Richardson Bay Audubon Center Tiburon, CA 76 Greenwood Beach Road Tiburon, CA

Transcription

1 Bay Area Council Meeting Saturday, January 10, 2015 Richardson Bay Audubon Center Tiburon, CA 76 Greenwood Beach Road Tiburon, CA NOTES Attending: Bill Hudson - Golden Gate Laura Gobbi - Golden Gate Susan Kirks - Madrone Audubon Tiffany Erickson - Madrone Audubon Barbara Salzman - Marin Audubon Helen Lindqvist Marin Audubon Ariana Rickard - Mount Diablo Audubon Society/Audubon California Robin Leong - Napa-Solano Audubon Wendy Schackwitz - Napa-Solano Audubon Ginny Marshall - Sequoia Audubon Juan Altamirano Audubon California Garry George Audubon California Kerry Wilcox Richardson Bay Audubon Center Orien Richmond US Fish and Wildlife Service Absent: Ohlone Audubon Santa Clara Valley Audubon AGENDA 9:15 am Orien Richmond, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USFWS mid-winter waterbird surveys 10:00 am Wendy Schackwitz, Napa-Solano Audubon Report on California Audubon Board Meeting (Dec. 12 th ) 10:15 am Wendy Schackwitz, Napa-Solano Audubon 1

2 Christmas Bird Count for Kids program 10:30 am Ariana Rickard, Audubon California Role of new Chapter Network Managers 10:45 am Juan Altamirano, Audubon California Update on Altamont Pass Juan s background is in grassroots and advocacy as an organizer. He would like to share knowledge with chapters on how to create campaigns and engage new populations. He has been with Audubon CA for three months. Audubon CA and Golden Gate Audubon are opposing Altamont Winds Inc. s (AWI) permit extension application. Please see comment letter for more information. Juan and Mike Lynes, Director of Public Policy for Audubon CA, are asking the five chapters who originally signed on to the lawsuit (Golden Gate, Marin, Ohlone, Santa Clara, Mount Diablo) to attend February 3rd hearing. Other Bay Area chapters can also participate, but chapters in Alameda County will be most important. Letters would be fine, phone call better. Attending hearing is best. Juan Altamirano Associate Director of Public Policy jaltamirano@audubon.org , ext. 114 Juan asked the group how can Audubon California change or continue dialogue to make it flow more evenly across channels? Wendy Schakwitz, Napa-Solano Audubon CA should help chapter leaders understand the prioritization of policy issues. Policy staff could designate only one thing to do each month. For comments, would be helpful to provide a sample letter to chapter leaders. Susan Kirks, Madrone Audubon CA should let chapter leaders know what s happening legislatively that we need to watch (state level). What kind of advocacy is going on? Advocacy Day March 11. Please save this date for Audubon California s first Legislative Day in Sacramento. We will recruit members to come to Capitol, where they will receive training on lobbying from an expert. Policy staff will provide talking points on priority bills and then we will meet with representatives in groups. We will talk about who we and important pieces of legislation. Mike is recommending for those out of town to come up the night before so we can strategize and he can do some training. Stay tuned for details from Mike and Juan! Audubon California can also provide training on a local level, such as how to interact with supervisors and local legislators in an effective manner. Best to deliver a compelling message in a 30 second framework to capture legislators attention. Then follow up and be a constant presence in their office by developing a relationship with an elected official and/or staff member. Another possible advocacy tool text messages regarding action alerts. Chapter member could reply 2

3 and then push a button to call their representative. Would allow Audubon California staff to track communications with constituents and representatives. 11:00 am Susan Kirks, Madrone Audubon Jay Holcomb Legacy Fund/International Bird Rescue Center Jay Holcomb was a pioneer in rescue and rehabilitation of oiled birds and wildlife. He passed away last summer and a fund has been set up in his honor to benefit International Bird Rescue. Donations will be used to construct new aviaries to help with the rescue and rehabilitation of waterbirds. All donations are being matched by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network. Madrone Audubon is encouraging Bay Area Audubon Chapters to consider donating to the Legacy Fund in honor of Jay's work and continuation of the important work of International Bird Rescue. $ donations would be greatly appreciated. Madrone Audubon contributed $500. Feel free to contact Susan Kirks for more information. 11:15 am Chapter Reports Golden Gate Audubon Laura Gobbi Alameda Point/FAWR: Transfer Ceremony of land from US Navy to Veterans Affairs in early November, 2014, which includes the 500-acre Wildlife Reserve for the California Least Terns and approximately two dozen other nesting bird species. Ensures permanent protection for birds. Snowy Plovers: EBRPD implemented symbolic fencing for the wintering Snowy Plovers at Crown Beach in Alameda. First WSPs arrived just 16 days later! Flock count is up to 17 of these threatened birds (<2,000 in entire West Coast population) including 4 color-banded Plovers. Osprey: Speaker Series on Jan 15 in Berkeley, highlighting GGAS & GGRO s cooperation to monitor all known osprey nests on SF Bay. Article was just published in November in Western Birds with findings from that study. (GGAS is a co-founder of the Bay Area Osprey Coalition). Ground Squirrels in Berkeley: Program launched as an alternative to City of Berkeley s lethal eradication plan. Our alternative includes: public education (brochures), signs and fines for feeding squirrels if not compliant. Important not to kill the squirrels because they create sheltering areas used by overwintering Burrowing Owls. Vaux Swift Communal Migratory Roost: At McNear s in San Rafael. GGAS volunteers monitoring Vaux Swifts this season. This roost is actually in Marin Audubon s territory but monitoring of the site has been led and conducted mostly by GGAS members. At least 20% of entire US population is in San Rafael. Cindy will soon be submitting an application to California Audubon requesting Important Bird Area Status (IBA) for this site. Burrowing Owl Conservation in Bay Area: Opportunity to coordinate with Santa Clara Valley Audubon 3

