Category: Environment

USFS – LPNF Volunteer Opportunity

NEWS RELEASE

Los Padres National Forest
For Immediate Release
Contact: Andrew Madsen (805) 961-5759
Twitter: @LosPadresNF

Volunteers Wanted for Los Padres Preservation Project

GOLETA, CA, March 5, 2014….Los Padres National Forest officials today announced the Monterey Ranger District is seeking volunteers to work in an exciting archaeology program. Applications are being accepted for “Partners in Preservation” site stewards. The deadline for submitting your application is March 17.

To qualify as a “Partners in Preservation” volunteer, applicants are required to complete a 2-day training workshop. The next workshop will be held Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6. Training will take place April 5 at the Monterey Ranger District office in King City, followed by training in the field April 6.

This training is sponsored by the Ventana Wilderness Alliance and will be led by the Society for California Archaeology through its California Archaeological Site Stewardship Program with the assistance of Los Padres National Forest staff.

Additional volunteer opportunities on the Monterey Ranger District are available on an individual basis.

For additional information on the “Partners in Preservation” program or for other archaeology volunteer opportunities, contact North Zone Archaeologist Bob Strickland by phone at (831) 385-5434, extension 20771, or by email at rnstrickland@fs.fed.us.

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Proposed Fraking Legislation in California

California 2014 Bills: Last Friday, February 21st, was the deadline for introducing 2014 bills in the California Legislature. Over 1,900 bills have been introduced this year and here is one of proposed new laws:

SB 1132 (Mitchell & Leno) – to amend Public Resources Code § 31670, and to add § § 3160.1 and 3160.2 to the PRC. This bill would require a Natural Resources Agency’s scientific study (deadline: 01/01/2015) on well stimulation treatments, acid well stimulation and hydraulic fracturing treatments, to consider additional elements, including, among other things, evaluating various potential direct, indirect, and cumulative health and environmental effects of onshore and offshore well stimulation and well stimulation treatment-related activities, as specified. Would also prohibit all well stimulation treatments until the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency convenes a committee to review the scientific study, as specified, the Governor issues findings that specific measures are in place to ensure that well stimulation treatments do not pose a risk to, or impairment of, the public health and welfare or to the environmental and economic sustainability of the state, and, if applicable, those findings are affirmed by judicial review, as specified. Would also require the division to adopt a formal process to resolve any claims with respect to vested rights, as specified. Because a violation of the bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

OES DROUGHT INFO

I, bigsurkate, decided to edit out the entire article from the CA OES … it is too depressing, and just bring you the links so that those of you who want to track this 500 year drought can do so. I was going to forgo a garden this year, but I am thinking that the availability of produce may be curtailed, and the prices astronomical, so I might want and need to plant a garden. I want to make an accurate spring 24-hour delivery determination, first.

Snow Surveyors Find Sparse Snowpack, Drought Retains Grip on California
by Brad Alexander on January 30, 2014

If I was an alarmist, or a Prepper, this last sentence of this report would be cause for concern “… In May 2013, Governor Brown issued an Executive Order to direct state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water and water rights.”

Electronic snowpack readings are available on the Internet at:

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow/index.html

Reservoir conditions are found here:

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reservoirs/RES

For a broader snapshot of current and historical weather conditions, see DWR’s “Water Conditions” and “Drought” pages: Water Conditions Page
http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/

Drought Page

http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/drought/

SB 4 – Fracking Regulations

The California Department of Conservation (DOC) has sent out public notice of proposed regulations for the use of well stimulation in oil and gas production. The public notice begins the formal rulemaking process and marks the beginning of a 60-day public comment period. The regulations, which are to go into effect on January 1, 2015, are designed to protect health, safety and the environment, and supplement existing strong well construction standards. They address a comprehensive list of issues, including testing, monitoring, public notice, and permitting. The Department also will have emergency regulations in place by January 1, 2014 to ensure the major requirements on SB 4 are addressed in the interim.

To read the proposed regulations and other material, to see a schedule of upcoming public meetings, or to learn how to make a comment on the proposed regulations that will go into the official rulemaking record, please visit http://www.conservation.ca.gov/Index/Pages/Index.aspx http://www.conservation.ca.gov/Index/Pages/Index.aspxor http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/Pages/Index.aspx. http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/Pages/Index.aspx

There was a copy of this proposed legislation attached, but it is 13 pages. You should be able to find it at the links provided above.

Sudden Oak Death research

UC Davis, Sudden Oak Death Researchers recently published a paper in the journal Ecology which describes how coast redwoods are nearly four times more likely to die during forest fires in SOD-infested forests than in non-infested forests. Since the paper was published it has received some publicity. Check out this article on the National Science Foundation’s web site, complete w/photos:
http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=128879

And there’s also a brief paragraph of our findings in the September Newsletter of the California Oak Mortality Task Force:

http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/news-and-events/current-newsletter/

The results appear in: Metz, M.R.; Varner, J.M.; Frangioso, K.M.; Meentemeyer, R.K.; and Rizzo, D.M. In press. Unexpected Redwood Mortality from Synergies Between Wildfire and an Emerging Infectious Disease. Ecology.

The abstract can be found here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-0915.1.

A full copy of the article can be provided by contacting Kerri Frangioso (kfrangioso@ucdavis.edu). A copy will also be available at the Big Sur Library.

