10/9/2008
Two past and the current CALFED Lead Scientists and the CALFED Independent Science Board chairman will discuss emerging issues in the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and their implications for science and policy. The panel discussion is sponsored by CALFED and UC Davis.
9/25/2008
Scientists at the University of California, Davis, will report on their study to determine why populations of green sturgeon are declining faster than those of white sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The biomarkers and life history indicators that scientists are studying will be detailed during the October 2 Brown Bag Seminar presented by the CALFED Science Program.
10/8/2008
8/1/2008
The CALFED Science Program will hold a review panel on August 5, to provide input to the National Marine Fisheries Service as it develops a court-ordered revision of its biological opinion related to salmon. The original OCAP Biological Opinion was in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act.
7/17/2008
According to a report released today by the Public Policy Institute of California, building a peripheral canal to carry water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the most promising strategy to balance two critical policy goals: reviving a threatened ecosystem and ensuring a high-quality water supply for California's residents.The report was prepared by PPIC and five scientists from UC Davis, and builds on a report they published in 2007 that proposed nine different alternatives for improving the Delta's ecosystem and water supply reliability.
7/16/2008
Artificial propagation or raising organisms in captivity has gained interest as a strategy to preserve rare fishes. However, it is not without its concerns, specifically in the area of genetic fitness. This workshop will provide an opportunity for information exchange among scientists and managers who are already trying to use artificial propagation and those planning to do so locally.
7/1/2008
Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman has appointed aquatic ecology expert Clifford Dahm as CALFED Lead Scientist
7/22/2008
Levee fragility…seasonal flooding…drinking water supplies…irrigation…habitat…sound familiar? No, we’re not talking about the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. We’re talking about issues on the other side of the world. A delegation from the Shi-Men Area Restoration Working Group and the Institute of Technology Law in Taiwan will share their similar experiences at this Brown Bag Seminar Friday, July 25 at CALFED headquarters.
8/1/2008
The wildfires that have burned more than 1 million acres are the most visible symptom of another long, hot, dry summer in California. Less visible, though no less devastating, are the effects that the prolonged drought has on the state's water supply and environment.
8/1/2008
About 1,000 property owners in the Delta are going to get a wake up call from state officials.
7/31/2008
The state and federal owners of massive water export pumps in the Delta have asked a judge to grant them additional time to prepare a new operating plan to protect threatened fish.
7/31/2008
PALMDALE - Water officials from Sacramento touted a $9.3 billion bond proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein as a fix to the California water crisis.
7/30/2008
Vacaville Reporter- 7/30/08
Thanks to a grant from the California Department of Water Resources, a new farming method in the delta is attempting to "grow" wetlands.
7/30/2008
In what has become a nearly automatic move, Kings County supervisors on Tuesday extended a drought emergency declaration that has been in effect continuously since June 2007. The declaration comes at a critical water time for local farmers, who have been dealing with a second consecutive year of low rainfall and snowfall and a federal court decision last year to cut the pumping of Sacramento River Delta water into the California Aqueduct.
7/29/2008
A QUARTER CENTURY after it was soundly defeated by California voters, the Peripheral Canal is making a comeback. This time around it has the support of some environmentalists as well as the backing of the respected Public Policy Institute of California.
7/28/2008
Local and regional water agencies and water companies must jointly develop a strategy to avoid water shortages now that the Southland's traditional sources are drying up, according to a study released today.
6/19/2008
A wide-ranging public outreach campaign that included nearly 30 public meetings statewide and received more than 1,500 comments, found needs for improved coordination, communication, organization, information, management and science are needed among the state's watershed programs. The results of the Statewide Watershed Program Advisory Committee are now available.
6/27/2008
The Discover the Delta Foundation will be the topic of the July 8 CALFED Brown Bag Seminar. Ken Scheidegger, Foundation president, will provide an overview of the Foundation's mission and program, including "gateway" signage and construction of an information and visitor center.