4 to analyze management practices in whole Bay Region and publish a single report with comprehensive region-wide BUOW recommendations. Urban Heronry: Planning to add an additional docent program to educate multi-cultural community in downtown corridor of Oakland about herons and egrets nesting on street trees. Will utilize SFBBO survey protocols to add citizen science. Napa-Solano Audubon Wendy Schackwitz Four interns are working for the chapter on education, citizen science, social media, website and marketing. They helped with the CBC for kids, made brochures, and lead walks. The interns will help with a bluebird nesting box project at two schools in American Canyon. Project received $200 from Wildlife Commission. CA Conservation Corps built 25 boxes which are ready to be installed on school grounds. Interns will go to schools and lead student surveys (partial nest watch) in mornings. Data saved in ebird. Robin Leong Levee breached in Cullinan project, flooding 1200 acres. This was the culmination of a project that started in More information: Marin Audubon Barbara Salzman Trying to buy five acre piece at Corte Madera. Received $30K grant through Audubon CA, will hopefully get additional money in February. Still need $400K. Three successful CBCs this year, total of 185 species. Sequoia Audubon Ginny Marshall Newly established Sister Audubon chapter in Panama. Sequoia chapter members went to Panama and birded with sister chapter. Also discussed common concerns like Pacific Flyway shorebirds and Western Sandpiper monitoring, and environmental education. Sequoia did a binocular donation drive and delivered a box of bins for their youth and monitoring programs. Two CBCs: Crystal Springs (202 species) and Año Nuevo (169 species) Pacifica Shorebird Alliance received a grant from Audubon CA to erect symbolic fencing at Pacifica state beach to protect Snowy Plovers and to monitor population. One plover last time they counted. Trying to update breeding bird atlas. Conservation two developments, Redwood City salt works, filling in salt ponds. New development in works for Foster City. Large marina. Close to sandbar that is hosting redknots, skimmers, place they want to conserve. 4

5 Involved in lawsuit over Sharp Park Golf Course, which contains habitat for CA Red-Legged frogs. Madrone Audubon Susan Kirks Lawsuits Cliff Swallows at Petaluma River bridge. In year 2 of settlement agreement Last nesting season. No injuries or bird deaths. Exclusion material worked. CBC 181 species less total birds. Petaluma Wetlands Alliance, CBC for kids successful. EIR out on dredging shipping channels in SF Bay area. Comments due on January 20. Army Corps and SF Bay Water Control Board. City of Petaluma to support dredging. Renewable energy committee trying to stay on top of any proposal that comes into Sonoma County. North County proposal land that is owned by Army Corps. Dry Creek working with Rio Solar. 42 acres to power River Rock Casino. Federal process, EIS. County not involved. Phase 1. Area that doesn t have environmental value, reportedly. Breeding Bird Atlas Coverage is extensive. Just e-edition not a paper version. High school and college students are involved in project. Mount Diablo Audubon Ariana Rickard CBCs Eastern & Central Contra Costa County, plus a Christmas Bird Count with our Young Birders Club Conservation Committee working on rat poison education campaign with Raptors are the Solution (RATS) and distributing brochures about keeping cats indoors. Piloting phenology study with Audubon CA to look at effects of climate change on birds in our local area. Audubon California Garry George Energy siting grants and climate grants available for chapters. Golden Gate could apply for financial assistance for Altamont Pass issues for intern, lawyer, or consultant. Santa Clara Valley could apply for funding to look at siting issues in Panoche Valley. 12:30 pm Kerry Wilcox, Audubon California Proposed SF Bay IBAs Closures? What are appropriate conservation actions for these areas? 1:00 pm Hanging Chads new and unresolved issues to put a button on Meeting adjourned at 1:20pm 5