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| Each year, COHA must fight to defeat dozens of bills and proposed regulations which would impact the future of your hunting heritage. |
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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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| Call to Arms Join the COHA Action Team to help on issues critical to you. |
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Fight to Preserve Black Point Sports Club
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For over 45 years, the Black Point Sports Club has provided quality hunting, shooting and dog training opportunity for thousands of Bay Area residents. In addition, 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.
For the past three years, COHA staff has been actively working to save the club from elimination in favor of tidal wetlands planned as part of the Sears Point Wetlands and Watershed Restoration Project -- a 2,327 acre wetland/upland restoration project along the San Pablo Bay by the Sonoma Land Trust. Currently, all three alternatives being considered for the project, including the preferred ‘Non-Tidal Alternative’, propose to “restore” 648 acres of the Project site known as Dickson Ranch to tidal wetlands – totally disregarding the substantial wildlife and public benefits the site currently provides.
Leased and managed by the Black Point Sports Club, these 648 acres currently offer uplands and grasslands which provide critical year-round habitat for many wildlife 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.
To help preserve Black Point Sports Club, COHA has, among other things, teamed-up with Club proprietor, Mike Sutsos, and other supporters to provide testimony at "Town Hall" meetings and comment during the environmental review process regarding the highly valuable habitat, and recreational and educational opportunity placed at risk by the project.
With the state and federal environmental review processes still in the very early stages, COHA staff will remain heavily involved with challenging this project for the next several months. Stay tuned for additional information as it becomes available. |
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California Hunters Must Respond to Anti-Hunting Group’s Assault
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The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s largest anti-hunting organization, is now working to consolidate many more animal rights organizations under its powerful political umbrella.
HSUS, which has already absorbed the Fund for Animals and the Doris Day Animal League, currently has over 10.5 million members and supporters -- 3.1 million more than it had just five years ago. When HSUS declared its initial merger with the Fund for Animals in late 2004, it also announced it had an FY 2005 budget of over $90 million, had formed a 501(c) 4 nonprofit organization, and would focus on political advocacy to achieve its anti-hunting/animal rights agenda. Three short years later, the HSUS annual budget has reportedly increased to as much as $140 million and they have already built a track record of recent successes – including a lead role in defeating U.S. Representative Richard Pombo (R-11th/CA), Chair of the House Resources Committee, and crushing a ballot initiative which would have maintained a dove hunting season in Michigan.
HSUS President and Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Pacelle, has previously gone on record stating that his top priority is to prohibit hunting in California, then take the campaign eastward to the rest of the nation. In response, the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA), also a 501(c) 4 political advocacy organization, was created in 2006 by the California Waterfowl Association (CWA) specifically to counter these very real and serious challenges to our hunting heritage. COHA is the only organization in California purposely formed to unite hunters, wildlife conservation groups, outdoor industry interests, landowners and other individuals under a single banner to effectively combat the efforts of HSUS and other anti-hunting forces, while promoting hunting opportunity and wildlife conservation.
To support COHA’s efforts to protect California’s hunting heritage, please go to COHA Donate Now Page
To read more about the HSUS effort to consolidate many other animal-rights groups under their umbrella, click on the links below:
Humane Society merging anti-hunting forces - Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Humane Society of the United States - ActivistCash.com |
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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. Fully aware of these pressures, the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA) and the California Waterfowl Association (CWA) have been proactively working with CDFG, private wetland managers and other partners to proactively address both of these concerns.
Currently, the privately owned wetlands are 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 must 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. Certainly, using reclaimed water for wetland management is 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, regional water quality control board, 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 has worked closely with private habitat managers and the Eastern Municipal Water District 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 demonstrating the minimal health risk, verbal approval has been received from the downstream water district, the regional water board, and DHS. COHA and local habitat managers are hopeful that full approval and go-ahead will be granted in the very near future, allowing critically needed tertiary treated water to flow into the ponds as early this fall.
COHA is working with the Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) and the landowners to establish a long term agreement on water contracts for reclaimed water that guarantee price protection for over 20 years. EMWD has responded very favorably to the proposal. A discussion was held in early February between all parties, with final approval expected by the end of February.
