IEP Stakeholders News

Greetings IEP Community members,

Please see the announcement below from the Delta Science Program concerning the extension of the deadline for Letters of Intent for the 2025 Delta Science Research Awards.

Consider sharing this announcement with others who may be interested.

IEP Program Support Team

Deadline Extended:
2025 Delta Research Awards

The deadline for the 2025 Delta Research Awards Letters of Intent (LOI) has been extended to May 28, 2024, 5:00 PM PDT, to accommodate requests for extended time to build collaborations and co-develop proposal ideas. No other deadlines listed in the Solicitation will change at this time. If you have already submitted your LOI and would like to adjust it given this extension, you may do so and resubmit in eSeaGrant by the new deadline. To find all the latest information and resources, such as the Solicitation, informational webinar recording, and FAQ document, visit the Solicitation website.

Applicants seeking collaborators are encouraged to use the "2025 Delta Research Awards Collaborator Message Board" to share what types of collaborators they are looking for and find contact information for new potential collaborators. This spreadsheet is not posted publicly and has only been shared with self-identified prospective applicants. Thus, to request access to the collaborator spreadsheet, please email sgproposal@ucsd.edu.

Additionally, mark your calendar for the second proposal webinar, scheduled for June 14, 2024, at 10:00 AM. This webinar will focus on guidance in preparing your full proposal. Registration information will be shared with applicants with successful LOIs.

For technical assistance and questions about the Solicitation, please contact sgproposal@ucsd.edu.

Greetings IEP Stakeholders,

Please see the announcements below on the IEP Workshop, an upcoming Delta Stewardship Council Science for Communities workshop, a call for IEP newsletter articles, and a save the date reminder for our next stakeholder meeting. Please share this announcement with others as appropriate.

2024 IEP Workshop: Feedback and 2025 Planning

The IEP Annual Workshop was held on April 23-25, 2024 at the California Natural Resources Agency headquarters building. A remote Data Training Course was provided a week earlier on April 18. Both events were well attended. We had 280 in-person registrants and 311 remote attendees for the 3-day workshop and ~80 remote attendees for the Data Training Course.

If you attended the 3-day workshop (in-person or remote), we would like to solicit your feedback, which will help us when planning the 2025 workshop. Please take a few moments and complete the online feedback form. If you'd like to participate in planning the 2025 workshop, send us an email at iep@wildlife.ca.gov. Planning will begin in the fall of 2024.

• 2024 IEP Workshop Feedback Form

2024 IEP Workshop: Early Career Award Winners

Each year at the Annual Workshop, we highlight the work of early career scientists and use a volunteer panel of senior researchers and scientists within the IEP community to judge their submitted posters and talks. 

While the judges noted this year's exceptional across-the-board excellence, the following presentations were found to be most outstanding.

The winners for this year's Best Poster are:

• First Place: Taryn Mitoma, UC Davis “2023 pilot experimental gillnet survey to inform an enhanced large fish study design”
• Second Place (tie): Kat Cone, USGS “This or SPATT? Designing a cyanotoxin monitoring program in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (PDF)”
• Second Place (tie): Brian Alper, UC Davis “Developing batch tagging techniques for cultured Delta Smelt (PDF)”

And the winners for Best Presentation are:

• First Place: Jackelyn Lang, UC Davis “An assessment of 6PPD-quinone acute and sublethal toxicity on San Francisco Bay Delta species of conservation concern”
• Second Place: Louise Cominassi, UC Davis “Sublethal exposures to the insecticides bifenthrin and fipronil impact the stress response and behavior of juvenile Chinook salmon”
• Third Place: Nicholas Hudson, UC Davis “Quantifying the stress response of an endangered fish species to support population supplementation”

Congratulations to the winners, all the early career presenters, and every IEP attendee for making our workshop such a welcoming environment for IEP scientists of all stripes to hone their skills.

IEP Workshop: Poster Forum and Workshop Recordings

Don’t forget to visit the online Poster Forum, where you can view available posters. Recordings from the April 18 Data Training Course and the 3-day IEP Workshop will be available soon and shared on the CDFW YouTube site under the IEP Playlist.

See you next year!
IEP Workshop Planning Committee

Delta Stewardship Council's Science for Communities Workshop

Greetings IEP Stakeholders,

A reminder that our next quarterly IEP Project Work Team Chairs & Stakeholder Group meeting will be Wednesday, May 8, 2024 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The meeting will be hybrid (in-person + MS Teams) and held at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife office (1010 Riverside Parkway, West Sacramento) in the Garibaldi Conference Room. If coming in person, please send an email to iep@wildlife.ca.gov so we can provide your name to the front desk personnel.

• May 8 meeting agenda (pdf)

We look forward to seeing you all there.

If you have an item you would like to present at a future meeting, send us an email at iep@wildlife.ca.gov.

Kind regards,
IEP Program Support

The Delta Science Program and California Sea Grant are pleased to announce the 14th round of Delta Science Fellowships to provide research support for the 2025-2026 academic years.

The fellowships fund research projects by early-career scientists for up to two years that will advance the state of knowledge underlying high-priority science issues identified in the 2022-2026 Science Action Agenda and that affect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its management as an integrated socio-ecological system.