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Kerri Frangioso
Big Sur, Sudden Oak Death Project
University of California Davis
P.O. Box 693
Big Sur, CA 93920
831.620.1098
c530.219.1575

Condor Webcam

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
October 21, 2013

Oakland Zoo and Ventana Wildlife Society Install First
California Condor Webcam in the Wild

Big Sur, CA – On October 17, 2013, Oakland Zoo and Ventana Wildlife Society will turn on the first ever LIVE streaming webcam to monitor California condors in the wild. For more than a year, teams at Ventana Wildlife Society, Oakland Zoo, CamZone, and FedEx have strategized how to secure funding for the camera and install it into a remote area of Big Sur, California, only accessible via a treacherous service road. The months of hard work paid off in the end. As of today, field biologists and the public are now able to see the largest North American land bird up-close from the convenience of their desktops.

“We at Oakland Zoo are thrilled about this project,” said Nancy Filippi, Managing Director at Oakland Zoo. “There was a time when we honestly didn’t know if installing this camera would be possible. It took nearly a year of trouble shooting with phone companies and local wireless support, traveling to Big Sur to survey areas, and working diligently with CamZone to make this happen. We are invested in educating the public about California condors, and this camera is an outward display of our conservation mission.”

This webcam will become a vital tool to Ventana Wildlife Society as it will allow wildlife biologists to zoom in on birds, check tags, look for signs of medical issues, and easily monitor what is happening. Prior to having the webcam, biologists had to drive an hour and a half to the Big Sur location to check in on the birds. Now, they are able to cut three hours out of that process and can simply move the camera with remote access from their office computers.

“This new webcam allows viewers to see condor conservation through the eyes of the dedicated biologists who are trying to save this bird in the wild”, said Kelly Sorenson Ventana Wildlife Society’s executive director.” Funding generously donated by FedEx and a camera powered by Camzone, the public can now regularly observe California condors in the wild – an opportunity that was never possible until now. The webcam is accessible for viewing on the Society’s website http://www.ventanaws.org

VWS’s website is linked to the right, in my list of links. One of the better uses of technology.

And this is one of Dan’s, taken the old-fashioned way by staking out -sometimes for hours or days to get that shot!

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Beach Hazards

URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
133 PM PDT SAT OCT 19 2013

…A LONG PERIOD NORTHWEST SWELL IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE AT THE
COAST LATE SUNDAY EVENING…

.A LONG PERIOD NORTHWEST SWELL WILL ARRIVE TO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA COAST LATE SUNDAY EVENING. THIS SWELL WILL RESULT IN SNEAKER
WAVES…LARGE SURF AND STRONG RIP CURRENTS.

CAZ006-505-509-529-530-202045-
/O.NEW.KMTR.BH.S.0013.131021T0600Z-131023T0000Z/
SAN FRANCISCO-
COASTAL NORTH BAY…INCLUDING POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE-
SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA COAST-NORTHERN MONTEREY BAY-
SOUTHERN MONTEREY BAY AND BIG SUR COAST-
133 PM PDT SAT OCT 19 2013

…BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH
TUESDAY AFTERNOON…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAS
ISSUED A BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT FOR SNEAKER WAVES…STRONG RIP
CURRENTS AND LARGE SURF…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING
THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

* LOCATION…THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST STRETCHING
FROM SONOMA COUNTY SOUTH TO SOUTHERN MONTEREY COUNTY.

* TIMING…THE SWELL TRAIN WILL ARRIVE LATE SUNDAY EVENING AND
WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS…SNEAKER WAVES WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF WASHING PEOPLE INTO
THE SEA FROM BEACHES AND ROCKS…STRONG RIP CURRENTS AND LARGE
SURF.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…A BEACH HAZARD STATEMENT
MEANS THAT POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS MAY EXIST ON SPECIFIC
BEACHES. THESE HAZARDS MAY INCLUDE LARGE SHORE BREAK…STRONG RIP
CURRENTS AND POSSIBLY SNEAKER WAVES. ALL OF WHICH COULD BE LIFE
THREATENING. FISHERMEN SHOULD AVOID FISHING FROM ROCKS AND JETTIES.
BE SURE TO ALWAYS KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE OCEAN.

Fracking Legislation in California

-Information only – please do not reply to this email-

You are receiving this message from the California Department of Conservation because you have asked to be kept informed about the development of regulations for the use of hydraulic fracturing in California for oil and natural gas production. We are no longer accepting comments on the “discussion draft” of regulations that were released last year.

The Department has posted new information about the enactment of Senate Bill 4, addressing well stimulation treatments, including hydraulic fracturing, and the ongoing creation of official draft regulations to implement that legislation at http://www.conservation.ca.gov. As soon the official draft regulations are released, the Department, through this Listserv, will announce a portal for the submission of public comments that will be part of the formal rulemaking process.

I believe the list serve one would sign up for is:

DOGGR_REGULATIONS_INFORMATION@LISTSERVE.STATE.CA.GOV

I am on the list and will post as soon as I am notified of the release of official draft legislation. Comments made on that will go into the official record.

Feathers in Flight

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Have you ever seen a California condor up close and personal? Well, come to Ventana Wildlife Society’s Feathers in Flight event on Saturday, September 7, 2013 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM at Rancho Grande in Big Sur and meet “Dolly” a young condor from the Los Angeles Zoo making her first appearance in central California. This is the first time a live condor will be on public display at a private event such as this one. This is truly so unique that it is actually hard to believe. But it’s true! Tickets are $75 per person and ages 12 and under attend free. Call Cathy Hamilton at 831-455-9514 or send her an email at cathyhamilton@ventanawsorg to sign up. All proceeds directly benefit California condor recovery Big Sur.
You can also signup online here http://ventanaws.org/events/

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Lilly Field

Do you remember the wonderful mission bells or chocolate bells? Frittilaria biflora.

Anyway, the ONE meadow they grow in had become absolutely over run with campers, and more came every weekend. Well, look what the PV Station of the USFS DID!

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They fenced it off! Yeah, yeah! Thank you E17!

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