs and get the economy moving again.  Overall, the Department of the Interior will manage $3 billion in investments as part of the recovery plan signed by the President to jumpstart our economy, create or save jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st Century.

Of the $1 billion that Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation is investing in water projects across the country, $260 million will go to projects in California that will expand water supplies, repair aging water infrastructure, and mitigate the effects of a devastating drought the state is currently experiencing.  An additional $135 million is available for grants for water reuse and recycling projects; California is emerging as a leader in the development of these projects and is expected to also significantly benefit from this funding.

“In the midst of one of the deepest economic crises in our history, Californians have been saddled with a drought that is putting tens of thousands of people out of work and devastating entire communities,” said Secretary Salazar. “President Obama’s economic recovery plan will not only create jobs on basic water infrastructure projects, but it will help address both the short- and long-term water supply challenges the Golden State is facing. From boosting water supplies and improving conservation to improving safety at our dams, these shovel-ready projects will make a real and immediate difference in the lives of farmers, businesses, Native American Tribes and communities across California.”

Secretary Salazar, who earlier in the day toured the Sacramento Delta with Governor Schwarzenegger, announced that more than 30 Bureau of Reclamation water infrastructure projects will be funded in California under the ARRA,
including:

   ·  $40 million for immediate emergency drought relief in the West,
      focused on California. These investments will allow for the
      installation of groundwater wells to boost water supplies to
      agricultural and urban contractors, the facilitation of the delivery
      of Federal water to Reclamation contractors through water transfers
      and exchanges, and the installation of rock barriers in the
      Sacramento Delta to meet water quality standards during low flows;
   ·  $109.8 million to build a screened pumping plant at the Red Bluff
      Diversion Dam to protect fish populations while delivering water to
      agricultural users irrigating approximately 150,000 acres;
   ·  $22.3 million to address dam safety concerns at the Folsom Dam near
      Sacramento, which is currently among the highest risk dams in the
      country for public safety;
   ·  $8.5 million to repair water-related infrastructure at Folsom Dam;
   ·  $20 million for the Contra Costa Canal to protect water supplies for
      500,000 Californians and to build fish screens to restore winter-run
      Chinook salmon and the endangered Delta smelt;
   ·  $4.5 million to restore the Trinity River and honor the Federal
      government’s responsibility to the Native American Tribes;
   ·  $26 million for Battle Creek Salmon/Steelhead Restoration project,
      which will help restore fisheries that support thousands of jobs in
      northern California.
   ·  $4 million to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan for conveyance systems
      to move Central Valley Project and State Water Project water, habitat
      restoration and adaptive management;
   ·  $4 million to broaden scientific knowledge of Klamath River
      sedimentation for future management decision-making;
   ·  $20.7 million in smaller water infrastructure and related projects
      across California.

With an array of projects identified by stakeholders as critical, the Bureau of Reclamation worked through a rigorous merit-based process to identify investments that met the criteria put forth in the Recovery Act: namely, that the project addresses the Department’s highest priority mission needs; generates the largest number of jobs in the shortest period of time; and creates lasting value for the American public.

The $1 billion announced by Secretary Salazar today will go to programs
including:

   ·  Meeting Future Water Supply Needs (including Title XVI water
      recycling projects and rural water projects)  – $450 million
   ·  Improving Infrastructure Reliability and Safety – $165 million
   ·  Environmental and Ecosystem Restoration – $235 million
   ·  Water Conservation Initiative (Challenge Grants) – $40 million
   ·  Green Buildings – $14 million
   ·  Delivering water from the Colorado River to users in central Utah
      under the Central Utah Project Completion Act - $50 million
   ·  Emergency drought relief in the West, primarily in California - $40

Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department of the Interior’s economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery.