If an agreement is reached, it would allow CWA to use the reclaimed water in place of a deep water well, freeing up over a quarter of a million dollars from a North America Waterfowl Conservation Act grant. Additionally, CWA would be able to use the unused funds for habitat enhancements in the Mystic Lake Region. |
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Federal Legislation Authorizes Suisun Marsh Funding
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In early November, over five years of effort by California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA) staff, California Waterfowl Association (CWA), and the Suisun Resources Conservation District (SRCD) paid dividends when the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate voted to override the President’s veto of H.R. 1495 – the “Water Resources Development Act of 2007”.
Since 2002, COHA, CWA, and SRCD have worked closely with U.S. Representative Mike Thompson (D-1st/CA) on crafting federal legislation which would authorize significant funding for habitat restoration and enhancement in the Suisun Marsh. In October 2003, our efforts were greeted with initial success when our Suisun Marsh language was embodied within the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that was under serious consideration on Capitol Hill at the time. However, efforts to pass the WRDA legislation into law that year, and in subsequent years, were unsuccessful – until now.
Among other things, H.R. 1495 – which became Public Law on November 9th – requires the Secretary of the Army to conduct a comprehensive study to determine the feasibility of opportunities for restoring, preserving and protecting the Suisun Marsh. The measure also authorizes the Secretary to participate in critical restoration programs that will produce immediate and substantial ecosystem restoration, preservation and protection benefits in the Suisun Marsh and other areas of the San Pablo Bay watershed. The bill authorizes a total of $40 million for the habitat enhancement and restoration.
Although H.R. 1495 authorizes the $40,000,000, these funds must now be appropriated in order to be available for expenditure. COHA will continue to work closely with SRCD, CWA, Representative Thompson and other local Members of Congress to ensure these monies are soon made available to benefit Suisun Marsh habitats and the waterfowl and other wildlife species that depend upon them. |
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Tulare Basin Wildlife Management Area (WMA)
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COHA staff teamed up with the Tulare Basin Wetlands Association, the California Waterfowl Association, and other conservation organizations to persuade the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to approve final planning documents including the Environmental Assessment for a land protection project known as the Tulare Basin Wildlife Management Area (WMA) to provide permanent protection for 22,000 acres of private wetlands and associated uplands. The land protection measures, known as conservation easements, will be purchased on a willing seller basis only from private land owners. Funding for conservation easement purchases will be obtained from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which allocates the revenue from duck stamp sales. Every waterfowl hunter sixteen years of age or older is required to purchase state and federal ducks stamps.
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. |
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Willow Creek Mutual Water District - Lambertville Water
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| COHA staff continues to work closely with the Willow Creek Mutual Water District (WCMWD), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Provident Irrigation District, the USFWS and others on trying to secure firm adequate annual water deliveries for privately owned and managed wetlands in Lambertville. COHA’s efforts in this regard have focused on two tracks: 1) Working with WCMWD and the USFWS to arrange for the wheeling and delivery of roughly one-third (about 1,400 acre-feet, a/f) of the necessary water allocation already secured via the USFWS; and 2) COHA is working with the USBR and WCMWD to establish the WCMWD as a CVPIA contractor to guarantee the balance of the two-thirds (approximately 3,000 acre-feet). A tentative agreement has been reached and final approval will be made when a price for water is agreed to by both parties.08. |
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Sherman Island Wildlife Area Management Plan
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COHA, in conjunction with the Sherman Island Duck Hunters Association (SIDHA), continues to work to protect public hunting opportunities at the Sherman Island Wildlife Area in southern Sacramento County. Last fall, COHA attended, and spoke at, a public meeting regarding the Department of Fish and Game’s effort to create a management plan for the island, a navigable water area which has been used by local waterfowl hunters for decades. COHA also submitted written comments to the Department to express our concerns with any further hunting restrictions for the area while urging the Department to coordinate with the SIDHA on any proposed changes to the hunt plan.
The final management plan was apparently completed in June, but is not yet available to the public. Should it contain new proposed hunting regulations, these regulations will also likely have to be approved by the California Fish and Game Commission. |
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South Bay Salt Ponds
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 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 are open for public comment until May 1st. COHA, in coordination with CWA, is currently reviewing the Draft and preparing comments in an effort to determine to what extent the proposed uses, which include hiking, jogging and biking, will affect the existing waterfowl hunt program.
For more information: http://www.southbayrestoration.org/announce-public-use-projects.html
COHA also recently 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.