Eligible applicants include postdoctoral researchers, Ph.D. students, and master’s students.

Due Dates:

• Notices of Intent are due June 24, 2024. 
• Applications are due August 26, 2024.

Visit the research funding and fellowships web page for more information about the Delta Science Program’s research awards.

Greetings IEP Community members,

There are two upcoming conferences that may be of interest to IEP community members.

State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference

The 2024 State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference has been rescheduled to May 28-29, 2024 at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center.

Early Bird registration closes May 2nd, so register now to take advantage of discounted tickets.

For more information about this event, visit the San Francisco Estuary Partnership's State of the San Francisco Estuary 2024 Conference website.

Bay-Delta Science Conference

The Bay-Delta Science Conference will be held September 30 - October 2, 2024 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center (Sacramento, CA). The theme is "Cultivating Connections for a Dynamically Changing Environment".

The Call for Abstracts is now open and the deadline to submit an abstract is June 3, 2024.

For more information about the conference, visit the Bay-Delta Science Conference website.

Greetings IEP Community members,

Please see the announcements below that may be of interest. Please share with your colleagues.

California Invasive Species Advisory Committee Rapid Response Funding Application

The purpose of this funding is to support immediate actions to contain and/or eradicate invasive species before they become established and cause economic, ecological, or human health impacts. Priority shall be given to projects that minimize the economic, ecological, and human health impacts caused by invasive species and restore and protect biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Visit the Invasive Species Council of California's Resource Links page to obtain the Rapid Response Funding Application (pdf). This document will walk applicants through all details required to apply for CISAC Rapid Response funding.

Public Comments Wanted: Delta ISB Review of Food Webs in the Delta

The Delta Independent Science Board is seeking input on its draft review, “Exploring scientific and management implications of upper trophic level food webs in the Delta.”(pdf)
The draft was based on a review of the literature on the subject, public comments on the prospectus and at Delta ISB meetings, and a focused two-day workshop.

The goal of this review is to provide information that would help organizations, including state and federal agencies, assess how to better incorporate and advance food web knowledge in managing the Delta’s ecosystems and to identify what tools are available or should be developed.

Please provide public comments by 11:59 P.M. on June 7, 2024, via email to disb@deltacouncil.ca.gov, or by mail to the address below.

Delta Independent Science Board
715 P Street, 15-300
Sacramento, CA 95814

Oral comments can also be made at any Delta ISB meeting prior to June 7.

Greetings IEP Community members,

Please see the announcement below from the Delta Science Program regarding the opening of registration for their May 31, 2024 Food Web Dynamics Symposium.

Please share this announcement with others who may be interested.

Registration Open: Understanding Food Web Dynamics from the San Francisco Estuary to the Pacific Ocean

RESERVE YOUR TICKET

The University of California Davis Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute and the Delta Science Program are hosting a one-day symposium exploring food webs research from the San Francisco Estuary to the Pacific Ocean in the International Center Multipurpose Room at UC Davis on May 31, 2024, beginning at 9:00 AM.

This symposium will bring together food web experts from the United States Geological Survey, California State Water Resources Control Board, UC Berkeley, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more to discuss three major topic areas.

• Modeling will address ways of using data to capture complexity, uncover hidden relationships, and generate predictions across large scales.
• Empirical Studies will feature recent site-specific research that provide generalizable insights and inform modeling.
• Management Strategies will feature applied research that offers novel solutions to food web management.

The symposium is free to attend, both in person and virtually, but attendees must reserve their tickets.

What exactly is a food web?

Food webs describe the feeding relationships and flows of energy and nutrients among species. They are long recognized as affecting ecosystem functions, dynamics, and more. Understanding food webs in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – part of one of the largest estuaries on the west coast – is critical to successful ecosystem-based management.

Greetings IEP Stakeholders,

Please see the announcements below concerning several items of interest.

2024 IEP Annual Workshop

The 2024 IEP Annual Workshop will be April 23-25, 2024. The workshop is a hybrid event with the in-person event held in the auditorium of the California Natural Resources Agency Headquarters building. Registration to attend in-person will be closing April 8, so don't forget to reserve your in-person tickets today. Visit our EventBrite registration page.

For remote attendees, make sure to register on the Zoom 2024 IEP Workshop registration page. The remote registration page will remain open until the end of the workshop. Visit the IEP Annual Workshop web page for more information.

2024 Bay Delta Science Conference - Save the Date

Delta Stewardship Council and U.S. Geological Survey are pleased to announce that the 12th Biennial Bay-Delta Science Conference will be held in person at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento, CA September 30 - October 2, 2024.
 
The theme will be “Cultivating Connections for a Dynamically Changing Environment”. Just as cultivation can nurture the development of a sapling into a tree and the growth of many trees into a resilient forest, connection and cultivation will magnify our positive impact as practitioners, inhabitants, and stewards of the Bay-Delta facing the multiple challenges inherent in rapid change. Embracing connections across ways of knowing, disciplines, and geographies will be the key to fruitful adaptation.
 
A call for abstracts for oral and poster presentations will be released soon, with registration opening shortly after.

