| General
Background:
The Northern California office is involved in coastal and riverine projects. Areas of expertise include water rights, fish passage, habitat restoration, geographic information systems and computer network technology.
Team Mission Statements: Northern California Coastal and Estuarine
In The News: NOAA Features, May 2009. Seeds of Innovation Bring New Life to San Francisco Bay. Seven years ago, the San Francisco Bay was in trouble. Its eelgrass — an underwater plant critical to fish habitats — was disappearing due to 150 years of urban development around the bay. Click to Navigate to Article
Contact Us: Habitat Conservation Division Santa Rosa Office Telephone Numbers: |
Ongoing Projects:
Recent Collaboration Featured at EU River Conference Following an international forum held at the Macaulay Institute during August 2007, a small science-policy steering committee agreed it would be beneficial to host a larger international workshop with the specific aims of identifying approaches to define river hydromorphological condition, and developing an understanding of how to effectively link this to ecology. To visit the conference website click here To view the coauthored presentation click here Fish Friendly Farming® Program The Fish Friendly Farming® Program seeks to improve habitat conditions for salmonids and other native aquatic species by educating land managers in environmentally beneficial practices and carrying out restoration and erosion control projects. >> read more For more Science and Technology projects click here Northern California Coastal and Estuarine South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Habitat Conservation Division (HCD) staff completed essential fish habitat consultation for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP). Historically the South San Francisco Bay (South Bay) contained large areas of tidal marsh, tidal mud flats, tidal channels, and Olympia oyster beds, but these habitats have been largely lost due to coastal development, fill, and the creation of salt ponds. The SBSPRP proposes to reconnect former salt ponds to the San Francisco Bay (SF Bay) via water control structures (managed ponds) and full tidal inundation (tidal habitat). A progression over time from a 50:50 ratio of tidal habitat to managed ponds, to a 90:10 ratio is anticipated. The SBSPRP has the potential to improve and expand habitat for many of NMFS trust species and constitutes the largest wetland restoration project in the country. HCD staff worked hard to insure appropriate monitoring of estuarine fish and associated prey was included in final project description. HCD staff assisted with the development of the final fish monitoring plan framework. For more information on this project, contact Laura Hoberecht (707-575-6056). NMFS Habitat Conservation Division staff participate in the Suisun Marsh Charter Group, an interagency group formed to develop a management plan for Suisun Marsh. The Suisun Marsh is located in central California between the freshwater of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the saline waters of San Francisco Bay. The Suisun Marsh represents the largest brackish wetland in the Western United States and provides important habitat to a variety of native fish species, including out migrating salmonids. >> read more For more Northern California Coastal & Estuarine projects click here NMFS-Southwest Region’s Habitat Conservation Division plays an important role in California’s fish screening program through its leadership and oversight; as well as by conducting field research, performance assessments, and diving inspections. >> read more Hydropower Relicensing Program Relicensing Hydroelectric Projects: HCD Staff are integral participants in the relicensing of non-federal hydropower projects, including dams, which may block passage for migratory fish. These projects, numbering in the thousands in the Pacific Northwest, come up for relicensing only every 30-50 years and present an enormous opportunity for habitat restoration. The National Marine Fisheries Service has a unique authority and responsibility under the Federal Power Act to restore access to blocked habitat, if warranted. NMFS Southwest Regional staffs are engaged in projects from the Oregon border to Sacramento, and from the mountains to the oceans. >> read more Yuba River Fish Passage Feasibility Study Southwest Region, Habitat Conservation Division gave a presentation at the semi-annual Interagency Partnering Meeting between U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and CA. Department of Fish and Game on efforts to restore Spring-run Chinook Salmon and steelhead in the Yuba River. >> read more |
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| Past Projects:
Report on the Subtidal Habitats and Associated Biological Taxa in San Francisco Bay The Habitat Conservation Division staff led the development of the Report on the Subtidal Habitats and Associated Biological Taxa in San Francisco Bay, issued in August 2007. >> read more GIS Re-Designation of Critical Habitat The most noteworthy project for the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program was the re-designation of critical habitat for the seven California steelhead and Chinook Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU). >> read more Fish Passage at Stream Crossings Program California has a vast network of roads, many of which cross over the state’s waterways. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Southwest Region has identified fish passage problems with many of these stream crossings (i.e.-culverts and bridges) in that they often block the passage of migrating fish, including several threatened and endangered species of Pacific salmon. >> read more Sediment and Temperature TMDLs – Consultations and Technical Assistance The Habitat Conservation Division worked with EPA and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (NCRWQCB) to bring their various TMDL plans into alignment, if not agreement, with one another since they were being written for similar watersheds, geology and land uses in a manner protective of listed salmon, steelhead and their habitats. >> read more
06/03/09 | ||
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