7/3/2008
Independent Science Board to meet July 14-15
6/11/2008
Three town hall meetings will be held June 23-25 in the Delta to discuss numerous efforts that are going on in the estuary and open a dialogue with Delta residents. Ongoing town hall meetings will be planned in the future to maintain an open exchange of information.
6/18/2008
The final 2008 Interagency Ecological Program Pelagic Organism Decline Work Plan is now available. The Work Plan, developed by the IEP POD Management Team, describes the 2008 research studies and monitoring to evaluate the decline of pelagic species in the Delta and Suisun Bay.
6/16/2008
The State Water Resources Control Board released its Strategic Workplan for Activities in the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary to describe actions the California Water Boards will complete to protect beneficial uses of water in the Bay-Delta and to provide timelines and resources needed for implementing the actions. Public comment is being accepted through 12 noon on July 9.
6/12/2008
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a drought emergency in nine Central Valley counties from Sacramento to Kern, ordering state agencies to carry out creative water deliveries to help. The counties singled out have been especially hard-hit and the situation is expected to worsen since the Governor's original statewide drought declaration on June 4.
6/5/2008
The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the CALFED Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Report is compliant with the California Environmental Quality Act, concluding eight years of legal wrangling over an unprecedented state and federal planning process to improve conditions in the California Delta.
News Release5/30/2008
The State Water Resources Control Board is accepting applications for the 2008 CALFED Water Quality Grant Program to support projects in the Delta and its tributary watersheds for the purpose of reducing concentrations and loads of certain drinking water constituents of concern. Proposals will be accepted through July 10.
5/30/2008
The CALFED Science Program with the UC Davis Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture will hold a seminar discussing Dr. Stacy Luthy’s insights and findings on habitat usage of estuarine juvenile fish, bringing her experiences in East Coast estuaries to bear on the San Francisco Estuary.
5/23/2008
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority have announced the release of the final EIS/EIR for the Fish Passage Improvement Project at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam. The document describes and provides analysis of the alternative ways to improve fish passage at the dam, which although equipped with fish ladders, still delays and impedes fish passage.
5/28/2008
The Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force will meet May 28 and 29 to hear recommendations from four workgroups established to assist them: delta ecosystem, water reliability, Delta as place and governance and finance. The Task Force also will issue directions to staff for development of a strategic plan.
May 28 Webcast Link
May 29 Webcast Link
5/16/2008
The Department of Water Resources and the US Bureau of Reclamation issued biological assessments today on their respective water projects, particularly as they relate to Delta pumping and the effects on endangered fish species. This begins a process to develop new operational criteria for the state and federal water projects.
5/12/2008
The 2007 CALFED Annual Report, that recounts work of the CALFED implementing agencies during the last year of Stage 1 of the CALFED Record of Decision, is now available for downloading from the CALFED website and can be ordered in hard copy.
5/20/2008
The CALFED Science Program will host the second of two workshops May 20 on conveyance modeling in the Delta. The workshop will explore approaches to linking hydrodynamic and biological models and assess the potential outcomes to advise the Blue Ribbon Task Force on ways to achieve planning objectives.
5/8/2008
Experts from a CALFED Science Program Modeling workshop issued a summary report to CALFED Lead Scientist Mike Healey assessing the capability of existing hydrodynamic models to address Delta Vision Task Force needs. The experts concluded that existing Delta hydrodynamic models, when carefully and skillfully applied, can provide reliable information to the Task Force on the response of Delta hydrodynamics to conveyance changes.
5/6/2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced its determination that sufficient information exists to initiate a status review of the longfin smelt for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Today's determination is the first step toward listing of the longfin smelt or Spirinchus thaleichthys, a five-inch-long fish that lives in San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which has suffered a steep decline in abundancesince 2001 to just 13 fish recorded in a survey last year.
5/19/2008
The CALFED Independent Science Board (ISB) will meet Monday, May 19th to discuss the future of the ISB and overall science needs for the Delta. The meeting will be webcast.
Webcast5/16/2008
The CALFED Science Program will host a workshop on organic carbon in the California Delta to support the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force. The workshop will explore misconceptions about organic carbon, its importance to the ecosystem, and problems of organic carbon in drinking water.
Webcast5/14/2008
The CALFED Science Program with the UC Davis Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture will hold a seminar, Establishment of a Delta Smelt Refugial Population: Lessons from Other Species, Challenges, and Current Status. The 9 a.m. to 12 noon session at UC Davis will discuss challenges faced by the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory in establishing a refugial Delta smelt population.
4/30/2008
The CALFED Science Program has up to 12 Science Fellowships for graduate and postdoctoral students interested in ecology or ecological modeling of the California Bay-Delta system. Applications for the 2008 fellowships are now being accepted: the deadline to apply is June 6, 2008. For more information, visit the CALFED Science Program's website.
4/24/2008
The Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force meets to discuss the preliminary recommendations for the Strategic Implementation Plan from four stakeholder workgroups. The workgroups are addressing issues on water supply reliability, governance and strategic finance, Delta-as-place and the estuarine ecosystem.
April 24 Webcast Link
April 25 Webcast Link4/16/2008
Federal Judge Oliver Wanger ruled in Fresno today that a 2004 permit to operate state and federal water projects in California violated the Endangered Species Act and is potentially jeopardizing the survival of Central Valley steelhead and two salmon species. The ruling, which was expected, requires the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the National Marine Fisheries Service to prepare a new permit to operate the water systems, a task that is already underway.
4/9/2008
Federal grants for the CALFED Water Use Efficiency Program are available to implement urban and agricultural water use efficiency projects. Projects implemented under this program must show measurable benefits to CALFED objectives. Proposals are being accepted through June 2, 2008.
4/8/2008
Historical ecology is an increasingly recognized critical tool for regional habitat conservation and restoration. Understanding conditions before extensive disturbance helps scientists and managers set restoration targets, develop landscape-level conservation strategies and evaluate their success.
4/3/2008
The CALFED Science Program is convening the first of two workshops on Delta conveyance modeling on April 3. The purpose of these workshops is to publicly discuss various Delta conveyance modeling tools, assumptions and other variables, and to provide a facilitated discussion with organizations conducting Delta conveyance modeling.
4/1/2008
CALFED's Science Program will host a one-day workshop on April 1, intended to provide a forum for information exchange and discussion of issues about temperature modeling, salmonid protection and water management on the upper Sacramento River. This workshop will not be webcast.
3/20/2008
The Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force will meet March 20-21 to continue the task of developing a strategic plan to implement its vision for the California Delta by October 2008. This Task Force meeting will focus on the Delta ecosystem, water, governance and finance.
3/19/2008
The CALFED Science Program has released the latest issue of the peer- reviewed online journal San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science. This issue contains four articles on topics including delta smelt, phytoplankton trends in the upper estuary, particle transport in the Delta and regional hydrologic response to climate variability. All articles can be downloaded at
http://repositories.cdlib.org/jmie/sfews.
3/18/2008
Delta conveyance decisions will involve tradeoffs and compromises, and clear objectives are critical to a thorough evaluation of the alternatives. These are two conclusions highlighted in a brief synthesis report of two CALFED Science Program workshops held last fall on science issues related to Delta conveyance infrastructure. A document combining the synthesis and workshop summaries is now available on the CALFED Science Program website.
3/17/2008
The Department of Water Resources begins environmental review for Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, and hosts workshops on conservation and Delta emergency response planning.
EIR Notice of Preparation3/11/2008
Projected sea level rise over the coming century will cause new areas surrounding the San Francisco Bay and Delta to be inundated, with a wide variety of ecological and socioeconomic consequences. Noah Knowles, USGS, will present results of his work that characterize the areas at greatest risk of inundation at the 12 noon session.
