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WETLANDS AND WILDLIFE: MAKING THE CONNECTION A conference to enhance understanding of ecological interactions April 7 and 8, 2005 Finley Community Center Santa Rosa, California

The Western Section of The Wildlife Society and the Western Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists co-sponsored the Wetlands and Wildlife conference on April 7 and 8, 2005, in Santa Rosa, California. The purpose of the Wetlands and Wildlife conference was to bring together wetland and wildlife professionals to share technical information that enhances the understanding of wetland and wildlife sciences.

The conference was held on April 7th. It included a plenary session with presentations by Brock Dolman, Occidental Art and Ecology Center; Carl Wilcox, California Department of Fish and Game; Catherine Kuhlman, Executive Officer of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board; and Amy Hutzel, California Coastal Conservancy, San Francisco Bay Salt Pond Restoration. The day's sessions were: Wildlife Benefits of Wetland Restoration; Conservation of Sensitive Species in Wetland Habitats; Impacts of Invasive Species on Wetland Ecosystems; Ecological Interactions in Wetlands; and Wetland Monitoring and Management. An attended poster session and social hour concluded the conference.

Three field trips were held on April 8th. The trips were a tour of the Viansa Winery wetland restoration project in Sonoma Valley, and a wetland delineation workshop and an amphibians/rare plant tour at the California Department of Fish and Game's Wright Preserve in Santa Rosa. Although all of the field trips were full with waiting lists, very stormy weather resulted in only half of the wetland delineation and amphibians/rare plant registrants attending. Only two registrants skipped the Viansa Winery tour.

The conference co-chairs were Jessica Martini of TWS and Sheri Emerson of SWS. We want to acknowledge Candace Renger, Cynthia Perrine, John Harris, and Mike Chapel for assisting in answering many questions and working on the conference registration and finances. Conference volunteers Jim Castle, Tiffany Espinosa, Michelle Stevens, Rich Stabler, Crystal Acker, Stuart Siegel, Francesca Demgen, Russell Huddleston, Pat Frost, Elizabeth Brusati, and Mary Pakenham provided essential assistance with the conference by chairing sessions, working the registration desk, and just keeping the conference running smoothly. Field trip volunteers David Cook, Gene Cooley, Michelle Stevens, Joel Butterworth, Philip Shannin, and Tiffany Espinosa created a great experience for field trip registrants. Many thanks to all!

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Preliminary Schedule at a Glance

Thursday, April 7, 2005
8:00 A.M. to 8:30 A.M.	Registration
8:30 A.M. to 8:40 A.M.	Welcome
8:40 A.M. to 9:00 A.M.	Opening Remarks
9:00 A.M. to 10:15 P.M.	Plenary Session: Wetlands and Wildlife: Making the Connection
10:15 A.M. to 10:30 A.M.	Morning Break
10:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.	Morning Session: Wildlife Benefits of Wetland Restoration
12:00 P.M. to 1:15 P.M.	Lunch
1:15 P.M. to 2:45 P.M.	Early Afternoon Sessions 1A-Conservation of Sensitive Species in Wetland Habitats 1B-Impacts of Invasive Species on Wetland Ecosystems
2:45 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.	Afternoon Break
3:00 P.M. to 4:15 P.M.	Mid-Afternoon Sessions 2A--Ecological Interactions in Wetlands 2B - Wetland Monitoring and Management
4:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.	Attended Poster Session
5:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.	SWS Chapter Meeting
5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.	Social Hour, Poster Viewing
Friday, April 8, 2005
8:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.	Field Trips (all trips include lunch at approximately 12:00 P.M.) Amphibians and Rare Plants, Santa Rosa Viansa Winery Wetlands, Sonoma Wetland Delineation Workshop, Santa Rosa

