Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Santa Monica Mountains Watersheds Council Newsletter: A Pulse in the Colorado River Bay Delta, Water Waste Elimination at LVMWD, Assemblymember Bloom Updates, News and a Great Job Opportunity

Dear Santa Monica Mountains Watersheds Council Members,

Is it the best of times or the worst of times? 

We are facing a drought reputed to be the worst in five hundred years and we just finally released a pulse of water in the Colorado River, wetting the Colorado River Bay Delta for the first time in nearly a decade.  Legislators are tightening up the final language for a proposed California Water Bond and now the remaining IRWMP funds associated with Proposition 84 will have to go towards water conservation projects.  

Every drop counts...

EVENTS
California Water Policy Conference
From Debbi Dodson: 
"The agenda for the CA Water Policy Conference has been posted. April 3 & 4 at the Claremont McKenna College. We've got some great topics,  and speakers."

WATER CONSERVATION IN THE WATERSHED
Mad at a Drip...or A Leak?
See water pouring off a lawn into the gutter? 
Pop over an email to stopthewaste@LVMWD.com
The water district will help the offender fix that. Nicely.

IRWMP UPDATE
Governor Brown wants unspent Proposition 84 Funds to go towards drought alleviation. His comment on incoming applications? "No fakey water conservation projects."   Remaining funds will be divided into two separate application processes; one is the "expedited" application which will be due in July, making OPTI applications due on April 1rst and the second "aggressive" application will be due in the fall. 

Have a great project? Go, go, go...

UPCOMING LEGISLATION FROM ASSEMBLYMEMBER RICHARD BLOOM
Banning Microbeads: 

CLEAN WATER ACT AND OUR BACKYARDS: IMPROVING WATER QUALITY IN THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS
This film is available for the first time on youtube, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdIxiaSJxf4

WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
RCDSMM Senior Conservation Biologist Rosi Dagit receives the Woman of the Year Award from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors: http://laccw.lacounty.gov/Events/AnnualEvents/WomenoftheYear.aspx 

On a similar note, the Topanga Library also elected to celebrate Dagit’s career, including her work in the Topanga Digital History: http://www.topangamessenger.com/story_detail.php?SectionID=&ArticleID=6384    

LOCAL COASTAL PLAN
An internet search informed me that LCP also stands for "Lightweight Compact Pistol" which is so definitely not what I had in mind.  To save you from such an NSFW outcome, here are some relevant links:
Public Hearing Date and Location

Thursday, April 10, 2014 

Hyatt Santa Barbara
1111 East Cabrillo Blvd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Commission Hearing Begins at 8:30 am

And in the local papers, see:

IN THE NEWS
Nativescaping: Habitat Restoration, One Garden at a Time

Colorado River Delta Restoration Stories
If you're having a bad day, check out some of these articles and you will be glad to be alive. I promise.
See these images of a devastated Colorado River Delta, receive water for the first time in about a decade:

It remains to be seen what happens next, but in the meanwhile, water is flowing into the historic footprint of the Colorado River Delta, giving hope to the desert.

Drought
Probably the most quoted story of this year: 

Here's a key excerpt: "For California, 2013 was the driest year since the state started measuring rainfall in 1849. Paleoclimatologist B. Lynn Ingram says that, according to the width of old tree rings, California hasn’t been this dry for about 500 years."

Greywater

Trees, Please

Are the "Good" Plastics = Actually Bad?

Pepperdine to Create Green Student Residence

Fishing Restrictions In Marine Sanctuaries
Per Heal the Bay facebook post: "Restrictions on fishing in marine sanctuaries appear to be working. In So Cal, compliance is high. The sanctuaries in Southern California coastal waters were created to curb steep declines in fish and other sea creatures."
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-marine-sanctuary-20140127,0,6844522.story#ixzz2rcQKviBi

Frack No?
Both Los Angeles and Beverly Hills place moratoriums on fracking. Thanks to Marcia Hanscom and Lauren Steiner for the updates. 

Glyphostates Causing the Demise of Monarch Butterflies? 
Want to help? Plant a corner of your garden in Milkweed. Recognize that a micro-orchard of milkweed is better than a solo plant; buy them by the dozen.

See attached photo of a Monarch Butterfly egg on a milkweed plant, thanks to Matilija Nursery at http://www.matilijanursery.com
Contact Bob Sussman at matilija@verizon.net to request permission to re-use photo.

Radioactivity In Our Kelp, Yes, No or Maybe?

Wilder Playgrounds = Nicer Kids?
It looks like our  efforts to green up our playgrounds will have unintended consequences in the nicest of ways ... let's continue to replace the asphalt quilt with something more organic: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/school-ditches-rules-and-loses-bullies-5807957

DWP Non-Profits Have to Divulge Financial Information

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
From Lily Verdone, The Nature Conservancy
Restoration Manager for TNC’s LA-Ventura Project.

The Restoration Manager position is based in Ventura and provides high-level technical leadership and support to the LA-Ventura Project on all aspects of habitat restoration, including, but not limited to: planning, permitting, fundraising/grant writing, implementation and monitoring. The Restoration Manager will require a wide range of skills, including the ability to manage projects independently, as well as, track the progress of projects being led by others and coordinate community support. S/he will advance the project’s restoration program by identifying, developing, and managing large-scale restoration projects. S/he will manage contractors and contracts; assist with fundraising by writing and managing funding proposals; assist with preserve management programs, stewardship and public access; assist with research, real estate and other general project support; and further the Conservancy’s strategic goals through advancing conservation within the project area. It is essential that the Restoration Manager take the initiative to solve problems as they arise, seeking input and equitable solutions. The Restoration Manager should have a passion for conservation and be highly motivated.

The job description is attached, please distribute widely. All applicants must apply through www.nature.org/careers.

CHILDREN IN OUR WATERSHED
Dinner This Friday Night at Chipotle in Malibu -- Children In Our Watershed
This Friday is a fundraiser at Chipotle in Malibu for Michael and Kim Bonewitz and their eight children; if you mention that you are buying dinner to support the fundraiser, then fifty percent of all proceeds go directly to the family. Already parents to three children, Kim and Michael adopted five children when their mother died last year.  In the absence of biological parents, these children belong to our watershed. Please join us for the fun -- every little bit helps. 

Walk in beauty.

Sincerely,
Melina WattsSanta Monica Mountains Watersheds Coordinator
Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains



malibucreekwatershed@gmail.com
http://www.rcdsmm.org/santa-monica-mountains-watersheds-council

310.383.9978

Join the Santa Monica Mountains Watersheds Council on facebook for updates on news and events.

Support the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains: Donate.

The Santa Monica Mountains Watersheds Coordinator Program is a program of  the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains and is funded by a Proposition 84 grant from the California Department of Conservation and via support from the Cities of Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, the California Department of State Parks, the California Association of Conservation Districts, Ozzie Silna, the  National Park Service,  the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains.

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