Are you managing natural resources in the San Francisco Bay Area and interested in learning how to plan for climate change?
Join us for a free workshop on November 29 from 9am-4pm in Oakland. At the workshop scientists and resource managers will present predicted climate change impacts for the Bay Area, climate smart adaptation principles, case studies, data and decision support tools and provide an opportunity to request research and tools needed to make informed climate smart decisions. Case studies from a variety of projects and landscapes will be shared. And your feedback will be solicited on some new tools being developed as part of the Conservation Lands Network.
The workshop is presented by the Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium, with support from:
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, California Landscape Conservation Cooperative, California State Coastal Conservancy, and The Nature Conservancy
Have you read Elizabeth Ptak's article entitled Capturing Hearts and Minds? It was featured in the Winter issue of the Land Trust Alliance's magazine, Saving Land. It was one of the inspirations for next week's Gathering on cultural relevancy, inclusiveness, and connecting people and land.
One of the examples in the article is LandPaths, a nonprofit land trust in Sonoma County and member of the Open Space Council. Surely you've heard someone from LandPaths speak... Craig Anderson presents at Rally, he spoke about State Parks at our last Gathering, Magdalena Ridley spoke at our conference in 2010 and also at the Bay Nature event we partnered on last fall, and probably dozens of other events around the Bay Area and state. Their story is powerful and if you haven't heard it yet, hop over to their website and find a way to hear it.
Photo courtesy of LandPaths
To keep you on your toes, we're bringing forward four new speakers next week to talk about land and people, people and land. Our panel will include:
This group of local leaders and innovators will share stories of urban parks, local food, and new perspectives. They use videos and Facebook to connect with people. And they will be speaking at our Rainy Season Gathering on Thursday, January 19 from 10am-1pm at the Brower Center in Berkeley. Now, if it would just rain then the name of this annual Gathering would make more sense.
A local and organic lunch will be served and there will be plenty of time for seeing friends, making connections and building partnerships.
There are 25 more spots. This will sell out!
The Bay Area is home to more than 1 million acres of protected lands. It's also home to over 7 million people who speak over 100 languages. How many of those people are aware of the vast network of parks, trails, farms, ranches, forests, and watersheds in their backyard? How many will contribute their time or financial support? How about their vote?
Also making a home in this region are thousands of farmers, local food activists, outdoor education programs, social and environmental justice organizations, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. In their own ways they are connecting people to the land. And without land, these passions and causes would look very different.
POSTSCRIPT:
Over 100 people filled the Tamalpais Room at the Brower Center to hear from a panel about, and discuss themselves, the state parks crisis and the partnerships that are forming because of it. Much thanks to:
We will post the presentations on our Events page, and here on this blog, when they are available. Several folks tweeted during the Gathering or retweeted about it, including @landpaths @baynature @calparks @christinesf @SaveMountDiablo @TreehuggersIntl @vitalitat @aheartwell. You can see the story on Twitter with #stateparkscrisis
Our next Gathering will be January 19, topic and location TBD. Stay tuned here for more information. If you are so in love with the Open Space Council that you'll attend no matter what, click here to register.
###
12:36pm: We're wrapping up and going to lunch. I'll post Traci's and Danita's presentations here and on our website later today. Look for pictures on Flickr later, too.
12:33pm: An excellent question about young people. How do we involve them in this issue and their future of parks? Craig Anderson says that every site is different and in any way possible involve teenagers in that place.
12:29pm: Craig wrapped up. We are going to do a few minutes of Q&A and then lunch.
12:28pm: If you're not familiar with LandPaths' work on Taylor Mountain or Bayer Farm, check them out. They are "people powered parks."
12:17pm: Craig: "We need to think big. We need to reenvision parks so that it can be everything it can be."
12:15pm: Craig is going to talk about the lessons that he and LandPaths have learned about the state parks crisis.
12:13pm: Ruskin has wrapped up. Dave Gould said that it's not surprising that Save the Redwoods is involved in the state parks situation. They were involved at the very beginning of the state parks system. Dave then introduced the Executive Director of LandPaths.
12:10pm: Ruskin "We need to think collectively think about long term sustainable solutions. What does the state park system need to look like in the future?"
12:07pm: Ruskin: "We need innovation. We need to try new things."
12:06pm: Bob has wrapped up. Dave Gould has introduced Ruskin Hartley.
11:54am: Lunch is supposed to start at 12pm, but we still have Ruskin Hartley of Save the Redwoods League and Craig Anderson from LandPaths. We'll probably go till 12:30pm.
11:50am: Bob Berman: "It's been mentioned already today, but it deserves repeating that even if a park isn't being closed, the service reductions and budget cuts are affecting all state parks."
