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PROTECT HUNTING
Our hunting tradition and wildlife habitat is under serious threat. Care about the future of our heritage?
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Check out the COHA
Field Wire.
Subscribe to our Field Wire email newsletter and receive immediate updates on issues critical to you and join the COHA Action Team. |
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| "Our Association believes that it is no longer enough to simply conserve and improve habitat, we must also get involved with the 'Decision Makers' that are determining the use of this valuable, renewable resource." |
Andy Wood,
President of the California Deer Association |
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Contra Costa County – Ban Bow Hunting
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On July 13th, COHA and representatives from Alliance member the “California Bowmen Hunters/State Archery Association” (CBH/SSA) attended the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting to oppose a proposed ordinance that would have categorically prohibited the use of all archery equipment on all public and private properties zoned residential or commercial within Contra Costa County.
After intense opposition from COHA, CBH/SAA, and other archery proponents, the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors rejected the proposed ordinance. However, the Board did vote to send the issue to their Public Safety Committee for further discussion. The Public Safety Committee is scheduled to meet on August 16th to determine what, if anything, the County needs to do to address possible archery related safety concerns within Contra Costa County. COHA will attend the upcoming hearing to ensure that the County does not unreasonably prohibit or limit archery in areas that are otherwise safe. |
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Klamath Basin
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Klamath Basin
COHA continues to work with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), local agricultural interests and others to ensure adequate annual water deliveries to wildlife-friendly agriculture and the Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex in the Upper Klamath Basin – including Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (LKNWR) and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges (TLNWR).
2010 Water Projections
The Refuges are last in priority within the USBR Klamath Project to receive water so, if shortages occur, water for refuges is always the first to be shut off. This year, as a result of extremely low precipitation and increasing listed species requirements, the wetland water outlook for the Klamath NWR Complex is the worst it has been in a long while. In early May, USBR released the annual Operations Plan for their Klamath Project – the primary surface water source for LKNWR and some other refuges within the Klamath NWR Complex – states that due to the severe water supply conditions this irrigation season, it is “unlikely” the national wildlife refuges will receive any water from April 1 through October 31, 2010. The Plan goes on to also state that any releases from November 1 through March 31.2011, will be contingent upon hydrologic conditions and Upper Klamath Lake elevations. Based on this projection, refuge staff anticipates the total fall wetland acreage on Lower Klamath NWR to be reduced by 75% to 80% of normal. Staff also predicts that wetland acreage on Tule Lake NWR will have to be reduced 60% by mid summer, with both Sump1A and Sump 1B being completely dry by fall. The last time Sump 1A was dry was back in the 1930's. If mudflat exposure is reached on the entire Sump 1A unit by the end of June, an expansion of up to 6,000 acres of new emergent marsh is expected, along with thousands of acres of seasonal wetland plants such as smartweed and goosefoot. Summer nesting will be largely unaffected on Lower Klamath NWR, but summer nesting will be impacted on Tule Lake NWR. Needless to say, waterfowl hunting on both refuges will be impacted significantly during the upcoming 2010/2011 hunting season due to these drought conditions.
Over 450 species of fish and wildlife use the 200,000 acres of habitat offered on the six refuges within the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex. All six refuges are directly tied into the USBR Klamath Reclamation Project and are directly impacted by the water shortages to the Project. Many of these wildlife species also depend on nearby agricultural lands for food and the open space they provide for security. Water shortages on agricultural lands will negatively impact some species of migratory birds such as snow geese, Ross geese and white-fronted geese, as well as the species that prey upon them such as the bald eagle.
COHA staff has met with Ron Cole, Refuge Manager for Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge, many times to discuss numerous issues including refuge water, agriculture activities, Klamath River restoration efforts and – most importantly – a critical accord between water interests called the “Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, (KBRA)”. Following roughly four intense years of negotiations between twenty-six stakeholder groups, this wide ranging agreement sets forth management of water resources in the Upper and Lower Klamath Basins. Currently, the KBRA is only a few signatures short of a full consensus of the negotiating groups. Once all the signatures are attained, the agreement must be codified by federal legislation – similar to the CVPIA – which statutorily assures the Refuge Complex will get sufficient water in all but the driest years. Under the KBRA, the USFWS would have the legal right to call for water delivery to LKNWR exactly when needed, not just when it is available. Habitat management would be more adaptive and habitat quality would improve dramatically. The refuges would become an equal purpose in the USBR Klamath Reclamation Project along with agriculture, receive lease land revenue for wildlife conservation programs, and be required to share the costs of pumping water from Tule Lake to Lower Klamath Refuge wetlands. If the KBRA were fully implemented, the refuges would be able to provide sufficient water for endangered fish and wildlife to make it through this severe drought. Without the KBRA, the refuges, and the public which enjoys them, will have to suffer through many more water-short years like the one we are experiencing in 2011.
