January 2011

On December 1-2, 2011, the Delta ISB engaged in a discussion with elected officials, agency leaders and representatives from stakeholder organizations that use Delta science to make management decisions. The Delta ISB provided each participant a list of questions to address at the meeting. The following correspondence items are responses to those questions. To view the questions, please click here. For additional correspondence related to the meeting, see the listings under "December 2011."

January 6, 2012
From John Greitzer, Contra Costa County Department of Conservation & Development Water Agency, Martinez, California. Written comments in response to the questions provided to participants invited to speak at the December 1-2 meeting of the Delta Independent Science Board.

January 11, 2012
From Anke Mueller-Solger, IEP Lead Scientist, Delta Stewardship Council, Sacramento, California. Written comments regarding the draft memo titled "An Initial Overview of Delta Science, the Delta Science Program, and the Roles of the Delta Independent Science Board," which was discussed at the January 12-13, 2012 Delta ISB meeting, plus an attachment titled "IEP Workshop Principles August 2011."

January 30, 2012
From Michael Rozengurt, oceanographer and hydrologist. Written comments about former Vice-President Al Gore and climate change.

December 2011

On December 1-2, 2011, the Delta ISB engaged in a discussion with elected officials, agency leaders and representatives from stakeholder organizations that use Delta science to make management decisions. The Delta ISB provided each participant a list of questions to address at the meeting. The following correspondence items are responses to those questions. To view the questions, please click here.

December 1, 2011

From: Stan Dean, on behalf of the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (SRCD)

Written comments from SRCD in response to the questions provided to participants invited to speak at the December 1-2 meeting of the Delta Independent Science Board.

• Dean, S. December 2011. Written Comments to the Delta Independent Science Board Questions. Letter to Dr. Richard Norgaard. Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District: Sacramento, California

From: Leo Winternitz, on behalf of The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

Written comments from TNC in response to the questions provided to participants invited to speak at the December 1-2 meeting of the Delta Independent Science Board.

• Winternitz, L. December 2011. Response to Questions from the Delta ISB. Letter to Dr. Richard Norgaard. The Nature Conservancy: Sacramento, California

December 5, 2011

From: Christina Swanson, Ph.D., on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Written comments from NRDC in response to the questions provided to participants invited to speak at the December 1-2 meeting of the Delta Independent Science Board.

• Swanson, C. December 2011. Written Comments to the Delta Independent Science Board Questions. Letter to Dr. Richard Norgaard. Natural Resources Defense Council: San Francisco, California

On October 20-21, 2011, the Delta ISB met and was provided with an informational overview of the scientific programs in the Delta for which they might have oversight. The following correspondence item is in relation to that meeting.

December 16, 2011

From: Peter Buck, Sacramento County Program Manager, California Levee Vegetation Research Program

Email and attachments from Peter Buck in response to an email sent on behalf of Richard Norgaard, Chair of the Delta Independent Science Board thanking him for his participation in the October 20-21 Delta Independent Science Board (ISB) meeting. The attachments are work products of the California Levee Vegetation Research Program (CLVRP).

• CLVRP Informational Circular No. 2: Summary of Research Completed to Date (December 12, 2011)
• Gray, D. H. and Shields, Jr. F. D. Review & Summary of: Initial Research into the Effects of Woody Vegetation on Levees Volumes I-IV. Presentation. US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research & Development Center: Sacramento, CA (December 5, 2011) 
• CLVRP California Future Research Needs/Priorities (December 13, 2011) 
• 'Save the Date' announcement. Levee Vegetation Research Symposium 2012 "Scientific Progress Informing a Path Forward" August 28-30, 2012 - Sacramento, California

September 2011

September 13, 2011

From: Greg Zlotnick, on behalf of the State and Federal Contractors Water Agency

Requested a letter written on behalf of the State and Federal Contractors Water Agency (SFCWA) be delivered to Dr. Richard Nogaard, Chair of the Delta Independent Science Board. This was SFCWA's comment letter on the "September 4, 2011 Draft Synthesis of Recommendations from the DISB on the Fifth Staff Draft Delta Plan."

• Zlotnick, G. September 2011. Comment on ISB draft Synthesis Memo for Chairman Norgaard. Email Letter to Dr. Richard Norgaard. State and Federal Contractors Water Agency: Sacramento, California

February 2011

February 2, 2011

From: Alison Whipple, Historical Ecology Program at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, Aquatic Science Center (SFEI-ASC)

Information was provided about SFEI-ASC's collaborative efforts with the Department of Fish and Game to map and describe historical habitats in the Delta before the arrival of Europeans. This information has potential application to restoration planning in the Delta.

• Grossinger, R., and Whipple, A. February 2011. Using Historical Landscape Analysis to Inform Restoration Strategies. Memorandum. San Francisco Estuary Institute, Aquatic Science Center: Oakland, California.

January 2011

January 7, 2011

From: Paul S. Weiland, Attorney at Law NOSSAMAN LLP

Requested that a letter and other materials provided, regarding the Delta Stressors Workshop held on Jan. 12-13, 2011, be distributed to the Delta ISB members.

• Phillimore, W. D. January 2011. Independent Science Board Delta Stressors Workshop. Letter to Lead Scientist Dr. Cliff Dahm from the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta: Sacramento, California.
• Murphy, D.D. and P.S. Weiland. 2010. The Route to Best Science in Implementation of the Endangered Species Act's Consultation Mandate: The Benefits of Structured Effects Analysis. Environmental Management 47(2):161-72. (Abstract Only).

January 12, 2011

From: Joshua Israel, PhD/Fish Biologist, Applied Science Branch of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Dr. Israel's email with attachments was in lieu of his attendance at the Delta Stressors Workshop held on Jan. 12-13, 2011.

