May, 2012
This spring, CEMAR initiated new projects in several central coast watersheds. In the South Bay tributary San Francisquito Creek, CEMAR is working with National Marine Fisheries Service , the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District and other partners to design a modification of an important fish passage barrier known as the Bonde weir.
CEMAR also installed multiple gauges in Pescadero Creek to begin collecting data to support water conservation and streamflow enhancement projects in cooperation with the Integrated Watershed Restoration Program and local partners.
March, 2012
An op-ed entitled The Climate Change Hoax by CEMAR Executive Director Andrew Gunther (and co-author James McCarthy of Harvard University) appeared in the Sacramento Bee, the Miami Herald, and the Kansas City Star on March 21.
February, 2012
CEMAR's Executive Director Andrew Gunther spoke about how universities and local organizations work together to address topics needing research attention on February 14th as part of an Uncommon Dialogue sponsored by the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.
January, 2012
Senior Environmental Scientist Dr. Matthew Deitch measures streamflow at Westminster Woods in Occidental, CA after the recent rains.
A video of Dr. Andrew Gunther's plenary address at the 2011 State of the Estuary conference is now available.
December, 2011
Senior Environmental Scientist Matthew Deitch served on a Discussion Panel at the Eighth Annual Berkeley River Restoration Symposium on Saturday, December 3 on the UC Berkeley campus. Dr. Deitch shared his experiences conducting collaborative technical projects with local stakeholders in California and discussed constraints placed on restoration practices with ecological objectives in human-influenced landscapes.
November, 2011
Coho salmon are returning to the Russian River. Read more about the good news and keep track of the number of coho adults returning to the Russian River watershed. CEMAR is one of six organizations working together as the Russian River Coho Water Resources Partnership to implement conservation strategies that increase water reliability for both humans and fish.
October, 2011
CEMAR GIS Analyst Nick Reseburg provided GIS support for a presentation at the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Vancouver B.C., where Deborah Giles presented research on killer whale behavioral response to the presence of vessels. Giles used remote sensing equipment to collect spatial data on real time orca and vessel locations, which Nick then animated to easily visualize the orca/vessel encounters. These data will be used to inform policy for control of vessels as part managing the recovery of this endangered species.
The State of the Bay 2011 was released at the State of the Estuary Conference on September 20. CEMAR's Andrew Gunther was the project leader for this report, which is available from the San Francisco Estuary Project website. Read more about CEMAR's work on Ecological Indicators. Dr. Gunther will be speaking about the report at the State of the Estuary Conference.
August, 2011
As part of the Bay Area Fish Passage Improvement Program, CEMAR led a team of stakeholders and passage engineers that produced a channel design allowing for fish migration at a total barrier on Stuart Creek. Project implementation will provide passage to substantial upstream habitat and improve the open space value of the parcel on which the barrier is located. Featured in the Sonoma Valley Sun.
July, 2011
Working with PRBO Conservation Science, CEMAR recently installed a stream gauge at TomKat Ranch in San Mateo County. The gauge and subsequent calibration and analysis will allow the landowners to understand variations in local streamflow, particularly during low flow conditions.
June, 2011
CEMAR will be continuing its work facilitating the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Workgroup for the next year, with support from the signatories of the watershed’s Memorandum of Understanding (Alameda County Flood Control District, Alameda County Water District, California State Coastal Conservancy, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Zone 7 Water Agency, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company).
CEMAR Executive Director Andrew Gunther has been asked to organize two sessions on Climate Driven Ecological Change and its Management Implications at the 10th Biennial State of the Estuary Conference. The Conference will take place on September 20-21 at the Marriott Hotel in Oakland.
CEMAR gratefully acknowledges renewed support from the Tides Foundation.
May, 2011 CEMAR is pleased to announce the appointment of Linda Tandle as Deputy Executive Director. Linda, who for 10 years was the Executive Director of the Anza Borrego Foundation, brings administrative and development skills to the management team at CEMAR.
April, 2011
Steelhead trout in the upper Pajaro River watershed, California, discovered by CHEER volunteers and filmed by CEMAR's hydrologist Matthew Deitch on 4/25/2011
CEMAR is pleased to announce the debut of the Streamflow Data Center, which shows data from CEMAR's network of stream gauges in coastal California. The data produced by these gauges are being used by a diverse array of stakeholders to provide an objective technical foundation for discussions about improving streamflow conditions for salmonids while maintaining other beneficial uses of water.
CEMAR Senior Scientist Matthew Deitch will be delivering the keynote address at the Annual Hydrology Symposium at UC Berkeley on May 7. His lecture is entitled "Restoring streamflow in coastal California watersheds: lessons learned through a science-based process.
March, 2011
California Sea Grant and the Russian River Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program announced that an estimated 190 adult coho salmon returned to the Russian River this year, as compared with a previous annual average of less than four. Sea Grant is a partner in the Russian River Coho Water Resources Partnership, which being supported by a grant to CEMAR from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The returns of coho was welcome news to the Partnership, which is working to improve habitat conditions for coho in key tributaries in the Russian River watershed.
