IEP Stakeholders News

Greetings IEP Community Members,

SAVE THE DATE! NOVEMBER 1, 2023
The State Water Contractors and California Department of Water Resources are jointly hosting a science symposium to discuss the latest research on tidal wetland restoration for support of native fishes in the Delta and Suisun Marsh.

Details:

• Date: November 1, 2023
• Location: Hybrid
• In-person: Capitol Event Center (1020 11th Street, Sacramento)
• Online: This will be a hybrid event and virtual attendance information will follow.
• Save the Date Flyer (PDF)

Workshop Goals:

• Provide a forum for wetland researchers and restoration managers to collaboratively discuss the state of the science.
• Identify high-priority science activities needed to fill knowledge gaps.
• Identify high-priority adaptive management activities needed to maximize effectiveness of wetland restoration.

Full agenda and registration will be available mid-October.

Greetings PWT Chair & Stakeholder Group,

At the August 9, 2023 meeting, Steve Culberson and Stephanie Fong presented an item on the schedule and format for future PWT Chair & Stakeholder Group meetings. Attendees requested a survey be sent to solicit input from Group members regarding future meetings.

Please complete the PWT Chair & Stakeholder Questionnaire by October 20, 2023. Results will be discussed at November 8, 2023 meeting.

Questions regarding the questionnaire can be directed to Steve Culberson at Steve.Culberson@deltacouncil.ca.gov.

Kind regards,
IEP Program Support
iep@wildlife.ca.gov

Greetings IEP Stakeholders,

We wanted to share two news announcements with the broader IEP community members.

Call for Experts: National Academies Review of the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have asked us to spread the word! See the announcement below for committee member nominations for their upcoming Review of the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project. Please distribute widely.

Nominate an Expert!

Review of the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project
Submit nominations by: September 22, 2023

Along with the State Water Project, the Central Valley Project consists of coordinated federal-state water operations that annually move millions of acre-feet of water south from Northern California to a wide variety of water users throughout the state, including municipalities, agriculture, industries and wildlife refuges.

The National Academies are building a committee of approximately 16-18 volunteer experts to evaluate the long-term operations of the Central Valley Project. In addition, nominations will also inform the selection of potential speakers, participants, and peer reviewers for any publications resulting from the activity.

Nominations are requested for individuals with expertise in areas and disciplines such as fisheries science, freshwater and stream ecology, habitat restoration, and water resources management. For a more comprehensive list, view the nomination form.

• More Information: Review of the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project
• Nomination Form: About the Activity & the Call for Experts

If you have a question about this study, email Miles Lansing at mlansing@nas.edu.

New IEP Digital Datasheet Best Practices Document from the IEP DUWG

The Data Utilization Work Group's (DUWG) QA Subcommittee has released a new IEP Digital Datasheet Best Practices (PDF) document. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance and recommendations on development and use of digital data sheets for staff in the IEP. The scope of the document is limited to the development of developing data sheet templates, general use of digital data sheets, quality control, archiving and data reporting. It is intended for users to take the document’s recommendations that are most applicable for use in their respective program and apply as appropriate. Not all recommendations in the document may be applicable or appropriate to every application. The document, which was developed in the Data Utilization Work Group’s (DUWG) QA Subcommittee and reviewed by the DUWG and Science Management Team (SMT), can be found on the IEP website under the DUWG web page below the Templates and Guidelines section.

Kind regards,
IEP Program Support Unit
iep@wildlife.ca.gov

The Delta Science Program has published two new blogs written in coordination by Interagency Ecological Program Lead Scientist Dr. Steve Culberson and Senior Environmental Scientist Tricia Lee. The blogs focus on a growing problem in the San Francisco Estuary, harmful algal blooms, and the urgent need for tracking and monitoring efforts to protect California’s water and public health.

Dive into “Digitizing Data: Tracking Harmful Algal Blooms” by Steve and “Bloom or Bust: Navigating the Wild Waters of Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring” by Tricia Lee.

Greetings IEP Stakeholders,

The Culture and Supplementation of Smelt (CASS) steering committee has released their annual memo (pdf) to solicit proposals for the use of cultured Delta Smelt originating from the FCCL for the 2024-year class. Please review the annual memo (pdf) to familiarize yourself on the process of how to submit a proposal for CASS review.