• Israel, J. 2011. Introductory Statement on Multiple Stressors. Letter. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
• Gentile, J.H., M.A. Harwell, W. Cropper Jr., C.C. Harwell, D. DeAngelis, S. Davis, J.C. Ogden, and D. Lirman. 2001. Ecological Conceptual Models: A Framework and Case Study on Ecosystem Management for South Florida Sustainability. Science of the Total Environment 274(1-3):231-53. (Abstract Only).
• Baumgartner, J., T. Comendant, A. Erickson, J. Hardesty, P. Hardy, M. Hodgkins, A. Lehnhoff, M. Lipford, C. Macdonald and B. Northrup. 2006. Conservation by Design, A Strategic Framework for Mission Success. The Nature Conservancy. <http://www.nature.org/media/aboutus/cbd.pdf> January 12, 2011.
• Harwell, M.A., J.H. Gentile, K.W. Cummins, R.C. Highsmith, R. Hilborn, C.P. McRoy, J. Parrish and T. Weingartner. 2010. A Conceptual Model of Natural and Anthropogenic Drivers and Their Influence on the Prince William Sound, Alaska, Ecosystem. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal 16: 4, 672-726. (Abstract Only).

January 19, 2011

From: Ken Newman, Mathematical Statistician, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Comments for the Delta ISB members on the topic of stressors and the recent workshop held on Jan. 12-13, 2011.

• Newman, K. 2011. Comments for the Delta Science ISB Regarding Stressors. Letter. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

November 2010

November 29, 2010

From: Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (SRCSD)

Provided memos from July 29, 2010 regarding nutrient loading, informational documents on direct losses of covered fish species, and additional informational documents on water quality to the Delta Science Program with the request that they be distributed to the Delta Independent Science Board members for informational purposes. The SRCSD also provided these documents to the National Research Council's Committee on Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta.

July 29, 2010 Memos on Nutrient Loading

• Irvine, C., E. Byron, and L. Hilscher. July 2010. Comments for Consideration by the State Water Resources Control Board Regarding Long-term Changes in Nutrient Loading and Stochiometry and their Relationships with Changes in the Food Web and Dominant Pelagic Fish Species in the San Francisco Estuary, California by Patricia Glibert – pre-print copy (May 17, 2010). Technical Memorandum, CH2MHILL: Sacramento, California.
• Engle, D., and C. Suverkropp. July 2010. Comments for Consideration by the State Water Resources Control Board Regarding the Scientific Article Long-term Changes in Nutrient Loading and Stoichiometry and their Relationships with Changes in the Food Web and Dominant Pelagic Fish Species in the San Francisco Estuary, California by Patricia Glibert. Memorandum, Larry Walker Associates: Davis, California.

Direct Losses of Covered Fish Species

• Larry Walker Associates. January 2010. A Review of Delta Fish Population Losses from Pumping Operations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Report, Larry Walker Associates: Davis, California.
• Brown, R., S. Greene, P. Coulston and S. Barrow. 1996. An evaluation of the effectiveness of fish salvage operations at the intake to the California aqueduct, 1979-1993. Pages 497-518 in J. T. Hollibaugh [ed.] 1996. San Francisco Bay: The Ecosystem. Further Investigations into the Natural History of San Francisco Bay and Delta with Reference to the Influence of Man. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Pacific Division: San Francisco, California (Table of Contents Only).
• Hollibaugh, J. T. [ed.] 1996. San Francisco Bay: The Ecosystem. Further Investigations into the Natural History of San Francisco Bay and Delta with Reference to the Influence of Man. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Pacific Division: San Francisco, California (Table of Contents Only).
• Clark, K., M. Bowen, R. Mayfield, K. Zehfuss, J. Taplin, and C. Hanson. 2009. Quantification of Pre-Screen Loss of Juvenile Steelhead in Clifton Court Forebay. Report, The California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Water Resources: Sacramento, California.
• Kimmerer, W. 2008. Losses of Sacramento River Chinook Salmon and Delta Smelt to Entrainment in Water Diversions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. San Francisco Estuary & Watershed Science 6(2): Article 2.
• Grimaldo, L.R., T. Sommer, N. Van Ark, G. Jones, E. Holland, P. Moyle, B. Herbold, and P. Smith. 2009. Factors Affecting Fish Entrainment into Massive Water Diversions in a Tidal Freshwater Estuary: Can Fish Losses be Managed? North American Journal of Fisheries Management 29:1253-1270.

Water Quality

• Engle, D.L. January 2010. Comments Regarding the Regional Board Staff Analysis of the 2009 Ammonia Summit. Memorandum, Larry Walker Associates: Davis, California.
• Engle, D.L., and G. Lau. October 2009. Total and Un-ionized Ammonia Concentrations in the Upper San Francisco Estuary from 1974-2009: A Comparison of Ambient Data and Toxicity Thresholds. Poster, Larry Walker Associates: Oakland, California.
• Foe, C. 2009. September 2009. August 2009 Ammonia Summit Summary. Memorandum, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Region: Sacramento, California.
• Meyer, J.S., P.J. Mulholland, H.W. Pearl, and A.K. Ward. April 2009. A Framework for Research Addressing the Role of Ammonia/Ammonium in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the San Francisco Bay Estuary Ecosystem. Final Report submitted to the CALFED Science Program: Sacramento, California.
• Jassby, A.D. 2008. Phytoplankton in the Upper San Francisco Estuary: Recent Biomass Trends, Their Causes and Their Trophic Significance. San Francisco Estuary & Watershed Science: 6(1).
• United States Environmental Protection Agency. September 1999. 1999 Update of Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Ammonia. Report, United States Environmental Protection Agency, December 1999. EPA 822-R-99-014.