North Coast Resource Conservation & Development Council

THE NORTH COAST RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, DOING BUSINESS AS THE NON-PROFIT CONSERVATION WORKS, WILL FURTHER DEVELOP THE RUSSIAN RIVER CONFLUENCE COLLABORATIVE. THE COLLABORATIVE REPRESENTS A DIVERSE GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS WHICH INCLUDES PUBLIC AGENCIES, NONPROFITS, INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES, TRIBAL PARTNERS, GROUPS, AND INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE COLLABORATIVES AREA OF FOCUS IS THE RUSSIAN RIVER WATERSHED, AN AREA LOCATED NORTH OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE COLLABORATIVES PURPOSE IS TO DRIVE COMMUNITY ACTION TOWARDS A HEALTHY, RESILIENT AND REGENERATIVE RUSSIAN RIVER WATERSHED. THE ENTIRE WATERSHED AREA SPANS 1,485 SQUARE MILES FROM ITS HEADWATERS IN A REMOTE MOUNTAIN SOURCE IN NORTHERN MENDOCINO COUNTY DRAINING SOUTHERLY THROUGH SONOMA COUNTY TO WIND WESTWARD TO ITS MOUTH AT JENNER WHERE IT ENTERS THE PACIFIC OCEAN IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE WATERSHED PROVIDES DRINKING WATER TO OVER A HALF MILLION PEOPLE, SUPPORTS HUNDREDS OF VINEYARDS, DAIRIES, AND OTHER FARMS, AND CONTAINS CRITICAL HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED SALMONIDS AND OTHER NATIVE SPECIES. THIS WATERSHED FACES A COMPLEX ARRAY OF LARGE-SCALE CHALLENGES, STEMMING FROM A MIX OF NATURAL AND HUMAN-INDUCED FACTORS.PRESSURES FROM DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS ARE INCREASING THE INCIDENCE OF DAMAGING DROUGHTS, WILDFIRES AND FLOODS. THESE IMPACTS FURTHER EXACERBATE COMPETING NEEDS FOR WATER, INCLUDING PROVIDING DRINKING WATER, SUPPORTING AGRICULTURE, AND PROVIDING HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES. THE COLLABORATIVE WILL FOCUS ON INITIATING ENDURING COLLABORATION BETWEEN STAKEHOLDERS TO HELP COORDINATE PROJECTS AND ACTION PLANS WITHIN THE WATERSHED. THE COUNCIL WILL SUPPORT THE COLLABORATIVE AS IT DEVELOPS A PROGRAM CHARTER CREATES A 5-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN CONDUCTS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH HELPS ALIGN PARTNERS WEBSITES ON WATERSHED INFORMATION, HOSTS THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE STATE OF THE RUSSIAN RIVER WATERSHED CONFERENCE AND HELPS FOSTER USER-FRIENDLY ACCESS TO EXISTING WATERSHED DATA AND SCIENCE-BASED REPORTS. THE GOALS OVER THE 3-YEAR PLANNING PERIOD ARE TO CREATE AN ENDURING FRAMEWORK FOR COLLABORATIVE FUNCTION FOR INFORMING AND INSPIRING COLLECTIVE ACTION IN ADDRESSING WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY ISSUES AND HABITAT DEGRADATION. THE CONTINUING OUTREACH FROM THE COLLABORATIVE BEYOND THE LIFE OF THIS PROJECT IS INTENDED TO SUSTAIN THE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE WATERSHED TO INFORM THE PUBLIC AND DECISION-MAKERS ON ONGOING AND EMERGING ISSUES ALONG WITH POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS.

THE BEHRENS SILVERSPOT BUTTERFLY (SPEYERIA ZERENE BEHRENSII) IS AN ENDANGERED BUTTERFLY THAT PERSISTS IN A SINGLE PRINCIPAL METAPOPULATION NEAR POINT ARENA, CALIFORNIA. DUE TO DEGRADATION OF THE COASTAL PRAIRIE, THE BUTTERFLY HAS REACHED CRITICALLY LOW NUMBERS, WITH FEWER THAN A DOZEN ADULTS TYPICALLY DETECTED ON ANNUAL SURVEYS. IN 2021, THE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION PROGRAM, A PROGRAM OF THE 501(C)3 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION CONSERVATION WORKS, SUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED CAPTIVE PROPAGATION OF BEHRENS SILVERSPOT BUTTERFLY AT SEQUOIA PARK ZOO IN EUREKA, CALIFORNIA. SINCE THEN, THEY HAVE AUGMENTED THE POPULATION WITH 1528 CAPTIVE REARED LARVAE AND 703 CAPTIVE REARED BUTTERFLIES, AND TEMPORARILY REVERSED THE DECLINING POPULATION TREND. IT IS THE MISSION OF THE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION PROGRAM TO ASSIST IN THE RECOVERY OF THE BEHRENS SILVERSPOT BUTTERFLY BY CONTINUING TO AUGMENT THE POPULATION WITH CAPTIVE REARED INDIVIDUALS UNTIL THE HABITAT IS FULLY RESTORED AND THE POPULATION IS SELF SUSTAINING.THE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY FUNDED THROUGH A WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD GRANT AND AN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS GRANT THROUGH THE SPRING OF 2027. A MAJOR EXPENSE OF THE PROGRAM IS THE SALARY OF THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WHO REARS THE LARVAE, MAINTAINS THE VIOLET PLANTS TO FEED THE LARVAE, TRAINS STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS, IMPLEMENTS THE BUTTERFLY RELEASES, FUNDRAISES, AND PREPARES REPORTS. THIS FALL, AT LEAST 1000 BUTTERFLY EGGS WILL BE COLLECTED AND HATCHED. NEXT SPRING, THE LARVAE WILL BE RELEASED AT INTERVALS FROM THE 1ST UP TO THE 6TH INSTAR STAGE, UNTIL FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR RUNS OUT. THE LONGER THE LARVAE CAN BE REARED PRIOR TO RELEASE INCREASES THE CHANCE THEY WILL SURVIVE TO ADULTHOOD. THEREFORE, FUNDS ARE REQUESTED TO EXTEND THE PROGRAM DIRECTORS SALARY BY ONE MONTH, IN THE HOPES THAT AT LEAST SOME OF THE LARVAE CAN BE REARED ALL THE WAY TO THE PUPA STAGE. THE EXPECTED OUTCOME WOULD BE THE RELEASE OF AT LEAST 500 LARVAE AND 50 PUPAE.

RESOURCE CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT