California Society for Ecological Restoration October 2024 |
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In this newsletter, you will find: Expand Your Network: Join a Mentorship Family! Restoration project on Carmel River gets $35M funding Renew Yourself: Join SERCAL Thank you, Sponsoring Members! CAL-IPC Photo Contest Now Open! NOAA announces nearly $220 million for new habitat restoration projects Undergrad Mentorship Program Here's Some Good News! Santa Ana River Native Fish Survey Our Partner Organizations are the Best! Check Out All the Resources on our Website! |
We interviewed Isaiah Thalmayer, a member of the SERCAL budget and finance committee. We asked Isaiah:
What do you hope to see in terms of ecological restoration in the next year or so?
"There are so many exciting projects underway right now in California! In the future I hope to see more projects that support local communities, provide access to wild spaces and hands on learning opportunities. I also hope to see more projects including youth and early career folks. Restoration can do more than restore landscapes; it can restore people's connection to nature and empower communities to be stewards of their natural and cultural resources. "
Read the rest of the interview here!
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In October, we are working on Mentor Family matches and we need many more Mentors throughout the state! This year-long program pairs mid- and late-career restoration practitioners with early-career and Next Generation mentees. We will help you connect with folks in your area and in your field of interest.
If you have been involved in the program in the past, you will need to re-submit an interest form for our 2024/2025 cohort (the program resets after each annual conference).
It's time to discover how inspiring it is to inspire the Next Generation!
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Restoration project on Carmel River gets $35M funding |
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The successful funding of $35 million for the Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project on the Carmel River was celebrated on Friday, marking a major step towards returning a former golf course to its natural state. The event took place at Palo Corona’s Rancho Cañada Unit with federal, state, and local partners in attendance.
Objective: The project aims to restore a one-mile stretch of the Carmel River and reconnect it with its historic floodplain habitat. This will create resilient and self-sustaining habitats for wildlife such as steelhead and the California red-legged frog, and enhance the area as a community park.Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley: “Today we mark a major investment in this land because it is going to be a major enhancement for our environment with this floodplain restoration project. A project to restore the Carmel River in this special 1-mile section in its natural state so that it reconnects with its historic floodplain habitat.”Project Details:Restoration Work: The project will involve removing about 3,200 linear feet of riprap, excavating over 650,000 cubic yards of sediment, and creating backwater channels and alcoves to enhance aquatic habitats. The removal of former golf cart bridges and the construction of a new pedestrian bridge will also be part of the project.Impact: The restoration will help the Carmel River’s ecological recovery and support the federally threatened south-central California coast steelhead. It will also serve as a model for converting human-altered landscapes into natural habitats and encourage community and regional partnerships.
Read more here!
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Thank you, 2024 Sponsoring Members!
With your support of SERCAL, you are facilitating the growth and sustainability of a collaborative, knowledge-based, forward-thinking industry that is leading the effort to create and sustain a robust California native landscape for wildlife, plants, and people. We greatly appreciate the support and camaraderie of the following organizations and invite your organization to join in this important effort!
Valley Oak Sponsors
Arroyo Willow Sponsors
Sustaining Business Members Sustaining Individual Members Scott Dreher | Lisa Paterson | Emily Zefferman Our Cadre of Torchbearers for the Next Generation And the continued and generous support of Victor Schaff and the Schaff Family Foundation |
Vote in the CAL-IPC Photo Contest! |
Support CAL-IPC by submitting photos of before and after restoration results, weed workers in action, invaded landscapes, and any other restoration-related photos that can be used for their website, brochures, campaigns, and reports. Your help is much appreciated!
July 15 - Sept. 15: Submit photos online.
Sept. 16 – Oct. 24: Vote!
Oct. 25: Winners announced at the 2024 Cal-IPC Symposium.
Submit photos here!
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NOAA announces nearly $220 million for new habitat restoration projects |
NOAA Fisheries will announce 32 new habitat restoration and coastal resilience projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act on Thursday, July 18, 2024. These projects, totaling nearly $220 million, aim to:
- Build on decades of restoration work in priority watersheds.
- Implement innovative techniques for habitat restoration.
- Enhance urban ecosystems and benefit underserved communities.
- Protect coastal areas and ecosystems from climate change impacts.
- Support the recovery of threatened and endangered species.
Funding will be available in California as well as several other states.
Read more here!
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Undergrad Mentorship Program - Marine Sciences |
The Pathways to Research Training Program has provided funding to faculty so that they may provide mentorship to underrepresented students in ocean and coastal science.
