March 20, 2018
2:00-3:30 PM
Meegan NagyAaron GabbeKatie Riley
Mid-Sacramento Valley Regional Conservation Investment Strategy
Public Meeting
Reclamation District 108 Office
Colusa, CA
Introduction (Meegan Nagy, RD 108)
Mid-Sacramento Valley Regional Conservation Investment Strategy
(RCIS) (Aaron Gabbe, ICF)
Voluntary Mitigation Credit Agreements (Katie Riley, Environmental
Incentives)
Question and Answer Session
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Presentation Overview
Upper & Mid Sacramento Regional Flood Management Planning
Regional Flood Management
Planning
March 20, 2018
Upper & Mid Sacramento Regional Flood Management Planning
WHAT IS REGIONAL FLOOD MANAGEMENT PLANNING?
• Locally driven assessment of regional flood risks• Local ideas for reducing identified flood risks• Follow up to Central Valley Flood Protection
Plan• Common interests & goals• RFMP provides a vision for a flood-safe region
– Identifies opportunities for flood-risk reductions– Prioritized list of actions
Upper & Mid Sacramento Regional Flood Management Planning
WORKING LANDS PILOT PROGRAM• Objective to remove barriers to project
implementation by developing advanced mitigation opportunities.
• Mid & Upper Sacramento Regional Flood Management Planning Group and Environmental Defense Fund developed a proposal to design and implement a pilot program for advance and ongoing mitigation using the Central Valley Habitat Exchange
Upper & Mid Sacramento Regional Flood Management Planning
RFMP AND THE REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY (RCIS)
• RCIS will aid implementation of RFMP flood-risk reduction measures– Provides incentives for landowners to propose
conservation actions for species in need of mitigation offsets from flood management projects
Upper & Mid Sacramento Regional Flood Management Planning
MAP
Upper & Mid Sacramento Regional Flood Management Planning
RCIS STEERING COMMITTEE
• RCIS development guided by Steering Committee – Reclamation District 108– Colusa County– Sutter County– Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency– California Department of Water Resources– California Natural Resources Agency– Sutter Bypass Water Users Association– Caltrans– Environmental Defense Fund– Environmental Incentives– Conservation Strategy Group
Upper & Mid Sacramento Regional Flood Management Planning
HOW TO STAY IN CONTACT
• www.musacrfmp.com– eNews registration– Documents – Meeting notices
• www.rd108.org– Documents– Meeting notices
RCIS Program Overview
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Mid-Sacramento Valley RCIS
Public Meeting
Mid-Sacramento Valley Regional Conservation Investment
Strategy (RCIS)
Program Overview and Origins
Overview of Regional Conservation Investment Strategies
Overview of the Mid-Sacramento Valley RCIS
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Mid-Sacramento Valley RCIS
AB 2087 Signed by CA Governor Sept. 22, 2016; effective Jan. 1, 2017
Added to Section 1850-1861 of CA Fish and Game Code
Voluntary, non-regulatory program
Designed to:
Improve conservation planning and delivery
Streamline mitigation for public infrastructure projects
Be faster and less expensive tool than others available now
Unlock advance mitigation for the first time
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Regional Conservation Investment Strategy Program
Prepared by any public agency
CDFW approves an RCIS for up to 10 years (with 10-year extension options)
Once approved, Mitigation Credit Agreements can be authorized
Addresses species’ needs and mitigation (focal species) within a comprehensive
conservation strategy
Compatible with, not replacement of, Natural Community Conservation Plans
State tool, but could serve other regulatory needs
E.g., can be linked to other mitigation needs (water, air, carbon)
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Regional Conservation Investment Strategy
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
RCIS Program Framework: Hierarchy
Regional Conservation Assessment
• Scale: Ecoregional or multi-county• Provides broad ecological context for RCISs• Few requirements for CDFW approval; flexible tool• Optional - not being done for Mid-Sacramento
Valley
Regional Conservation Investment
Strategy
• Scale: Multi-county, county, or sub-county• Conservation priorities for focal species• Modest requirements for CDFW approval; flexible• Required for Mitigation Credit Agreements
Mitigation Credit
Agreement
• Scale: watershed, multiple sites• Enables advance mitigation• Detailed requirements for CDFW
approval• Required to create mitigation
credits
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
RCIS Program Framework: On the ground
Mitigation Credit Agreement
Describes:Conservation actions and
habitat enhancement actionsConnection to RCIS
conservation goals and objectivesService area Credit ledger and release
schedule
Includes: Conservation easement Long-term management funding Adaptive management and
monitoring strategy Performance standards and metrics
MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
3/22/2018
Released in April 2017, slight revisions in June, 2017 and February 2018
Provide clarifications and recommendations for Regional Conservation Assessment (RCA) Regional Conservation Investment Strategy (RCIS) Describes what shall be included in an RCIS
Mitigation Credit Agreement Guidelines due out summer 2018 Mitigation Credit Agreement template Mitigation Project Proposal template
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
RCIS Program Guidelines
Statewide RCIS Program – Current (2018)
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Statewide RCIS Program (2017-2021)
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Regional Conservation Investment Strategy Overview
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Mid-Sacramento Valley RCIS
Public Meeting
Focal species
Landscapes, working lands and natural communities, and other natural resources
Pressures and stressors
Conservation goals, measurable objectives, and priority objectives
Conservation actions, habitat enhancement actions, and priority actions
Climate change adaptation opportunities
Best available science
Existing and future infrastructure and development
Adaptive management and monitoring framework
Existing mitigation and conservation banks