Dr. Andrew Gunther, Executive Director of CEMAR, has been selected to serve as the Executive Coordinator of the Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium. Dr. Gunther will coordinate a regional, multi-agency approach to addressing and adapting to climate change impacts on nature, from the Gulf of the Farallones to the SF Bay Estuary and uplands.
February, 2011
Gordon Becker presented at the FishNet 4C steering committee meeting
regarding restoration opportunities for steelhead in the region between
Marin and Monterey counties.
Gus Yates (HydroFocus, Inc.) and Barry Hecht (Balance Hydrologics) will use
CEMAR's data analysis to explore correlations between watershed bedrock
type, baseflow magnitude and persistence, and steelhead rearing habitat. The
results will be presented at the 29th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference
in San Luis Obispo at the end of March.
On Tuesday, February 15, CEMAR's Senior Environmental Scientist Dr.
Matthew Deitch will be giving a seminar for the Institute of International
Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. The seminar, titled "Tools to address environmental flow recovery for coastal salmon in a
vineyard landscape," is a joint presentation with Dr. Adina Merenlender,
Professor of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley.
More information can be found at http://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/iis
January 2011
Dr. Matthew Deitch of CEMAR will also be serving as lecturer in the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Department at UC Berkeley for the Spring 2011 semester, where he is teaching the graduate-level course Hydrology for Planners.
In addition, CEMAR has been awarded a GIS Conservation Program grant from the Environmental Systems Research Institute, which will be used for spatial analysis in CEMAR’s steelhead restoration and conservation hydrology programs.
December 2010
CEMAR prepared a report entitled Considerations for Restoration of Pescadero Marsh. The report is based on the proceedings of the December 2008 public forum: Restoration of Pescadero Marsh: Identifying Problems and Exploring Solutions and was prepared with funding from the California State Coastal Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
October 2010
CEMAR will be celebrating it's 10th Anniversary with a reception from 5:00 - 7:30 PM on October 28. If you have not received an invitation and would like to attend, please contact us!
October 2010
Senior Environmental Scientist Gordon Becker presented Coastal California Steelhead: Conservation Planning and Restoration Approaches to a graduate level course in River Restoration at UC Berkeley.
September 2010
CEMAR will begin work next month assisting the San Francisco Estuary Partnership develop a "State of the Bay" report for the San Francisco Estuary. CEMAR will be leading a team that includes The San Francisco Estuary Institute, The Bay Institute, and PRBO Conservation Science.
September 2010
Senior Environmental Scientist Matthew Deitch presented Hydrology and River Restoration; and Applications to Coastal California to a graduate level course in River Restoration at UC Berkeley.
August 2010
CEMAR's Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Gunther, conducted a climate science education workshop at the national retreat of the
Alliance for Climate Education.
July 2010
CEMAR will be serving as an expert witness for a plaintiff that is suing the City of Calistoga, claiming the City has violated California State Fish and Game Code §5937 in relation to operation of Kimball Canyon Dam on the upper Napa River. This code section requires that dam owners allow sufficient water flows around or through their facilities to keep downstream fisheries in "good condition."
July 2010
CEMAR's Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Gunther, was part of a panel on climate change at the Commonwealth Club entitled "Hot, Wet, and Uncertain." An
audio recording of this event is available online.
June 2010
Senior Environmental Scientist Matthew Deitch presented Streamflow and Hydrology of Green Valley Creek at a public meeting in Graton, CA.
May 2010
CEMAR's Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Gunther, conducted the professional training Giving Effective Presentations for Cambridge Systematics in Oakland.
May 2010
Linda Tandle has been hired by CEMAR to serve as the Program Coordinator for the
Russian River Coho Water Resources Partnership.
Linda will be working from the offices of the Sotoyome Resource Conservation District in Santa Rosa.
April 2010
CEMAR has prepared and distributed An Approach to Restoration of the Pescadero Marsh, a report based upon the proceedings of the December 2008 public forum Restoration of Pescadero Marsh: Identifying Problems and Exploring Solutions. This report is presently being reviewed by the members of the Pescadero Marsh Working Group.
April 2010
Executive Director Andrew Gunther conducted the professional training Giving Effective Presentations for the Center for Energy Efficient and Renewable Technologies in Sacramento.
April 2010
CEMAR will be preparing a video for Alameda County that will describe how the Flood Control District is integrating environmental stewardship and sustainability into their programs.
April 2010
Executive Director Andrew Gunther presented Global Climate Disruption: A Scientific Call to Action at Laney College in Oakland, CA.
March 2010
Dr. Matthew Deitch, Senior Environmental Scientist, completed the Upper Green Valley Creek Hydrology Assessment as part of the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District's
Upper Green Valley Creek Watershed Management Plan.
February 2010
CEMAR has been awarded a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to be the managing partner for the
Russian River Coho Water Resources Partnership.
CEMAR's partners in this project will be Trout Unlimited, the Sotoyome Resource Conservation District, the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, and UC Cooperative Extension. The project's objective is to restore coho salmon to the Russian River through a combination of improved water resources management, habitat restoration, and stocking of fish in collaboration with the
Russian River Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program.
February 2010
Senior Environmental Scientist Matthew Deitch gave a presentation about the Partnership at a public meeting in the Mill Creek watershed organized by the Sotoyome Resource Conservation District.