11:46am: Lauren has wrapped up. Dave Gould thanked her and has introduced Bob Berman. Bob is on the Executive Committee of the Bay Area Open Space Council, partner in Nichols-Berman consulting firm, and a founder of the Solano Land Trust. He's talking today as part of his involvement in the Benicia State Parks Association.
11:45am: Lauren: "We have 17 great groups around the table really caring about these parks. The Sonoma Land Trust provided start up funding for the Parks Alliance. The County Parks has provided office space. The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District provides meeting space. These three in particular have really stepped up to support this cause."
11:42am: Lauren: "We feel really encouraged about what is happening in Sonoma County. If we it can be done, it can be done in Sonoma County."
11:32am: Dave Gould has introduced Lauren Dixon of Sonoma Parks Alliance.
11:30am: Danita has wrapped up her presentation. Loud applause for this local leader!
11:28am: Danita has moved on to China Camp now. She wants to confirm that the State Parks is not kicking out Frank Quan, the lone resident of China Camp State Park. Click here to read an article about it on Huffington Post. And here's a video about him and the park:
11:25am: Danita is describing the partnership that State Parks and National Park Service have created using the parking lot at Muir Woods. Muir Woods is in the same watershed as Samuel P Taylor and has a very high visitor rate. Every tourist who comes to the Bay Area goes to Muir Woods. There will be an additional $2 parking fee that will go to State Parks.
11:22am: Danita, who is also on the Executive Committee of the Bay Area Open Space Council:
11:19am: Danita: "There are 4 parks in Marin on the closure list, but all state parks are affected. There are service reductions across the board."
11:13am: Danita Rodriguez: "How do you actually close a park? We have to keep them open but we have to close them."
11:10am: Dave Gould is introducing Danita Rodriguez from Marin District of State Parks. He said, if he could put together a A list of people he'd like to work with, Danita is on that list.
11:09am: Traci is closing by saying: "Endorse the campaign! SaveStateParks.org"
11:05am: Traci: "We have a lot of work to do to raise awareness of state parks. And not just those 70 parks slated to close, but all of our 270 state parks."
10:58am: Traci: "We at the State Parks Foundation are not in the business of running parks. But we want to do what we can to support those groups who can support these parks. My back of the envelope math is that there are 20 parks that have a good chance of staying open. Another 20 have a fighting chance. We have another 30-40 parks that don't have a good safety net right now and who will probably close."
10:55am: Traci Verardo: "What is the incentive for groups to really stretch to keep a park open? One answer is that all revenue raised in a park stays in the park."
10:47am: Traci Verardo from State Parks Foundation:
She's talking now about AB42 and the work that the State Parks Foundation did to make that happen. Click here to learn more about AB42.
10:43am: Sorry! For those of you watching live, we were having internet issues. We're here!
10:40am: "The Governor is giving the state the government they are willing to pay for, even if it's not the government they want," said Traci Verardo. "Nothing is sacred."
10:38am: "This legislature and Governor have not felt the public outcry that Goveror Schwarzenegger did in 2008 and 2009 when parks weren't supported," said Traci Verardo.
10:34am: Traci Verardo from State Parks Foundation is speaking now. I will get her presentation up here on the blog later this morning. "Over 90% of state parks budget came from the General Fund in the 1970s. Now it's more like 38% comes from the General Fund."
10:31am: Before we started the panel, we watched this video just released yesterday:
10:29am: Andrea Mackenzie welcomed everyone and introduced Dave Gould, our moderater of today's panel. Dave said that he has always loved working with the Bay Area Open Space Council and is thrilled to be here.
10:28am: Good morning! Today we are holding our last Gathering of the year at the Brower Center in downtown Berkeley. Currently there aren't any helicopters buzzing overhead, but that's always subject to change this close to the Cal campus. This is Annie Burke and I'll be blogging this morning with quotes, photos, and links.
Today we're talking about the State Parks crisis. In case you didn't know, right now California State Parks, the largest state park system in the country, face unprecedented budget cuts and closures. Governor Jerry Brown signed budget cuts in May 2011 that included a reduction of General Fund support for state parks by $11 million for Fiscal Year 2011-12 and a total reduction of $22 million by the beginning of Fiscal Year 2012-2013. Seventy parks are slated to close by July 2012, some of which have already done so. China Camp, Olompali, Jack London, Samuel P. Taylor, Sugarloaf Ridge, Annadel, Austin Creek, Petaluma Adobe, Bale Grist Mill, Bothe-Napa Valley, Castle Rock, and Henry Coe are all here in the Bay Area.