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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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Stone Lakes NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP)
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Last year, COHA provided comments on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the Stone Lakes NWR in Sacramento County. The CCP will determine the allowable public uses of the refuge for at least the next 15 years. COHA’s comments focused on the need to diversify the current waterfowl hunting program to allow for free-roam and assigned pond hunting opportunities, create an upland game hunting program and provide appropriate brood and nesting habitat for breeding waterfowl on the refuge.
The final CCP was recently approved by the USFWS, which will ensure that the current waterfowl hunt program is maintained and provide for expanded habitat restoration activities.
Several years ago, CWA staff – working with local hunters and Wildlands, Inc. – were instrumental in creating the initial waterfowl hunt program on the refuge. Per our agreement worked out with the Service, as specified new wetland properties (Lodi Gun Club and Lewis Investment properties) are acquired as part of the refuge, additional acreage will be made available for public waterfowl hunting. |
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Suisun Marsh
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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 working closely with SRCD on the “Delta Vision Stakeholders Committee” – a committee of 41 appointed Delta interests (including both COHA and SRCD staff representatives) who have been 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. .
Another highly difficult issue facing private wetland managers in the Marsh remains the lack of any cost-share public funding to assist them with the escalating expense associated with maintenance and repair of exterior levees. To address this concern, COHA continues to collaborate with SRCD on seeking public dollars to assist Marsh landowners with levee maintenance – including the possibility of future legislation which would help to earmark state funding for this purpose. |
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Grasslands
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COHA is working with the Grasslands Water District and landowners to obtain language in the upcoming 2007 Farm Bill which, in some way, will 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. COHA is primarily working with U.S. Representative Dennis Cardoza (D-18th/CA), who represents the Grasslands region, in this effort. (See “110th Congress – 2007 Farm Bill.)
COHA also continues to work with GWD, USFWS and USBR on securing the substantial funding necessary to acquire long-term “Level 4” water supplies for public and private wetland habitat management in the Grasslands. Efforts include working with local partners in an attempt to secure funding for this purpose in State Bond Acts currently on the drawing board in the Legislature and the private sector. |
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Klamath Basin
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| COHA continues to work with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the USFWS, local agricultural interests and others to ensure adequate annual water deliveries to local wildlife-friendly agriculture and the Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex – which includes Lower Klamath and Tule Lake NWRs. |
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2007 Water Report
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The 2007 water outlook for the Klamath NWR Complex does not look bright. Upper Klamath Lake – the primary water storage for wetland deliveries to the Klamath NWR -- will not meet required elevations for listed sucker species this July, and most likely August, as well. The need to maintain lake levels for suckers, combined with a 1000 cfs minimum flow requirement for salmon in the Klamath River, means that the Klamath NWR wetlands will suffer water delivery cut backs in the near term. To make matters worse, USBR has begun to redirect water stored on the refuge for fall flood-up of Lower Klamath NWR to Klamath River salmon flows. The bottom line is that the Klamath Refuge Complex water situation will be very tight this fall – exactly how tight will depend upon how things look at the end of August.
Tule Lake NWR also has recently suffered a small botulism outbreak, and refuge staff expect to find botulism on Lower Klamath NWR soon. With the assistance of CWA and Cal-Ore Wetlands and Waterfowl Council volunteers, refuge staff believe they can keep the outbreak under control. |
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Klamath NWR Complex Hunt Program
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As our nation’s greatest waterfowl refuge, Klamath NWR Complex also provides substantial quality hunting opportunity seven days a week during the waterfowl season. Klamath refuge staff report that there will be no major changes for upcoming hunting season. The refuge will have slightly less grain this fall than the past 3 years, primarily due to the completion of rehab on Unit 4A which will now go back into a wetland cycle. However, refuge staff planned to rehab on Units 7A and 6C this year, placing both of those back into grain.
In years past, Klamath NWR staff contacted hunters in July via the U.S. mail to remind them of the reservation application dates for the opening weekend of waterfowl season. In a cost saving measure, this year hunters will not be contacted. Instead, those on the Klamath NWR mailing list will receive quarterly newsletters which will include information on how to apply for the opening weekend drawing.
On a related note, last season the refuge did away with the honor system "iron rangers" and simplified the fee structure to a single annual $25 pass, $12.50 for seniors. The result was a 25% increase in fees collected over previous years, with 100% of the funds going directly into supporting the refuge hunt program. Because of the success of this change, the new fee program will be continued this year. |
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