Please note the following: there will only be one solicitation for proposals for the 2024 brood year fish. Requests must be submitted to the director of the FCCL, Dr. Tien-Chieh Hung at thung@ucdavis.edu on or before September 30, 2023.

Please share this announcement with others, as appropriate.

Kind regards,
IEP Program Support Unit
iep@wildlife.ca.gov

Greetings IEP Community Members,

Our next IEP PWT Chair & Stakeholder Group meeting is Wednesday, August 9, 2023 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• Meeting Agenda (PDF) - the link to join is included in the agenda

This will be a hybrid meeting (MS Teams + in-person). Meeting location is the CDFW West Sacramento office (1010 Riverside Parkway, West Sacramento) in the CA Poppy Conference Room.

Note: In-person attendees must sign-in at the front desk. Also, no guest WiFi is available, so bring your own mobile hotspot, if needed.

Send an email to iep@wildlife.ca.gov to let us know if you'll be attending in-person or if you have questions.

Kind regards,
IEP Program Support Unit
iep@wildlife.ca.gov

Greetings IEP Community Members,

The video recordings from the 2023 IEP Annual Workshop are now available for viewing. The recordings are housed on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's YouTube channel under the IEP Workshops 2023 playlist. The playlist contains the following three videos:

• 2023 Interagency Ecological Program - Annual Workshop - Day 1 (video)
• 2023 Interagency Ecological Program - Annual Workshop - Day 2 (video)
• 2023 Interagency Ecological Program - Annual Workshop - Day 3 (video)

Other information pertaining to the 2023 Annual Workshop can be found on the Annual IEP Workshop web page.

2024 IEP Workshop Planning Committee

A kickoff meeting for the Workshop Planning Committee meeting will be held in August. If you are interested in helping to plan the 2024 IEP Annual Workshop, send an email to iep@wildlife.ca.gov to receive more information.

Greetings IEP Stakeholders,

The Delta ISB, with support from the Delta Science Program, has been hosting a seminar series to explore ideas from decision-making under deep uncertainty (DMDU) and present tools that can help managers and stakeholders evaluate and plan for a range of plausible futures in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Since part of the IEP’s mission is to address management and policy science needs within the ever-changing Delta, this seminar series may be of particular interest.

On June 14 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. during the Delta ISB meeting, the series’ second seminar will feature Robert Lempert, principal researcher at the RAND Corporation and director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition, who will present examples of successful applications of tools for DMDU, and Andrew Schwarz, the State Water Project climate action coordinator for the California DWR, who will present on his department’s use of DMDU. If you were unable to attend the April seminar "Decision Making-under Deep Uncertainty Seminar #1 (Alice Hill)" (Video), you can watch the recording on the Council's YouTube channel.

You can register to attend in person at the CNRA building in Sacramento, or virtually via zoom. We hope to see you there!

Additionally, the Delta ISB is still seeking comments on the Decision-Making Under Deep Uncertainty draft prospectus for its review by 5:00 p.m. on June 26, 2023. They may be emailed to disb@deltacouncil.ca.gov. If you use scenario planning or conduct any type of uncertainty analysis for decision support purposes in the Delta, please provide the information as part of your public comment. Find more information in the draft prospectus Science Supporting Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty (PDF).

Greetings IEP Community Members,

The Delta Independent Science Board, which provides scientific oversight of programs that support adaptive management, would like your feedback on draft prospectuses for its two upcoming reviews: (1) food-webs (PDF) and (2) subsidence (PDF). Public comments are due on May 31, 2023 and can be submitted to disb@deltacouncil.ca.gov. You can also submit oral comments by attending the Board’s May 17 meeting.

On May 17 at 10:30 a.m., the Delta ISB will meet to discuss its reviews and activities. Board members will review and hear public comments received on their draft prospectuses for reviews on subsidence and food webs relevant to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Members of the public who wish to present oral comments are encouraged to attend in person or via zoom. Additional meeting details can be found in the meeting notice (PDF).

If you have questions, please contact the Board at disb@deltacouncil.ca.gov or at (916) 902-6571.

Greetings IEP Community Members,

Our next IEP PWT Chairs & Stakeholders Group meeting is Wednesday, May 10, 2023, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

This will be a virtual MS Teams meeting only. The link to join the meeting is included in the Meeting Agenda (pdf).

If you have any questions, send an email to iep@wildlife.ca.gov.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Kind regards,
IEP Program Support Unit
iep@wildlife.ca.gov