COHA staff will certainly be working closely with Congressman Mike Thompson, his staff, and other interested Members of Congress in the near future to craft the federal legislation that would place the KBRA in statute. Estimates are that full implementation of the agreement, once signed by all parties, will take 8 to 10 years. In the meantime, the KBRA has provisions which assure some refuge water delivery. |
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Protecting Mystic Lake
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Located in Riverside County – a region with a near desert climate and the highest growth rate in our state – the future of Mystic Lake wetlands largely hinges upon identifying and securing long-term water supplies and warding off the looming crush of urban sprawl. Front and center in early 2010 is the battle to protect the public and private wetlands from the crush of an urban development project which proposes to build high density housing literally up to the edges of these critical habitats. COHA continues to work closely with Mystic Lake private wetland managers, adjacent San Jacinto Wildlife Area staff, CWA and other concerned parties to establish an adequate buffer next to the habitats. Riverside County Supervisors voted in February to tentatively approve the project. COHA staff was scheduled to testify at a hearing, but was notified that the hearing was scheduled for “vote only” and closed to testimony.
Southern California’s Mystic Lake wetlands represent the first critical wetland block to be directly threatened by development. Recognizing that Mystic is the “canary in the mineshaft”, COHA is evaluating a variety of options for addressing such urban encroachment in the future – including the possibility of state legislation which places County General Plan use restrictions on lands next to public habitats and private lands under conservation easement. Recognizing the severe difficulty of passing such legislation in our state, COHA is also evaluating other options. COHA remains fully committed to doing all that is possible to address the concern of urban encroachment at Mystic Lake and throughout the state.
On the water front, for the past several years, COHA staff has worked closely with the Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) and the wetland owners and managers in an unprecedented effort to obtain the numerous regulatory approvals necessary to use reclaimed water for wetland management. After much effort by all parties, the approvals were put in place last year, with waterfowl and public and private wetland managers benefitting from the delivery of reclaimed water this past fall.
Previously, privately owned wetlands were fully dependent on about 4,775 acre-feet of groundwater annually to manage their roughly 800 acres of habitat they provide. However, with groundwater aquifers tremendous stress and pumping costs ever on the rise, new sources of water needed to be identified and secured if these habitats are to survive over the long-term. With available surface water nearly non-existent and priced far beyond reach, private landowners and COHA staff turned to a previously untapped source – reclaimed water. Using reclaimed water for wetland management was not new and innovative – but never has it been used in a case such as this. Prior to discharging into Lake Elsinore, floodwaters in the San Jacinto River basin flow through Canyon Lake, a source of drinking water to the local community. Due to health safety concerns, SARWQCB, Department of Health Services (DHS) and local water district policy prohibits the application of reclaimed water on wetlands during the rainy season in a floodplain that feeds into a drinking water source. In an effort to obtain unprecedented approval for the use of recycled water on these wetlands, COHA staff worked closely with EMWD for over three years to obtain the suite of unparalleled approvals necessary to secure this long-term water source for fall and winter wetland management. Following numerous meetings and an extensive report prepared by COHA staff demonstrating the minimal health risk, interim approvals were received from the downstream water district, SARWQCB and DHS last year.
During the summer of 2009, COHA worked with private wetland owners and managers in the Mystic Lake region to address another threat to come their way – a notice from the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (SARWQCB) that requires the submittal of a monitoring plan and schedule and submittal of an agricultural nutrient management plan. The intent of the SARWQCB order being to address nutrient discharges to Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake. To assist the Mystic Lake private wetland managers with this effort, COHA called contacts at the SARWQCB to discuss with them the fact that, although the wetland region in question is technically zoned as agricultural, the lands are not in agricultural production and are managed as wetlands. Further, COHA pointed out that the desired wetland vegetation is generated by water application timing and depth and that no nutrients or fertilizers are applied, nor is any livestock present on any of the areas. COHA was also in continual contact with the Western Regional County Agricultural Coalition – the private entity responsible for assisting the SARWQCB with program implementation – to seek their support of exempting the wetlands area from the order. When all the spade work was done, the Mystic Lake wetland owners were able to easily obtain an exemption from the notice by the SARWQCB. |
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Sacramento Valley - Willow Creek Mutual Water District - Lambertville Water
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After several years of effort, COHA is close to securing an unprecedented three-year interim water contract between the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and the Willow Creek Mutual Water District (WCMWD) for up to 3,000 acre-feet of guaranteed annual wetland water deliveries for privately managed habitats in Lambertville. If successful, WCMWD will become the first “new” Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) contractor since the federal legislation was passed in October of 1992.
