November 14, 2018
This summer, California experienced its largest fire in state history—the latest disaster in a growing trend towards hotter, larger, and more destructive fires. Without urgent action, wildfires will be even deadlier and costlier in years to come. The Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), developed by Blue Forest Conservation (BFC) in partnership with World Resources Institute (WRI), raises private capital to finance forest restoration today, to reduce the risk of severe fire tomorrow. With financing secured from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, Calvert Impact Capital, and CSAA Insurance Group, private capital will now fund the upfront costs of forest restoration, while multiple beneficiaries share in the cost of reimbursing investors over time. This marks the progression of the FRB from an innovative idea to a tangible solution for scaling investment in forest health and mitigating wildfire risk.
News Release from Yuba Water Agency
November 13, 2018
Delta dilemma: Will WaterFix fix it or not?: “It was a mixed bag at an Oct. 26 conference sponsored by the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association as speakers took on the California WaterFix, the watershed and a host of other issues tied to the long-term health of the California Delta. State Assemblyman Kevin Kiley kicked off the conference, noting it’s been a trying last few years for the Legislature when it comes to water issues because of the drought. One response by the Legislature has been to make significant investments in the state’s water infrastructure. The other is to reduce water demand by conservation, rationing and coercing people into restricting their use of water. Kiley said the latter approach is what’s been ascendant in Sacramento as more and more power has been given to the State Water Board (SWB), which is unelected. Now there is an effort to give the SWB the power to tax as well, noted Kiley. … ”
Read more from the Mountain Democrat here: Delta dilemma: Will WaterFix fix it or not?
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Brenda Burman, Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Assemblymember Kevin Kiley
Left to Right: Jim Watson, Michael George, Jennifer Pierre, Jason Peltier, Andy Fecko
THANK YOU to our Host: 
THANK YOU to 11 of our Associate Members for their sponsorship of this event!
November 10, 2018
By Ron Ringen:
Ron W. Ringen is a member of the board of the Tuolumne Utilities District.
When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the people found out how low they were on the FEMA recovery food chain. I’m not trying to be flip or smart here but we, Tuolumne County, are just one dry lightning strike/wildfire away from the same rude awakening.
The South Fork of the Stanislaus River has not burned in more than 100 years and that’s where many of our homes are located as well as the flume that brings water to most of the residents in Tuolumne County.
A fire in that canyon would be disastrous.
This is a fact: fire, like other disasters, becomes political. No millionaires or movie stars live here like in Hollywood. We are a rural community and in the case of the Donnell Fire, we lost tracts of irreplaceable cabins and history that we love.
Click Link for article
November 6, 2018
News Release Contact: Shelly Thomsen
South Tahoe Public Utility District sthomsen@stpud.us
1275 Meadow Crest Drive, 530-543-6268
South Lake Tahoe CA 96150
South Lake Tahoe, CA (November 5, 2018) – South Tahoe Public Utility District is pleased to announce John Thiel, P.E. as the next General Manager. Thiel, a 26 year veteran at the District, will be replacing Richard Solbrig, who retires this January after almost 15 years as General Manager.
Click for News Release
November 5, 2018
BY DORENE D’ADAMO
Protecting California’s fish is an important duty of the State Water Resources Control Board. But it is not our board’s only duty.
I am one of five members on the board, and the only one who lives in the San Joaquin Valley. Our board is required to provide for the reasonable protection of all beneficial uses of water. This calls for balancing the needs of fish with the needs of cities and the people who live in them – people whose lives and jobs are dependent on that water. We must also consider the needs of agriculture, and the beneficial use of water to grow crops.
More from the Modesto Bee
November 1, 2018
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is seeking public input on draft grant guidelines for the Strategic Land Conservation grant program. The program is funded by Proposition 68, the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018. The competitive grant program focus is on land conservation through fee-title or easement acquisition projects to protect high-risk, high-priority lands threatened by conversion, climate change, or major environmental disturbance.
For more information on this and the draft grant guidelines, click the following link:
Draft grant guidelines are available for public review. Interested parties can submit comments via email to grants@sierranevada.ca.gov. Public comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, November 9, 2018.