"Many of the funded programs focused on one key strategy: mentorship, often accomplished by pairing undergraduate students with graduate mentors. One program, at San Diego State University, found success by creating research teams consisting of a community college student, a fourth-year undergraduate and a graduate student mentor. After participating weekly in collaborative research and online trainings for three months, the younger students reported a higher sense of belonging in the sciences."
Read more here!
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California has allocated over $48 million for 22 projects aimed at protecting, restoring, and improving public access to the state's coast and coastal watersheds. This funding is part of the Governor’s multi-billion-dollar California Climate Commitment.
Amy Hutzel: “Coastal Conservancy funding is being put to work to protect and restore the California coast, and to make it more accessible and climate resilient. The projects funded at this meeting, from wildfire resilience to wetland restoration to lower cost coastal accommodation, will help to address the many challenges that face our iconic coastline.”
Key Points from the Funding:
- $1,238,120 to Tamien Nation: For equipping a Native fire crew to manage tribal lands and conduct fire and fuel reduction work at Henry W. Coe State Park.
- $6,600,000 to the San Diego Unified Port District: To build Harbor Park, a 25-acre space featuring a beach, boat launch, and other amenities, which will enhance and replace facilities at Bayside Park on the Chula Vista Bayfront.
- $994,197 to 13 nonprofit organizations and 1 tribe: To support the Explore the Coast program, which aims to increase coastal exploration opportunities for around 6,100 Californians, including low-income individuals, people of color, homeless or foster youth, non-English speakers, and those with disabilities.
Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted the dual goals of expanding public access and addressing climate impacts. Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer of the State Coastal Conservancy, emphasized the significance of these projects in enhancing resilience and accessibility along California's coastline.
Read more here !
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Santa Ana River Native Fish Survey |
It's that time of year again! The Santa Ana Native River Fish survey is up.
"The Santa Ana River in the Los Angeles region of California demonstrates common habitat degradation symptoms that are characteristic of the urban stream syndrome. These impacts have altered the Santa Ana River community structure, with few species as impacted as the native Santa Ana sucker (sucker; Pantosteus santaanae). 2. Consequently, a recovery plan developed for sucker identified the need for a population viability analysis (PVA) to assess sucker extirpation risk."
To read more from this publication on the Santa Ana River Survey, click here
To view the dataset, click here
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Our Partner Organizations are the Best California Native Grasslands Association (CNGA) leads the popular Grasslands session at our conferences. Our organizations also offer a joint membership discount as well as discounted registrations to each other's events.
California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) is another important partner in restoring our native California landscapes. We offer discounts to each other's annual gatherings.
California Ecological Restoration Business Association (CalERBA) is a 501c6 organization that represents a growing sector of state businesses that specialize in delivery of high impact environmental outcomes.
California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving as a strong advocate, technical resource, and partner to the state's 96 RCDs so that they can be Relevant, Excellent, and Visible “go-to” hubs for conservation in their communities.
Ecological Workforce Initiative is working to meet the workforce needs of the growing ecological restoration industry by training workers for living-wage careers that support both the economic vitality of our communities and the health of our environment.
The UC Davis Graduate Program on Environmental Policy and Management provides advanced training in applying environmental science to real-world environmental policy and management issues focusing on building quantitative skills for practice-oriented careers in environmental policy and management.
Members of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) are able to earn CERP credits towards certification through SERCAL's annual conference.
The University of Wisconsin Press offers SERCAL members discounted subscriptions to Ecological Restoration and Native Plants Journal.
Are we missing a potential partner? Let us know who to contact! |
Post a Job | Find a Job
It's easy and it's free! Find a great job or an amazing new member of your team. Here are some of the most recent jobs posted to our website:
- Field Technician, Full-time, Seasonal - San Luis Obispo, CA. The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County. Application Filing Deadline: 10/07/2024.
- CA Inland Trout Program Manager - Truckee, CA. Trout Unlimited. Application Filing Deadline: 10/31/2024.
- Applied Conservation Ecologist - Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Application Filing Deadline: 11/01/2024.
- Senior Natural Resource Specialist - Sacramento, CA. Sanitation District Agency. Application Filing Deadline: 11/08/2024.
Go to our RESOURCES menu to find or post a JOB, VOLUNTEER events, and even MORE OPPORTUNITIES! |
Copyright © 2024, California Society for Ecological Restoration. All rights reserved.
Our email address is: info@sercal.org 515 N Desert Stra
Tucson, 85711
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