Early COHA efforts focused on meeting with USBR representatives and touring them around Lambertville to demonstrate the tremendous habitat values provided on private lands within WCMWD in order to verify the merits of establishing the District as the first new CVPIA contractor. Successful in that regard, earlier this year, COHA, WCMWD and USBR staff turned their attention to trying to reach agreement on draft contract language and water pricing which could be brought forth to top USBR personnel for their consideration. With agreement now reached on the draft contract, the document is now awaiting USBR final review and signature. COHA hopes to have the contract signed and in place by the end of September, just in the nick of time for this fall’s flood up.
If we are successful, this allocation of water will supplement the first block of water COHA staff helped obtain a few years ago to meet Lambertville’s critical annual wetland water needs. The first block – roughly 1,400 acre-feet of Battle Creek water – was secured for Lambertville via the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the result of a lawsuit settlement a few years ago. |
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Suisun Marsh - Bay/Delta
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COHA staff continues to work closely with the Suisun Resource Conservation District (SRCD) on a variety of issues of concern to private wetland owners and managers in the Suisun Marsh. These efforts include seeking assistance for the most difficult issue facing private wetland managers in the Marsh – the need for public funding to cost-share with private landowners on maintenance and repair of exterior levees. To address this concern, COHA continues to collaborate with SRCD on ways to secure long-term public dollars to assist Marsh landowners with levee maintenance, and has strongly evaluated the possibility of future legislation which would help to earmark state funding for this purpose. However, the current severe state budget crisis fully precludes any serious legislative push during the coming session.
On the legislative front, COHA has been working closely with SRCD on the various Bay-Delta and water bond measures that are currently pending before the State Legislature. Specifically, we are working on amendments to SB 458 (Wolk), which creates a Delta Conservancy to fund habitat restoration and related efforts in the region. Our proposed language would give SRCD representation on the Conservancy’s Board while also ensuring that any Conservancy project is consistent with the Suisun Marsh Protection Plan. Senator Wolk also has a Water Bond measure, SB 456, which, at COHA’s request, includes $100 million for CVPIA wetlands. COHA will be working with SRCD and other conservation partners to carve out a portion of the $100 million specifically for the Presley Program, which many Suisun Marsh landowners currently participate in.
COHA also recently served with SRCD on the “Delta Vision Stakeholders Committee" – a committee of 41 appointed Delta interests who were tasked with providing recommendations on sustainable land use and water management throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta and the Suisun Marsh. (See http://deltavision.ca.gov/). At primary issue in this effort was the very real threat that the state’s Delta Vision process would result in a powerful recommendation that the Suisun Marsh’s privately owned and managed wetlands should be returned to tidal marsh. However we are pleased to state that, with the considerable assistance of SRCD, the committee recently agreed to recommend that the Suisun Marsh Plan -- which SRCD staff has been working closely with state and federal agencies to develop -- will be used as the Delta Vision template for the Suisun Marsh. |
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Grasslands - San Joaquin Valley
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In 1992, President George Bush signed into law the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) which mandated “guaranteed" water deliveries to federal refuges, state wildlife areas and private wetlands within the Grasslands Resource Conservation District. Seventeen years later, COHA continues to work with Grasslands Water District (GWD), the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) in order to maintain full annual deliveries of “Level 2??? water and to obtain the funding necessary for the acquisition of “Level 4" water supplies for the Grasslands.
With Level 4 water acquisition already a serious on-going problem, the Grasslands CVPIA water picture recently appeared to get even darker. With the state headed for another dry year, and powerful San Joaquin Valley agricultural interests scheduled to receive only a small percentage of their needed deliveries, GWD and COHA got word that USBR was considering cutting into the CVPIA Level 2 water deliveries to ease their pain. Further, they were urging DFG to do the same with their Level 2 allocation. In response, COHA and GWD immediately set up a conference call with the DFG Director and his Chief Deputy to discuss the issue and note our opposition. During the call, DFG was quick to point out that the CVPIA contracts were tightly written, and that the Department had no intention to reallocate CVPIA “mitigation" water for agricultural purposes. Taking nothing for granted, the following day at the Senate Rules Committee confirmation hearing of DFG Director, Don Koch, COHA testified in support but noted our very serious concerns regarding the possible reallocation of CVPIA wetland water for other purposes.