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
RCIS Elements
Conservation Actions and Habitat Enhancement Actions
Examples:
Land acquisition and protection with easement
Habitat enhancement actions on working lands
Habitat restoration on private or public land
Installation of wildlife crossings
Fish passage barrier modification
Restoration of fish rearing habitat
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
RCIS Approval Process
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
WE ARE HEREFOR MSV RCIS
Initial Steps in MSV RCIS Process
Steering committee meetings
Determine strategy area
Select focal species
Assemble data for conservation analysis
Existing conservation plans
Land cover
Relevant physical conditions
Species occurrence
Infrastructure and development (current and future)
Working lands
Develop conservation strategy
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Initial Steps in the RCIS Process – Determine Strategy Area
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Great Central Valley in Colusa and Sutter Counties
DRAFT FOCAL SPECIES LIST
DRAFT RCIS Focal SpeciesMID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle Chinook Salmon (Fall/Late-Fall-, Winter-, and Spring-
Runs) Central Valley Steelhead Green Sturgeon Giant Garter Snake Western Pond Turtle Tricolored Blackbird Yellow-billed Cuckoo Swainson’s Hawk Bank Swallow
3/22/2018
Map natural resources – working lands and natural communities
Used to analyze habitats, wetlands, rivers, and identify conservation priorities
Basis for modeling species’ habitat
Compiled from existing datasets
Initial Steps in RCIS Process – Map Resources
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
LAND COVER DATA
Initial Steps in RCIS Process – Model Focal Species’ Habitat
“Expert opinion models” to characterize distribution of a species, based on known occurrences and habitat affinity
Utility
Conservation planning at regional scale
Identify gaps in protected habitat
Inform conservation goals and objectives
Identify conservation priorities (e.g., where to focus conservation investment)
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
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Example –Giant Garter Snake Habitat Model
MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
RCIS Document Outline
Chapter 1: Introduction Background and purpose Strategy area Focal species selection process
Chapter 2: Environmental and Land Use Setting Working lands and natural communities Focal species Existing and future infrastructure and development Threats and stressors to natural resources
Chapter 3: Conservation Strategy Conservation goals and objectives Conservation actions, habitat enhancement actions Conservation priorities Adaptive management and monitoring
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Chapter 4: Implementation RCIS updates and amendments MCA development process Mitigation banks
Chapter 5: References Technical Appendices As needed
MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Mid-Sacramento Valley RCIS Next Steps
Continued stakeholder outreach
Agency Draft #1: to CDFW in spring 2018
Agency Draft #2: to CDFW in late summer 2018
Public review period
Final RCIS expected end of summer/early fall 2018
Seeking volunteer partners for Mitigation Credit Agreements
Questions?
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MID-SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGIONAL CONSERVATION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Mid-Sacramento Valley RCIS
Questions?
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3/22/2018Presentation Title
33
Mid-Sacramento Valley Mitigation Credit AgreementsSupporting Working Lands & Species
KATIE RILEYSENIOR ASSOCIATE, WILDLIFE & LAND
ENVIRONMENTAL [email protected]
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Mitigation Credit AgreementsA New, Advance Mitigation Crediting Tool under the RCIS Program
Focused on two focal species compatible with working lands, with the potential to add more over time.
Mid-Sacramento Valley Mitigation Credit Agreement
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Mitigation Site Pilot Projects
August 2017 call for landowners interested in pre-project planning and technical assistance
Eight properties selected for initial HQT assessments and technical assistance
Next steps– Relevant HQT assessments this
winter/spring– Restoration and management plans
this summer
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Habitat Metrics
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3/22/2018 39http://cvhe.org/tools
Example Habitat AssessmentGiant Gartner Snake
Site Score Before Restoration Potential Site Score Post-Restoration
45% 85%
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Photo: Daniel Nylen
Scoping Credit Demand
Working with potential MCA credit buyers, with a focus on flood mitigation needs
Developing financing strategies for first MCA mitigation sites
Approx. bimonthly meetings with CDFW
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MCA Framework• Legal agreement signed by CDFW
& MCA Sponsor• Includes approved standards for
mitigation credit sites
Mitigation Site Proposals• Technical documents developed by
Mitigation Site Sponsors, approved by CDFW, MCA Sponsor
• For each Mitigation Site, provides details of habitat project, including long-term management
Species or Habitat Appendices
• Technical documents approved by CDFW
• For each species or habitat, defines standards and process for crediting, including metrics and RCIS alignment
Appendices & Templates
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Proposed Document Structure
Mitigation Site-specific Exhibits
Relatively static,
once approved
Updated with each new mitigation site or species/habitat added
Anticipated Deliverable Timeline
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT
Steering Committee review of proposed MCA Structure and
OutlineCDFW meeting – draft
content and key questions
MCA Draft Framework sent to Steering
Committee for review MCA Framework, including 1+ mitigation
site(s), sent to CDFW for review*
* Contingent on final approval of the RCIS
CDFW meeting (TBD)
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KATIE RILEYSENIOR ASSOCIATE, WILDLIFE & LAND
ENVIRONMENTAL [email protected]
QUESTIONS?