Delta Science Program's Call for Proposals: 2025 Delta Research Awards

The Delta Science Program, in partnership with California Sea Grant, has released its call for proposals for the 2025 Research Awards.

With $6 million available for research funding, the Delta Science Program is looking for projects integrated with natural resource managers, community groups, or Tribes and directly addressing the priority science actions identified in the 2022-2026 Science Action Agenda. Proposals with a substantial social science component will be eligible for additional points during the review process.

Letters of Intent are due May 14, 2024. Full proposals are due August 26, 2024.

Visit the solicitation web page for application instructions and more information about the Delta Science Program’s research awards.

Greetings IEP Community members,

Aspecial issue of SFEWS(SFEWS Volume 22, Issue 1 | March 2024) was recently published that includes 5 articles from the Drought Synthesis Team.

Special Issue on Effects of Drought on the Ecology of the Upper San Francisco Estuary

Droughts have major effects on estuaries because freshwater entry is one of the defining features of an estuary, and freshwater flow is an important variable that determines the interannual change in the environment. In the upper San Francisco Estuary (the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Bay, and Suisun Marsh), the Mediterranean climate includes frequent multi-year droughts. In addition, aquatic invasive species have drastically changed how the San Francisco Estuary functions. During the past 2 decades, the effects of invasive species in the estuary may have increased in response to frequent and severe drought conditions. With increased frequency of droughts in the future, this increasingly low-outflow, warming, clearing estuary—which is invaded by non-native species and has low pelagic fish production—is rapidly becoming the new “normal.”

Research

• The Anatomy of a Drought in the Upper San Francisco Estuary: Water Quality and Lower-Trophic Responses to Multi-Year Droughts Over a Long-Term Record (1975–2021)
  David H. Bosworth, Samuel M. Bashevkin, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Rosemary Hartman, Elizabeth B. Stumpner
• Delta Blue(green)s: The Effects of Drought and Drought Management Actions on Microcystis in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta
  Keith Bouma-Gregson, David H. Bosworth, Theodore M. Flynn, Amanda Maguire, Jenna Rinde, Rosemary Hartman
• Years of Drought and Salt: Decreasing Flows Determine the Distribution of Zooplankton Resources in the San Francisco Estuary
  Arthur Barros, Rosemary Hartman, Samuel M. Bashevkin, Christina E. Burdi
• Amazing Graze: Shifts in Jellyfish and Clam Distributions During Dry Years in the San Francisco Estuary
  Rosemary Hartman, Laura Twardochleb, Christina E. Burdi, Elizabeth H. Wells
• Dry Me a River: Ecological Effects of Drought in the Upper San Francisco Estuary
  Rosemary Hartman, Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Christina E. Burdi, David H. Bosworth, Amanda Maguire, Interagency Ecological Program Drought Synthesis Team

A huge thank you to the entire Drought Synthesis team that made it happen!

Team members

Rosemary Hartman, Elizabeth Stumpner, David H. Bosworth, Amanda Maguire, Christina E. Burdi, Arthur Barros, Samuel M. Bashevkin, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Ted Flynn, Jared Frantzich, Jereme Gaeta, Brett Harvey, April Hennessy, Elizabeth Keller, Peter Nelson, Sarah Perry, Nick Rasmussen, Jenna Rinde, Tyler Salman, Evan Sawyer, Steven Slater, Laura Twardochleb, Elizabeth Wells

Greetings IEP Community Members,

Please see the announcement below from the Kevin Clark of the Department of Water Resources regarding an upcoming hands-on training on the Ecological Particle Tracking Model of DSM2.
Please share this announcement with others who may be interested.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

DWR Modeling Support Office and USGS Western Fisheries Research Center will hold a hands-on training on the Ecological Particle Tracking Model (ECO-PTM) of DSM2 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in-person in Sacramento and online via Teams.

ECO-PTM is an individual-based particle tracking model that can track the movement of three types of particles: neutrally buoyant particles, position-oriented particles (commonly used to evaluate the impacts on Longfin smelt larvae), and juvenile salmon (in terms of migration and survival through the Delta). The model has been used for various water resources management projects. In the training session, we will provide an overview of the model and hands-on exercises. Attending the training in person is strongly recommended if you want to participate in hands-on exercises (the attendees will need to bring their own laptops).

If you are interested in attending the training, please fill out the RSVP survey by Friday, April 12, 2024.

We will share the Teams link for the training with those who RSVPed. Due to the limited amount of time during the training for the hands-on exercises, we request that all participants have their laptops set up prior to the training. We will schedule a virtual Teams meeting at 12pm Monday, April 15 with those who RSVPed to provide guidance on setting up your laptop to run ECO-PTM during the training. For those who cannot attend the April 15 setup meeting, limited laptop setup support will be provided on-site right before the training starts.

The prerequisite for this training is the DSM2 Quick Start Training. View the Videos from the Quick Start training. The presentation documents are available on the CADWR Delta Modeling/DSM2 Learning Series GitHub page.

Cheers:
Kevin

Kevin Clark | Environmental Program Manager I
ITP/BiOP Coordination | Division of Integrated Science and Engineering