Preliminary Program

Thursday, April 7, 2005
8:00 A.M. to 8:30 A.M.	Registration
8:30 A.M. to 8:40 A.M.	Welcome
8:40 A.M. to 9:00 A.M.	Opening Remarks Brock Dolman, Occidental Art and Ecology Center
9:00 A.M. to 10:15 P.M.	Plenary Session: Wetlands and Wildlife: Making the Connection Carl Wilcox, California Department of Fish and Game, Member of the Santa Rosa Plain Conservation Strategy Team Catherine Kuhlman, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, Executive Officer Amy Hutzel, California Coastal Conservancy, San Francisco Bay Salt Pond Restoration
10:15 A.M. to 10:30 A.M.	Morning Break
10:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.	Morning Session: Wildlife Benefits of Wetland Restoration Wetland Restoration for Threatened and Endangered Species, and Migratory Birds at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, California. Mike Carpenter, Jennifer Isola, Mike Wolder, Joe Silveira Wetlands Restoration in a Regional Context: Fitting the Pieces Together. John Brosnan. Restoring Wildlife Habitat on a Landscape Scale: The Sears Point Example. Christina Toms, Peter Baye, Hildie Spautz, John Vollmar. Bird Use of a Managed Salt Water Pond in San Francisco Bay. Cheryl Strong, Gina Barton, Sherry Hudson, Alvaro Jaramillo.
1:15 P.M. to 2:45 P.M.	Early Afternoon Sessions 1A-Conservation of Sensitive Species in Wetland Habitats   Habitat Use of Giant Garter Snakes in Restored Wetlands at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, and Michael Carpenter.   Building Vernal Pools for Tadpole Shrimp, Tiger Salamander and Burrowing Owls in Fremont, CA. Michael Josselyn.   Distribution of Small Mammal Burrows on the Santa Rosa Plain and the Occurrence of California Tiger Salamanders. Roger D. Harris.   Exploratory Analysis of Environmental Parameters Affecting the Federally Endangered Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) and Habitat Restoration Recommendations. Tim R. Degraff. 1B-Impacts of Invasive Species on Wetland Ecosystems   Science, Policy, and Invasive Species Management in a Multi-Stakeholder Environment. Anna L. W. Sears.   The Effects of Nutrients on an Aquatic Invasive Plant: A Preliminary Study of Ludwigia hexapetala (Onagraceae) in the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Lily N. Verdone.   Is the Invasion of Hybrid Cordgrass Changing Food Webs in San Francisco Bay Salt Marshes? Elizabeth D. Brusati and Edwin D. Grosholz.   Extinction of Spartina foliosa, a Common Native Species, by Hybridization with an Invasive Congener. Debra R. Ayres.
2:45 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.	Afternoon Break
3:00 P.M. to 4:15 P.M.	Mid-Afternoon Sessions 2A--Ecological Interactions in Wetlands   The Influence of Wind Direction on Crop Cover Coefficients for a Typha-Scirpus Marsh in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Judy Z. Drexler, Frank E. Anderson, and Richard L. Snyder.   Eco-Cultural Restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes of Southern Iraq, Part I. Michelle L. Stevens.   Eco-Cultural Restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes of Southern Iraq, Part II. Michelle L. Stevens. 2B - Wetland Monitoring and Management   Integrated Regional Wetland Monitoring Pilot Project - Overall Project Purpose and Conceptual Models. Stuart W. Siegel, Ph.D., P.W.S., et al.   Responses of Fish in Impacted Coastal Wetlands: An Energetics-Based Evaluation of Wetland Function to Guide Restoration. Sharook P. Madon.   Best Management Practices for Mosquito Control in California's Managed Wetlands. Mike A. Wolder, C.R. Isola, and D.C. Kwasny.
4:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.	Attended Poster Session
5:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.	SWS Chapter Meeting
5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.	Social Hour, Poster Viewing
Friday, April 8, 2005
8:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.	Field Trips (all trips include lunch at approximately 12:00 P.M.) Amphibians and Rare Plants, Santa Rosa Viansa Winery Wetlands, Sonoma Wetland Delineation Workshop, Santa Rosa Note that van transportation for the Amphibians and Rare Plants and Wetland Delineation Workshop field trips will leave the Finley Community Center promptly at 8:30 A.M. Attendees of the Viansa Winery Wetlands field trip will meet at Viansa Winery, 25200 Arnold Drive in Sonoma at 9:00 A.M. A map and directions will be provided at the conference registration desk for the Viansa trip.

Field Trips and Workshops

NOTE: The Wetland Delineation Workshop/field trip and Amphibians and Rare Plant field trip are now full. A waiting list will be maintained in the order registrations are received.

Field trips will be held on Friday, April 8, 2005. Participation in field trips and workshops is not included in the conference registration and requires an additional fee. Space is limited to 15 registrants per trip or workshop. Box lunches will be provided.

• Amphibians and Rare Plants: This field trip will take registrants to the Wright Preserve in Santa Rosa. The Preserve is managed by the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District and the California Department of Fish and Game. Visitors to the preserve have an opportunity to learn about vernal pool ecology and the rare plant species that occur on the preserve, including Sebastopol meadowfoam. The trip will include a discussion of conservation issues for California tiger salamander on the Santa Rosa Plain and natural history, including habitat requirements, migration and breeding behavior, and identification of larvae (if present). Attendees should where field cloths and rubber boots are recommended. Boots should be cleaned of any soil or plant material to reduce the spread of disease. Disinfection with a bleach solution will be required before entering the preserve.
  
  
• Viansa Winery Wetlands: This wetlands project was spearheaded by winemaker Sam Sebastiani, along with Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Completed in July 1993, the Viansa Wetlands are a 91-acre man-made waterfowl preserve, located in the Napa-Sonoma marshes, that is the seasonal home to over one million geese, ducks, shorebirds and golden eagles each year (over 10,000 birds per day may be found at Viansa during peak migration periods). In addition, the wetlands host a thriving and diverse array of wildlife and grass species.
  
