President’s Column

Please Renew Your Audubon Membership
Through Our Local Chapter!

Chet Ogan

California is one of four states with a "pilot project" having to do with a "floor" to the chapter dues allocation. National Audubon will only give our chapter 75% of this year’s split for next year, then 50% in years 2 and 3. After that, the split declines to whatever the National policy turns out to be. However, chapters get to keep 100% of all chapter-generated membership revenues this year, and no less than 50% in subsequent years.

I have been involved with Pacific Coast Joint Ventures (PCJV) for about 4 years. PCJV works closely with local groups to acquire, restore, and enhance wetland areas within Del Norte and Humboldt counties through North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) grants. My involvement with PCJV started when I wrote the proposal with help from Keith Slauson and Paul Springer to have the refuges around Humboldt Bay designated a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site of International significance. It was accepted in September 1998.

A new emphasis within PCJV is to look at riparian areas and join with Partners in Flight in saving and restoring riparian areas. In July 2000, President Clinton signed into law the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. The law allows federal dollars to match or leverage non-federal dollars to fund partnership programs among groups that will conserve bird habitat. Hopefully some partnership money may become available to acquire these areas.

Last week I stopped by California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) to talk with Karen Kovacs, who is now the Senior Biologist Supervisor in the Eureka office. One of the things we discussed was the habitat modification project at the Mad River Wildlife Area. Karen pointed out that the funds used to originally purchase the area about a decade ago were waterfowl funds, and the area was slated to become waterfowl habitat; there was no consideration made then for upland habitats. At that time a consensus was reached with a planning group that included consumptive users, environmental groups (including Audubon), agricultural interests, etc. In that decade many things have changed, including that many grazed areas were left fallow.

The Mad River Slough Wildlife area will be treated with an adaptive management guideline. In the areas that are to be managed in short grass; various management options will be tried in hopes of allowing as much wildlife diversity as possible.

The mouth of Janes Creek will be managed cooperatively with the City of Arcata. Large areas adjacent to Janes Creek will be ungrazed and uncut. The tide gates will likely be either pulled back or removed, so more saltmarsh will be created. Saltmarsh habitat around Humboldt Bay has been the habitat type which has been most severely reduced by the diking around the bay. By most estimates 90% of the saltmarsh present in 1850 has been removed. A trail system will be improved allowing easier access to parts of the area. We are planning on having a field trip there on 20 January 2001, hopefully with members of CDFG.