Help California Department of Fish & Game Develop a Strategy for Habitat Adaption
The California Department of Fish & Game issued the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) in 2006, which recognizes the interdependence of ecosystems and considers the need for regional habitats.
The CA SWAP organizes the state into nine geographic regions, three of which cover the coast. It examines 807 vulnerable wildlife species, many of them on the coast, and analyzes what actions are needed to likely ensure their survival.
The SWAP is scheduled for update in 2011, but this revision may be delayed due to a recently announced strategic planning and reorganization for Department of Fish & Game.
While the SWAP is intended as a reference, it can potentially greatly influence the management of lands and watersheds statewide. There is currently inefficient analysis and recommendation to guide policy makers to plan for future habitat adaptation caused by variability in temperatures and precipitation that is inevitable due to climate change. The only statement that even approaches these topics is a recommendation for the Sierra Nevada and Cascades Region that managers “….should consider the most current projections on effects of global warming.”1
The California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign will participate in the SWAP revision process to ensure that habitat adaptation to climate change is appropriately considered and identified as necessary planning for the future of ecosystems.
1 http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/WAP/
AGENCIES SIERRA CLUB CALIFORNIA INFLUENCES FOR GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY CHANGE
The Ocean Protection Council (OPC)
The Ocean Protection Council protects the ocean with the following responsibilities:
- Coordinate activities of ocean-related state agencies to improve the effectiveness of state efforts to protect ocean resources within existing fiscal limitations
- Establish policies to coordinate the collection and sharing of scientific data related to coast and ocean resources between agencies
- Identify and recommend to the Legislature changes in law
- Identify and recommend changes in federal law and policy to the Governor and Legislature
The OPC passed a sea-level rise resolution in March, 2011. The resolution establishes standard sea-level rise estimates, and it acknowledges the evolving nature of the science of sea-level rise and calls for agencies to utilize current science as it becomes known. The OPC’s March, 2011 resolution allowed The California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign to comment in January, 2011 and March 11, 2011 .
The OPC released a draft of a Strategic Plan for 2012-2017 on August 1, 2011. The California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign submitted comments and attended hearings in Sacramento, Costa Mesa and Arcata.
California Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS)
In November, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-13-08, calling for The California Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS). The CAS covers seven topics including Ocean and Coastal Resources, for which there are six strategies:
- Strategy 1: Establish State Policy to Avoid Future Hazards and Protect Critical Habitat
- Strategy 2: Provide Statewide Guidance for Protecting Existing Critical Ecosystems, Existing Coastal Development, and Future Investments
- Strategy 3: State Agencies Should Prepare Sea-Level Rise and Climate Adaptation Plans
- Strategy 4: Support Regional and Local Planning for Addressing Sea-Level Rise Impacts
- Strategy 5: Complete a Statewide Sea-Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment Every Five Years
- Strategy 6: Support Essential Data Collection and Information Sharing
The CAS does not carry the authority of law, as it was born of an Executive Order, rather than voted on through legislation. All the same, it is the policy of the State of California, and the California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign is advocating for the full implementation of the CAS.
The Natural Resources Agency is developing a guidebook for implementing the California Adaptation Strategy at the local level. The California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign has a seat on the advisory committee for the development of that guidebook.
California Coastal Commission (CCC)
The CCC was created by the California Coastal Act of 1976, as an initiative that called for the protection and appropriate planning for the California coast to preserve public access and the beauty of the coast. The Coastal Act has been a strong piece of legislation in protecting the coastal environment, but it is unclear if it can provide the foresight needed to protect the coast in the face of a rising sea.
In a December 12, 2008 staff report on climate change, CCC staff concluded that sea-level rise could be addressed under the Coastal Act. The California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign belives that more proactive planning is necessary and reconsideration of the interpertation of the Coastal Act’s protection of coastal property is paramount to preserving the coast. The California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign is working through the OPC as the advisory council to the Governor and Legislature to press for reconsideration of policies and planning efforts.
The CCC has addressed sea-level rise in a number of ways. New permits consider sea-level rise and exclude future protection of property using hard armoring. Local Coastal Plans need to address sea-level rise when they come up for revision; however, many local coastal plans have never been updated and are as much as 30 years old. These plans are outdated when facing new issues like sea-level rise, but the CCC lacks funding to reach its planning goals. Sierra Club California consistently supports legislation to expand funding and administration authority needed for the Coastal Commission.
Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)
BCDC Policy Amendment Making Waves, Sierra Club California Responds | SIERRA CLUB CA OCTOBER 13TH 2011
On Thursday, October 6, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) voted unanimously to adopt an amendment to the San Francisco Bay Plan to specifically address the impacts of climate change. The vote marks the first time that a California regulatory agency has adopted policies that specifically plan for climate change impacts such as sea level rise.
Sierra Club California responded to the decision with a press release; “the vote is a step in the right direction,” but “planning efforts need to improve on these BCDC policies in order to ensure that our at-risk low-lying coastal areas are protected from the impacts of sea level rise and coastal flooding by preventing further development in these areas,” Megan Norris of the California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign said.
Read about the BCDC decision and Sierra Club California’s response in the news! visit Scientific American, Redwood City Patch, San Francisco Bay Keeper, and Mercury News
The Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) was formed in 1965 in response to broad public concern over the future of the San Francisco Bay. 27 appointees from local government, state agencies, and federal agencies, sit on the BCDC council.
Read our August 18 Support Letter
For donations and inquiries, please contact California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign Organizer Amanda Wallner at Amanda.Wallner@sierraclub.org or (916) 557-1100x106 at the Sierra Club California 801 K Street, Suite 2700 Sacramento, CA 95814
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