In early February, COHA was also asked to provide expert testimony at a special hearing of an Independent Review Panel assembled by USBR at the direction of Congress to address Level 4 water acquisition. COHA was pleased to provide substantial testimony regarding the history, intent, and resource benefits of the Act. COHA also used this opportunity to familiarize panelists and those in the audience with the solid biological basis and detailed analyses of documented wetland water use and needs behind the CVPIA’s “Refuge Water" provisions. COHA was clear to point out that the need for the wetland water is even greater today than it was 17 years ago, and that funding necessary for CVPIA wetland water acquisition must be elevated in priority.
COHA is also currently working with USBR staff and GWD on preparing the background detail necessary to initiate federal legislation which would, if passed, appropriate to the USBR the substantial funding necessary to acquire Level 4 water. Pursuant to the CVPIA, these wetlands were supposed to receive annual water deliveries necessary for full wetland development (i.e. "Level 4" water) by 2002. However, to this point, budget limitations have resulted in the responsible resource agencies not acquiring long-term water to meet the statutory mandate. COHA hopes to have this detail ready to take to potential authors on Capitol Hill later this summer. CVPIA water deliveries are an absolute top priority, and COHA will continue to work closely with GWD on this important issue.
COHA also continues to work with the Grasslands Water District and landowners to seek ways to insure that lands currently or previously enrolled in the federal water bank program can qualify for assistance under one of the measure’s many conservation programs, and to ensure that California Waterfowl Habitat Program (Presley) funding remains available during the current fiscal crisis to address Grasslands wetland needs. |
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Tulare Basin - Wildlife Management Area Approved/Federal Easement Funding Authorized
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In September 2009, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC) approved funding to acquire the first three conservation easements which will protect 1,042 acres of private land easements in the newly established Tulare Basin Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley. COHA was pleased to play a major role in approval of the TBWMA in order to expedite efforts to preserve and restore critical wetland habitats in the region which has suffered the greatest percentage loss of this habitat type in North America. Funding for the purchase of the conservation easements was obtained from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which allocates the revenue from federal duck stamp sales. The easements, which will be purchased only from willing sellers, will leave lands in private ownership and on the local tax tools, while also ensuring they will provide their habitat benefits to waterfowl and other wetland–dependent species for generations to come. Additional perpetual easements will be acquired from willing sellers as additional funding becomes available.
The Tulare Basin WMA was recently approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in an effort to provide permanent protection for 22,000 acres of private wetlands and associated uplands in southern Tulare county and northern Kern county. The project area includes existing private wetlands and associated uplands adjacent to the Kern National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the Tulare Lake drainage. Historically, Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater wetland west of the Mississippi and provided habitat to hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl annually. Over the past century, however, the Tulare Lake has vanished due to flood control projects and water diversions for agricultural and municipal uses. Today, Kern NWR and the few remaining privately owned and managed wetlands provide are recognized by the Central Valley Joint Venture and North American Waterfowl Management Plan for their international importance to migratory waterfowl and shorebirds of the Pacific Flyway.
COHA played an important role in obtaining approval of the Tulare Basin WMA. In 2006, COHA President, Bill Gaines, helped secure necessary congressional support for the proposal on Capitol Hill. One year later, with the package struggling for final agency go-ahead, COHA helped obtain necessary Service approval by meeting with then Service Director Dale Hall to discuss the project and the relative importance of the Tulare Basin in national conservation priorities.
Other private stakeholders who helped bring the Tulare Basin WMA to fruition and secure the approval of the MBCC funding include California Waterfowl and the Tulare Basin Wetlands Association (TBWA). Previously, COHA staff teamed up with the TBWA to persuade the Service to approve final planning documents including the Environmental Assessment for the WMA.
The new Tulare Basin WMA project area includes existing private wetlands and associated uplands in southern Tulare and northern Kern counties, in the general vicinity of Wasco, California and Kern National Wildlife Refuge. Historically Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater wetland west of the Mississippi and provided habitat to hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl annually. While Tulare Lake has vanished due to water diversions for agricultural and municipal uses, remaining private wetlands have been recognized in the Central Valley Joint Venture and North American Waterfowl Management Plan for their importance to migratory waterfowl and shorebirds of the Pacific Flyway.