October 22, 2018
Contact: Candace Leong, Manager, Northern California Forest
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
90 New Montgomery St, Suite 1010
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-593-8253
Candace.Leong@nfwf.org
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are proud to announce that the 2019 Northern California Forests and Watersheds Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released in January 2019!
As a potential grant applicant, you are more than welcome to begin brainstorming potential projects and partnerships in anticipation of next year’s RFP. Feel free to review the 2018 RFP and RFP Appendix at www.nfwf.org/norcal as the format and types of projects will be similar next year.
Grant funding for the Power Fire in Eldorado National Forest, Storrie Fire in Lassen National Forest, and other areas for meadow restoration will be available for the following project categories:
- Watershed restoration and management
- Species management
- Forest and upland restoration and management
- Recreational and non-natural features/watershed infrastructure management
In addition, we are proud to announce new funding will be available for watershed restoration and watershed infrastructure projects in the Klamath, Shasta-Trinity, and Six Rivers National Forests!
As a reminder, non-federal match will be a factor in the proposal evaluation, but it is not the only factor. If non-federal match is a concern, please contact NFWF’s Candace Leong at 415-593-8253 or Candace.leong@nfwf.org as we encourage everyone to apply.
October 21, 2018
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following:
Section 1. Policy. During the 20th Century, the Federal Government invested enormous resources in water infrastructure throughout the western United States to reduce flood risks to communities; to provide reliable water supplies for farms, families, businesses, and fish and wildlife; and to generate dependable hydropower. Decades of uncoordinated, piecemeal regulatory actions have diminished the ability of our Federal infrastructure, however, to deliver water and power in an efficient, cost‑effective way.
Unless addressed, fragmented regulation of water infrastructure will continue to produce inefficiencies, unnecessary burdens, and conflict among the Federal Government, States, tribes, and local public agencies that deliver water to their citizenry. To meet these challenges, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce should, to the extent permitted by law, work together to minimize unnecessary regulatory burdens and foster more efficient decision-making so that water projects are better able to meet the demands of their authorized purposes.
More from the White House
October 18, 2018
Last chance to RSVP for the October 26 Mountain Counties Water Resources Association symposium
Date: Friday, October 26, 2018
Doors open: 8:00 a.m.
Program: 8:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Location: The Ridge Golf Course and Event Center, 2020 Golf Course Rd, Auburn, CA 95602
Hear about the Western Water Issues, Featuring:
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Brenda Burman, Commissioner
United States Bureau of Reclamation
The California Water Fix – Supply, Conveyance & Operation
- What is It, How will It Work, and How are we going to pay for It?
- Sustainability in Our Highly Altered Delta
- Sites Project – Increasing Dry Year Supplies
- Making the Existing System Work, a Better Bridge to the Future
- Flow, Habitat, and Science: Sustainable Management of California’s Waterway
Jennifer Pierre, General Manager
State Water Contractors
Michael Patrick George
Delta Watermaster
Jim Watson, General Manager
The Sites Project Authority
Jason Peltier, Executive Director
Coalition for a Sustainable Delta
Andy Fecko, Director of Strategic Affairs
Placer County Water Agency
THANK YOU to 11 of our Associate Members for their sponsorship of this event!
October 16, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lisa Westbrook, Public Relations, (209) 532-5536, x501
SONORA, CA: After an extensive and collaborative executive recruitment process, the Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) Board of Directors has selected a new General Manager to lead the District.
Following a series of facilitated stakeholder meetings and interviews with a group of highly qualified candidates, the Board has selected Edwin R. Pattison of Modesto as the new General Manager for the District. Mr. Pattison currently serves as General Manager for Mountain House Community Services District since 2014. He has also served as City Manager for the City of Ione and Water Resources Manager for Calaveras County Water District. As General Manager for the Mountain House CSD, a full-service municipality facing significant growth, Mr. Pattison oversees the Public Safety, Public Works including water and wastewater, Parks and Recreation, Finance and Administration departments. Mr. Pattison has 30 years’ experience in public agencies/utilities and has worked extensively in the foothill regions.
Click Here for TUD News Release – Ed Pattison