Other Current Issues and Actions

The bullet points below are intended to bring our members and the public quickly up-to-date on the current hot-topics that California Waterfowl is working on or excited about. More information on many of these issues will be available in upcoming editions of the California Waterfowl Magazine.  Sign up for membership and have it delivered to your door bimonthly. Add your voice and show your support by clicking here>> 

Last Updated 1-23-09

In the News
WON Cheers our Efforts: A wonderful write-up by Western Outdoor News in the ISE pull-out section highlights California Waterfowl as “the strongest voice for hunters and conservationists in the state.” Also, “California Waterfowl Association has taken youth education to an amazing level… and is involved at every level of outdoor education in the value of healthy marshes and stewardship for the benefit of California waterfowl.”

On the Radio: In several announcements during the holidays, National Public Radio in the Sacramento-Stockton region highlighted California Waterfowl’s new photo contest, “Take Your Best Shot,” and the role hunters play in a balanced ecosystem.


Pintail Progress
Model Progress: California Waterfowl and DFG are hosting a pintail workshop in late January to discuss population biology of pintails.  Participating organizations and agencies will include California Waterfowl, DFG, Ducks Unlimited, U.C. Davis, University of Nevada-Reno, and USGS.  This meeting is another step toward providing alternatives to the overly restrictive harvest models being proposed by USFWS.

Pintail Banding to Continue: California Waterfowl will resume post-season trapping and banding of northern pintails following the close of the 2008-09 waterfowl season.  We will focus on trapping in Sacramento Valley through February, and shift to the Klamath Basin in March as birds begin spring migration back to northern breeding grounds.

Great Support 
Colusa Dinner Amazing: California Waterfowl's annual Cioppino Feed in Colusa made its bid for the #1 event spot in December and set a new record in fundraising for our Colusa Chapter.

Bass Pro Support: Several employees of Pro Bass Shop in Visalia, along with former members of several other nonprofits, will band together to put on a fundraiser for California Waterfowl in the late spring.  Their goal is to be our #1 event in their first year. We love their enthusiasm!

Education and Outreach Spotlight
Grad Students Introduced to Hunting in a Big Way: With the support of Dr. John Eadie and generous contributions of Paul Bonderson, California Waterfowl held an incredible Waterfowl Hunting Camp for 12 graduate students at Bird Haven Ranch. The students, many of whom were unfamiliar and even suspicious of hunting at the start, earned their hunter education certificates and then went on a waterfowl hunt. The opportunity to openly discuss hunting topics and participate in a hunt has made life-changing impacts on these future wildlife managers and decision-makers.

Policy Update
Fish and Game Commission Event: In coordination with the California Fish & Game Commission, COHA is hosting an event at the Sutter Club in Sacramento in February to promote better coordination between the State Fish and Game Commission, County Fish and Game Commissions, and wildlife conservation organizations. Topics include improved coordination on common issues such as local prosecution of game violations, fine revenue collection, and increased grant opportunities for nonprofit wildlife conservation organizations.  California Waterfowl is serving as a sponsor of this unprecedented event.

New Co-Chair for Outdoor Sporting Caucus: We are pleased to announce that Democratic Assembly Member Cathleen Galgiani (17th-Livingston) has been selected to be the newest co-chair of the California Legislature Outdoor Sporting Caucus.  As a 5th generation Stocktonian, and longtime supporter of California Waterfowl and COHA, Assembly Member Galgiani is well aware of the importance of hunters and their substantial contribution to wildlife conservation. Galgiani joins Senator Dennis Hollingsworth (36th-Murrieta), who has served as the Republican co-chair on the Senate side since 2003.

North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) Meeting Reception:  Ducks Unlimited and California Waterfowl are hosting an evening reception for managers and biologists of Central Valley Joint Venture agency and nonprofit partners to meet with members of the NAWMP Oversight Committee in Sacramento in January.

California Waterfowl and COHA Oppose Project:  California Waterfowl and COHA recently submitted letters to the BLM and Inyo County opposing the proposed Coso Geothermal Project. The proposal includes tapping an aquifer 8 miles away in Rose Valley, which could negatively impact the wetlands and waterfowl of Little Lake.  For more information, see page 60 of the Nov/Dec issue of California Waterfowl.