3/10/2008
March 10 -- The CALFED Independent Science Board will have a teleconference meeting from 1:15 - 4 pm, to follow up on action items from its prior meeting Jan 30-Feb 1. Members will also discuss the future of the ISB and recommendations on the role of the Interagency Ecological Program in Delta planning. (Please note the start time has changed from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.)
3/7/2008
Four leading researchers will present their work on salmon mortality in the Columbia River Basin in this 9-to-noon March 7 seminar at UC Davis. This is an opportunity to gain insights into factors that might also be affecting California salmon populations, which have declined severely in the past two years and may be related to mortality in the ocean and estuary.
3/5/2008
Research funded through the CALFED Science Program is providing interesting information about how marshes develop and about human impacts to peat soils in the Delta. On March 5 Dr. Judy Drexler and Dr. Charles Alpers from the US Geological Survey and Dr. Steven Deverel of Hydofocus Inc. will present results from the REPEAT Project at this noon session.
2/29/2008
The Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force will meet February 28-29 to continue the task of 2008 developing a strategic plan to implement its vision for the California Delta. This Task Force meeting will focus on the Delta as place, the estuarine ecosystem, water and governance and strategic finance.
2/20/2008
Fish surveys in the western Delta during the period 2002 to 2007 determined native and non-native fish use patterns of various types of shallow water habitat. These patterns and their comparison to a similar survey in 1978-79 will be discussed by speaker Tom Cannon of Wildlands, Inc., at the 12 noon session.
2/8/2008
A forum for scientists to share the latest findings on hot topics in the Bay-Delta system will be held February 27-29, sponsored by the Interagency Ecological Program. Topics to be discussed include delta smelt and the pelagic organism decline, climate change, stressors to the system and many other topics.
2/6/2008
The CALFED Independent Science Board has sent a memo to implementing agency directors strongly recommending a substantial increase in resources for the development of measurable, quantifiable and scientifically-based performance measures for the CALFED Bay-Delta Program. Performance measures are crucial to implementing agency leaders, since they are fundamental to documenting and evaluating progress in a consistent and scientifically rigorous way.
2/5/2008
Delta Vision's science advisors have released a memo debunking some commonly held beliefs about Delta levees; for example, they do not always help to sustain a healthy Delta ecosystem and, in fact, may be the cause of many current ecological problems by cutting off critical exchanges of materials between land and water.
1/30/2008
The Administrative Record for the CALFED Programmatic EIR Cases is now available and searchable. The record includes relevant documents from the interagency staff team that prepared the Programmatic EIS/EIR, files of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program staff and files of the state CALFED implementing agencies.
1/30/2008
The CALFED Independent Science Board will meet Thursday and Friday, January 31-February 1, to discuss its strategic planning process, the role of the Interagency Ecological Program in Delta planning and a briefing on the Delta Regional Ecosystem Implementation Plan conceptual models and scientific evaluation process.
Meeting Materials | Webcast: January 31
| February 1 1/28/2008
The Governor's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force meets January 31-February 1 to begin shaping the implementation plan for its vision for the California Delta that is due to the Governor by the end of October 2008.
Meeting Materials | Webcast: January 31
| February 1 1/23/2008
The CALFED Science Program's State of Bay-Delta Science 2008: Summary for Policymakers and the Public report is now available online. This Summary is a preview chapter of the full State of Bay-Delta Science 2008 report to be released spring 2008. It highlights the most important changes in how scientists now understand the Delta and the policy implications of that understanding.
1/2/2008
On January 10, CALFED's Science Program will host a workshop as part of an independent review of the regional salmon outmigration study plan prepared by a U.S. Geological Survey-led team of researchers. The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at CALFED headquarters in Sacramento.
12/27/2007
An Independent Review Panel has issued a response to authors of the Delta Risk Management Strategy (DRMS) on its Phase I report that is expected to provide a foundation for future infrastructure and water resource management investments in the Delta. Phase II will provide identification and prioritization of strategies for reducing risk in the Delta.
12/17/2007
The Governor's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force has released its final report "Our Vision for California's Delta," which offers a vision for sustainable management of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for 30 to 50 years into the future.
