TAdN Meeting
December 18, 2000

Updates: Calfed projects:

Mark Newhouser reported on the one that was awarded to the SEC and 6
partners- we have turned in our scope of services but the FWS hasn't
gotten back to us yet and are still reviewing.  We are working with
the steering committee to plan the project and work out some details
so we are ready to go when the funding comes in. (Note: there is new
information since this meeting- see Mark's recent email. We should be
in business on about March 1).

Rich Holman reported on an existing grant on 8 acres on Deer Creek and
also a quick project on Brickyard Creek.  Contract was awarded in
Oct. so there wasn't time to do all the cut-stump work, they just did
some quick spray work, and monitoring efforts show that it has
increased to 11 acres.  Jan Lowrey helped them- he's been having
success with monthly spraying in the summer.

Kristen Cooper-Carter reported on their proposal to CALFED, 8 streams
for 1.6 million; they funded part of it- $360 K. Want to see mapping
and eradication at two demonstration sites.  They felt they needed to
educate the CALFED reviewers- there were comments that indicated they
were not up to speed.  Still up in the air about which two streams
will be funded.

Discussion on chemical control:

"Stalker"- aka Arsenal and Amazipir, a new chemical approved for use
in a watershed.  It has been used along the Napa River with good
results- seems to wipe it out in one application.  American Cyanamid
is the company, and it's a broad-spectrum. Amazipir is the generic
name, and there has been a lot of work done to test its persistence
and effects on critters.  Another one, Garlon, has not worked for
Arundo.  NMFS is in favor of using Amazipir- Rich Maravich has some
info he can provide. We'll get that info out on the email list.  The
effects of Amazipir aren't apparent for several weeks.  It is more
expensive to use but you don't have to go back again and again, and so
it may be cheaper as well as safer for the workers.  People in
Southern California have been using it for a while.  Chris Sauer and
the CCC have been using it.  It's not approved for aquatic use, and
it's hard to define where it is safe to use- have to be very careful.
Just because you know where the high water line is doesn't mean that's
where the legal limit is.

We might put info up and emphasize that people deciding what they
should do will need to contact their local Ag. Commissioner's office,
etc.

How do we handle/approve what our partners are going to do as part of the eradication project? We'll work with DFG and FWS to develop an accepted list of protocols with information about what to do to avoid harming desirable species.  

The blanket permit issue:

We agree that there needs to be presidence for regional permits, and
we want to bring the issue to the state level.  We do want to go after
it, at least for this CALFED project, and maybe later it will go onto
being a statewide situation.  Even still it might be difficult to
globally address the issue of appropriate methods for every location,
but there will be an advantage to working with the authorities at a
high level.  We should go to the Commissioners' offices in advance
with our plan ...  We'll check with Paul Jones to see what he has
pulled together.  DFG, Reclamation Board, CEQA, Corps of Engineers,
and Ag. Comm. Chico folks have had success when they've brought agency
people out to the stream. They've had good luck with CEQA exemptions
(based on the "maintenance" mission of the effort), Jan Lowrey has a
blanket permit for Cache Creek.  (See follow-up message from Paul
Jones, appended to the end of these minutes).

There has been exemplary work done by the Cache Creek Conservancy and
we should make a field trip.

Subcommittee conversation on the permitting topic will be conducted on the listserv.  

Research needs:

Where do we go from the point of being done with our three-year grant?
What needs to happen to conduct a long-term effort to control the
weed?  What questions do we need answered for our effort to succeed-
prediction, control methods, ecology of the weed.

We want to develop templates and outlines that list all the issues
that are involved in Arundo control (see the CalEPPC Giant Can Working
Group report for a good start). Would we want to try and have the
scientific advisory team for CALFED to come and hear presentations
about what we're up against?

Tom Dudley reported on the trip to the land of Arundo- India and
Nepal.  They went for the purpose of looking for candidate insects and
pathogens to be used in biological control.  They found several
critters feeding on the plant and maybe some pathogens.  We'll hear
back from the lab about the pathogens, and there will be extensive
work done to develop bio-control agents.  It takes about twenty years
to get there, but at least it's happening.  The plant gets larger here
for some reason.  Natural habitat was found in Chitwan Nat'l Park in
Nepal, almost an understory plant, semi-riparian, moist areas.  It is
a problem in Europe and South Africa, where there are rivers like ours
and it's not native. Not a problem in India and Nepal, but the land is
very intensively managed and it doesn't get a chance to take off.

There is targeted bio-control work being done on Cache Creek for
tamarisk, with something almost ready to be released there. Mapping is
being done from aerial photos for monitoring purposes.

Marc Horney reported on preliminary results from Ikonos 4-meter
data. DFG flew video at the same time. Working on a new 6-band sensor
to fly at higher, wants to get the money together to fly other creeks.

Next grant opportunities:

Work on the techniques for cost-effective combination of
remote-sensing for mapping of Arundo.  Marc started a resource
managers' guide for remote sensing.  Maybe will try the new sensor in
the winter.  Email listserv called weeds-remote: sign on at
(listproc@ucdavis.edu).

CALFED-ERP: This March, guidelines released; deadline in mid-May We
would like to expand on our present effort with statewide mapping,
extended monitoring, and remote sensing techniques.  More watersheds
will be ready to go.  Work with DWR to cover the delta islands and
coordinate a regional mapping effort.

Kristen- they are working on several proposals.  Applying to DWR Urban
Streams, Prop 13, and Prop 319H to finish up work they've started.
Especially want to move forward on a management strategy for Stony
Creek so they can get some real work done.  Little Chico Creek is
pursuing funding for their work.

Weed management areas- Jenny Drewitz (with CDFA) reports that there is
a few million available over three years to show that weed management
areas are successful.  We should participate in those meetings and see
how we can plug in.  Weed management areas are multi-county entities
and will be able to apply for a certain amount based on how many
counties and how new their projects are.

Arundo is a candidate for a C-level pest, not yet listed but it is on
track and looks like it will go forward.

RFP for the WMA money is on the website: pi.cdfa.ca.go/wma, look for a
reference to "RFP SB 1740".

Follow-up on permitting issue:

: You may recall that I tried hard to get Calvin 
> Fong of the SF Corps District and Tom Coe of the Sacramento Corps District 
> to adopt the Regional General Permit for Arundo (and other riparian 
> exotics) eradication approved by the LA Corps District. However, they 
were 
> very reluctant to have staff work on this when there was no proof that the 
> need was there. It would be possible to ask again, but before going to 
the 
> Corps again, I think it would be worth checking in with the LA District to 
> see how things have been going (number of permits, compliance record, 
etc.) 
> and to size up the need for future project approval in the SF and Sacto 
> Districts. Also, there is now a form in use in the SF Bay area called the 
> Joint Aquatic Resource Permits Application (JARPA), which combines 404, 
> 401, BCDC, DFG 1600 agmt, etc., into one application. At a minimum, I'd 
> recommend using that in the SF Corps District's area. Info can be had on 
> JARPA at the ABAG website ( 
> http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/sfep/projects/JARPA/JARPA_form.html). Hope 
> this helps. 
> 
> Cheers, 
> Paul