COHA also worked with the State Legislature to obtain language in four separate Bond Acts currently being considered which would provide critically needed funding to continue the California Waterfowl Habitat Program (a.k.a. Presley) for an additional ten years in the Tulare Basin. Similar language inserted by COHA staff in a bond act nearly ten years ago allowed the Tulare Basin to enter into this program for the first time. With the ten-year Presley contracts now in their eighth year, and the state fiscal crisis only worsening, COHA is busily fighting to obtain new funding to continue this private wetland program in this important waterfowl region. (See State Legislation, “$100 Million for Central Valley Wetlands”). |
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Downladable Press Release |
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Fight to Preserve Black Point Sports Club - Sonoma County
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For the past several years, COHA has worked hard to preserve the outdoor tradition and hunting opportunity offered for over 40 years at Black Point Sports Club in Sonoma County. During this time, Black Point Sports Club (BPSC) has had no option but to sign year-to-year lease extensions with Sonoma Land Trust. The latest lease, just recently signed by BPSC, included language which stated that the lease term through June 2010 would be Black Point’s last extension.
The price tag for Sonoma Land Trust’s planned restoration into tidal wetlands is roughly $30 million, with state, federal and private dollars all needed to complete the package. However, completing this funding package will not be as easy as the Trust had hoped due to the lagging economy impacting private contributions and the state’s share needing to be made available via bond funds – a funding source which is currently frozen indefinitely due to the state’s fiscal crisis. Recognizing the fact that it is highly unlikely that the Trust will be able to break ground on the project for at least a few years, COHA is now working with BPSC to approach the Trust to ask them if they would be willing to extend the lease an additional one to three years. Meanwhile COHA and our Black Point partners are working diligently to locate an appropriate site for relocation of the Club.
For over 45 years, BPSC has provided quality hunting, shooting and dog training opportunity for thousands of Bay Area residents. By offering several outdoor youth camps and hunter education classes each year, the Black Point Sports Club also plays an important role in educating our youth about the importance of conserving our wildlife and the habitats they depend upon. The current site also offers 648 acres of uplands and grasslands which provide critical year-round habitat for many avian species. The uplands provide important nesting habitat for several resident species of waterfowl – including mallards, cinnamon teal, gadwall, and Canada geese. In fact, some of the highest duck nesting densities in North America are known to occur in grassland blocks, like Dickson Ranch, which are immediately adjacent to the San Francisco Bay Estuary.
Over the past four years, COHA staff has fought hard to save the habitat and hunting opportunity offered by BPSC from destruction in favor of conversion to tidal habitat. Efforts have included providing testimony at town hall meetings, several meetings with top Department of Fish and Game personnel and other involved state agency heads, and leading organizational and grassroots efforts to provide input on environmental documentation. |
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South Bay Salt Ponds
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COHA recently met with Don Edwards NWR Manager and staff regarding the hunt program for the South Bay Salt Ponds. Issues of discussion included how to provide more hunting access to the navigable water sloughs of the refuge, as well as potential conflicts between Bay Trail users and hunters.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also recently issued Draft Compatibility Determinations as part of evaluating a proposal to implement a variety of public uses with new facilities on Pond A16, the Moffett Bay Trail (Ponds A2E, AB1, AB2 and A3W) and Pond SF-2 as a part of Phase 1 of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project on the Don Edward's San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
The Draft Compatibility Determinations were open for public comment until May 1st. COHA, in coordination with CWA, reviewed the Draft and jointly provided comments on newly proposed recreational uses, which include hiking, jogging and biking, and how such proposed uses may affect the existing waterfowl hunt program.
For more information: http://www.southbayrestoration.org/announce-public-use-projects.html
Last year, COHA also provided comments on the Environmental Assessment/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the South Bay Salt Ponds. The EIS/EIR will also help determine the allowable uses, including public hunting, of some 16,500 acres of salt ponds. COHA staff have been working very closely with both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Fish and Game on the hunt program for the salt ponds (which includes the Don Edwards NWR and Eden Landing Ecological Reserve) since they were initially purchased by the state and federal governments several years ago.
COHA’s long term goals for the south bay salt ponds it to ensure that the current hunt program is fully maintained, and that other proposed recreational uses of the area do not conflict with waterfowl hunting. |
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Fund for Animals Lawsuit – Hunting on Federal National Wildlife Refuges
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COHA recently provided written comments on the Environmental Assessment Supplement (EAS) for both the Sacramento River and Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuges. The EAS’s provide a cumulative analysis of the USFWS hunt program for both refuges.
According to the USFWS, the EAS’s were prepared as a result of the Fund for Animals lawsuit against the Service on March 14, 2003, alleging noncompliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in opening 37 refuges to hunting during the 1997-98 through 2002-03 seasons.
COHA’s comments support the USFWS recommended EAS’s, which found that hunting on the refuges did not significantly impact any game or non-game species, nor adversely impact other wildlife-dependent recreational uses. |
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