News Release | Report Summary | Final Report12/14/2007
On Tuesday, January 8, Dr. Fraser Shilling of UC Davis will speak on the topic of subsistence fishing and fish contamination in the Delta. Dr. Shilling will present a case for "community-based research and management," to address research needs and environmental justice implications of fish contamination.
12/4/2007
CALFED's Water Quality Program has released its draft final assessment for the program's first seven years of operation consistent with required reporting milestones set forth in the CALFED Record of Decision.
11/29/2007
The Governor's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force meets today and tomorrow to take public comment on its third and final draft of
Our Vision for California's Delta, its plan for sustainable management for the Delta's future. The Task Force will present its final report to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger before year's end.
Delta Vision Chair Speaks | Meeting Materials | Webcast: November 29
| November 30 11/26/2007
The California Department of Conservation has announced the release of the 2007 Watershed Coordinator Grant Program Request for Proposals to fund watershed coordinator positions who facilitate watershed improvement efforts in the CALFED Solution Area. Proposals are due by January 4, 2008
11/20/2007
Two major policy reports dealing with the Delta will be presented to the Governor's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force at the group's November 29-30 meeting. The third and final draft of A Vision for California's Delta and a summary version of the CALFED Science Program's State of Science of the Bay-Delta System will be discussed at the meeting set for the Sacramento Convention Center.
Webcast:
November 29
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November 30 11/19/2007
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will hold a public meeting December 5 to present Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) Annual Work Plans for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, including presentations on its Aanadromous Fish Restoration and Screen programs and the Tracy Pumping Plant.
11/14/2007
The CALFED Science Program and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will co-sponsor a workshop November 15 on the state of science on spawning biology of smelts and craft a study design for delving into the spawning biology of Delta and longfin smelts in the San Francisco Estuary.
11/13/2007
On November 14, CALFED Lead Scientist Michael Healey will speak on adaptive management at the monthly CALFED Brown Bag Seminar. The session will be held at CALFED Headquarters from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
11/8/2007
The CALFED Bay-Delta Program End of Stage 1 Report developed by CALFED staff is now available. This report is the comprehensive review of actions taken in the first seven years of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program and was required at the program's onset. It will serve to backup the Draft CALFED Bay-Delta Program End of Stage 1 Statement to be signed by the Governor and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in early 2008.
11/7/2007
The most exhaustive study to date on mercury contamination in Northern California found that fish in the southern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta do not contain as much mercury as researchers expected. The San Francisco Estuary Institute led the study and the new findings allow state health officials to loosen consumption guidelines for certain species.
11/6/2007
This November 8 seminar will feature speakers from the University of California and the state Department of Pesticide Regulation talking about the role of toxics in Delta issues. Inge Werner of UC Davis, Don Weston of UC Berkeley and Frank Spurlock of the Department of Pesticide Regulation will be featured.
11/5/2007
This seminar will be held November 7, featuring Jon Burau and Aaron Blake of the U.S. Geological Survey, who will provide an overview of the 2006 North Delta Winter Salmon Out-Migration Pilot Study, and the Regional North/Central Delta Winter Salmon Out-Migration Study 2008-09.
10/23/2007
The Governor's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force will meet October 25-26 in West Sacramento. The meeting will focus on presentations and discussions of an updated draft of Delta Vision and water policy and governance structures.
Webcast:
October 25
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October 26 10/22/2007
CALFED's Independent Science Board will meet October 24-25 for briefings on a strategic effort to consider its role and that of the CALFED Science Program for the future as the new Delta Vision comes on line.
Webcast:
October 24
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October 25 10/18/2007
CALFED Bay-Delta Lead Scientist candidate Nicholas Clesceri will speak on Unraveling the Complex World of Water Rsources in California: The CALFED Bay-Delta Program, at 12 noon on October 22. Clesceri is professor of environmental engineering emeritus at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
10/18/2007
CALFED's Indep