This hasn’t happened before. New partnerships are being formed. New ways of working together have been created and are being implemented. And new strategies are needed to deal with the new realities of publicly funded conservation.
What does it all mean? What is being done? And how do we need to think in new ways? Our panel is going to answer these questions. Our panel includes:
The program just started. Ready?
As of 11/16 we are at capacity! We'll be blogging and tweeting during the Gathering so stay tuned here for presentations, links, and more. #stateparkscrisis
###
10 more spots are available for Thursday's Gathering about State Parks and Partnerships. Register soon before we're at capacity!
###
China Camp, Olompali, Jack London, Samuel P. Taylor, Sugarloaf Ridge, Annadel, Austin Creek, Petaluma Adobe, Bale Grist Mill, Bothe-Napa Valley, Castle Rock, and Henry Coe.
Do you go to, work with, or care about these places? They are 12 of the 70 state parks slated to close between now and July 2012.
Bullfrog Pond in the Austin Creek State Recreation Area
This hasn’t happened before. New partnerships are being formed. New ways of working together have been created and are being implemented. And new strategies are needed to deal with the new realities of publicly funded conservation.
Join us this Thursday, November 17 from 10am to 1pm at the Brower Center in Berkeley to discuss the situation and the partnerships that are forming because of it. Our panel of experts consists of:
Lunch will be served and there will be plenty of time for networking and seeing friends.
The Terrace at the Brower Center when the sun shines.
For those of you that are coming, a few things to note:
Postscript:
Thank you to all who attended the Fall Gathering on September 15th! We had a full house to hear Sam Schuchat and Amy Hutzel talk.
Thank you, Sam and Amy, for sharing your time and expertise! And of course thank you for all that you're doing for conservation in the Bay Area.
We also want to thank Bi-Rite Market for a delicious lunch. For those of you that asked, the salad was their Farro, Corn and Peach Salad with Sweet Peppers and Red Onion-Sherry Vinaigrette.
Our next Gathering will be November 17 at the Brower Center in Berkeley. More information about it coming soon!
12:20pm: LUNCH!
11:45am: Our presentation can be seen here:
11:41am: The partnership between the Coastal Conservancy and the Open Space Council is long-standing and critical, and one that we value immeasurably. Bettina Ring, Ryan Branciforte and I are going to talk about the work we've done over the past 9-12 months at the Open Space Council.
11:39am: Amy is wrapping up now.
11:26am: Amy Hutzel:
11:17am: Here's Amy's presentation for your reading pleasure:
11:16am: Amy gave an overview of the purpose and work of the Coastal Conservancy's Bay Program. Thirty projects have gone to their Board this past year and that's what we're going to learn about today.
11:09am: I am loading up Amy's presentation now and will share it here as soon as it's ready...
11:07am: Andrea asked for all the Executive Committee members to stand up. She encouraged all who have questions about the Open Space Council to talk to any of these folks.
Andrea then introduced Amy Hutzel, the Program Manager of the Bay Area Program of the State Coastal Conservancy.
11:06am: Sam concludes... applause!
10:53am: Andrea Mackenzie is opening it up to questions from the group. By the way, the room is packed with almost 100 people!
10:50am: "I don't think we're going to put anything on the 2012 ballot," said Sam Schuchat. "That will be discussed at our Board meeting in October, which is open to the public and I welcome you all to attend."
10:44am: We've learned that Hilary Clinton is speaking down the road at the Golden Gate Club. What are the chances of her coming to the Log Cabin to talk about open space?
10:39am: Sam Schuchat talking about polling results:
10:26am: Sam enthusiastically welcomed the crowd. The powerpoint he is going to share today is available on the Restoration Authority's website and also right here:
10:24am: Andrea Mackenzie, the Chair of the Open Space Council and General Manager of the Santa Clara Regional Open Space Authority, has kicked off the meeting. She welcomed our newest member, Lagoon Valley Conservancy. We went around the very full room and did introductions. Then Andrea introduced Sam Schucat of the Coastal Conservancy and Restoration Authority.
10:00am: Good morning! Today we are holding our 4th Gathering of the year at the Log Cabin in the Presidio. This is Annie Burke and I'll be blogging this morning with quotes, photos, and links.
Today we're taking One Look Back, Two Steps Forward and looking at the past year with the Coastal Conservancy Bay Area Program. Sam Schuchat, the Executive Officer of the Coastal Conservancy, will speak first about the Restoration Authority and some recent polling. Then Amy Hutzel, Manager of the Bay Area Program, will lead us on a tour of their work and accomplishments over the past year. Lastly us chickens from the Open Space Council will talk about what we've been up to. It's going to be fun.
The program starts at 10am. Ready?
RSS
Twitter
Flickr
Transit & Trails