  
• Wetland Delineation Workshop: This field workshop provides an overview of wetland delineation concepts and procedures. The workshop is directed to those who simply want to know what is involved in conducting delineations and those who have some exposure to wetland delineation.
  
  The first part of the workshop will be on the three parameters (hydrophytic vegetation, wetland hydrology, and hydric soils) that are required to identify a wetland. The instructors will then walk the participants through the process of collecting data at a wetland sample plot and a non-wetland sample plot. After a discussion of wetland boundary and sample plot mapping procedures, participants will form teams to complete a delineation data form at a wetland sample plot. As time permits, there will be a question and answer period, and a discussion of problems typically encountered in wetland delineations and so-called "isolated" wetlands.
  
  The workshop will be held at a wetland preservation site in the Santa Rosa Plain. Vernal pool wetlands will be the primary focus; however, other wetland communities will be discussed and evaluated if time permits.
  
  The workshop will be conducted by wetland ecologist Michelle Stevens (California Department of Water Resources) and soil and wetland specialist Joel Butterworth (Jones & Stokes). Invited to the workshop is a regulatory specialist from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District.

Special Events

The Western Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists will hold a chapter meeting between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 7th, to be followed by an attended poster session and social.

Dedicated Poster Session

A dedicated poster session will be held on Thursday, April 7th. Those entering a poster for consideration should submit your abstract by March 1, 2005, and indicate that it is a poster presentation. Instructions to poster presenters will be sent after all abstracts are compiled. Poster presentations should be no larger than 4 by 4 feet.

Call for Papers

We are soliciting abstracts for 20-minute oral presentations and the poster session and are seeking papers on any appropriate wetland or wildlife topic, as well as papers relevant to the concurrent-session topics listed above. Final concurrent session topics will depend on papers submitted. ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS

Abstract deadline is March 1, 2005. Abstracts should not exceed 200 words, excluding title and author addresses, should be in Arial 11-point font, and should follow the example format provided below. Indicate the preferred session and whether the paper will be an oral presentation or a poster. All slides for oral presentations will need to be saved as a PowerPoint presentation.

Please submit abstracts via email to sjemerson@ci.santa-rosa.ca.us (include ABSTRACT in the subject line) or by sending the files on 3.5-inch floppy disk or recordable CD in rich-text or MS Word format to be received no later than March 1, 2005, to Sheri Emerson, SWS-Western Chapter Secretary, Public Works Department, 69 Stony Circle, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Questions or electronic submissions may be sent to sjemerson@ci.santa-rosa.ca.us.

Speakers are expected to register for the conference and cover their expenses.

ABSTRACT FORMAT

Preferred Session: San Joaquin Valley Natural Communities

Type of paper: Oral presentation

Paper Title:

BUILDING LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR CONSERVATION: THE HERBERT WETLAND PRAIRIE PRESERVE

WOLFE, MARCIA H. MH Wolfe and Associates Environmental Consulting Inc., P.O. Box 10254, Bakersfield, CA, 93389-0254, USA, 801/555-1234, Fax: 801/555-2345, Email: wolfe@any.com.

Conservation takes a willing person or people, a special site, an idea, and the desire. But even all those things by themselves will not necessarily ensure that conservation happens. To borrow a phrase from Hilary Clinton, conservation "it takes a village", including hard work, support, and last but not least, money. James K. and Carol Sellers Herbert lived in Tulare County, where they owned about 725 acres of a unique piece of vernal pool and wetland prairie habitat with a segment of a small drainage and upland habitat that became enthralling to them. The process to preserve that land involved widespread outreach and the development of alliances with local, regional, and statewide support. Groups that were included were the public; nonprofit conservation groups; and local, state and federal agencies. That support was then brokered with a variety of funding sources. Upon acceptance of the concept, a long process of applications, agreements, appraisals, inspections, and fund transfers occurred. The ultimate conclusion was the conservation and dedication in perpetuity of the largest single remaining vernal pool and wetland prairie habitat remaining in private ownership in Tulare County.

Directions to the Finley Community Center

The conference will be held at the Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa, California. The center is located at 2060 West College Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95401.

• From the south (East Bay, San Francisco, and Sacramento): Take Hwy 101 north to Hwy 12 west. Exit at Stony Point Road. Turn right onto Stony Point Road. Continue north to West College Avenue, turn right. The entrance to the Finley Center is the first driveway on the right.
  
  
• From the north (Windsor, Cloverdale, Ukiah): Take Hwy 101 south, exit at College Avenue. Turn right onto College Avenue. The Finley Center is approximately 1.5 miles west at the corner of West College Avenue and Stony Point Road.

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