Delta Happenings – March 26, 2024

Delta Leaders, Hidden Women, Free Marina Workshops

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Contents

  • Delta Leadership Program Participants in the News
  • Women of the Delta: Hidden No More
  • Gerry Goodie Celebration of Life April 13
  • Larry Ruhstaller Memorial April 14
  • State Route 4 to Close Overnight for Testing
  • Free Workshops for Marinas and Yacht Clubs
  • Applications Open for 6 Seats on Delta Committee
  • Delta Agency Meetings
  • Community Events: West Sac Earth Day, Dockwalker Training, Wine Festival and More
  • Harmful Algal Blooms Report

Delta Heritage Courier – March/April 2024

Courier: Delta Women, Stolen Gong, Heritage Park in Isleton

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NEWS & FEATURES

  • Commission Approves National Heritage Area Management Plan
  • Women of the Delta: Hidden No More
  • Asian American Heritage Park Breaks Ground
  • Gong Stolen from Locke in 1935 Receives New Stand
  • Article: How Antioch Addressed Past Discrimination
  • Nominations Open for Governor’s Historic Preservation Awards

EXHIBITS, EVENTS, MEETINGS & CLASSES

Women of the Delta: Hidden No More

Modern women performing the roles of historical Delta women

WALNUT GROVE, Calif. (March 20, 2024) – The role women have played in Delta history has been somewhat invisible, said Maryellen Burns, president of the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society: “They’re the ones who did the interviews, they’re the ones who transcribed them, but the people they interviewed were men.”

The Society took steps to remedy that Tuesday with its program, “Hidden Figures – Women of the Delta,” at the Walnut Grove Library. The program highlighted four historical figures using the Readers Theater Method, with modern women acting out their roles.

Jean Harvie: The woman for whom Walnut Grove’s Community Center was named helped teach three generations of students in the town as a teacher, then principal, then superintendent. She was a woman of small stature, poor eyesight and little tolerance for tomfoolery. Harvie was played Tuesday by community leader Linda Van Loben Sels – lower right in photo above – whose father earned Harvie’s wrath by hotwiring her car one day and going for a joy ride.

Charmian London: Charmian London and her better-known husband and novelist Jack spent two months every year in the Delta – an experience that shaped his writing, and her substantial contributions to his work. Her eloquent recollections of that time included a passage about her and Jack contemplating going aboard a “red light” boat docked next to them, but thinking better of it as they considered being seen there, or seeing others who might not wish to be seen. London was played by Delta Mello, executive director of the Sacramento History Museum, upper right in photo above.

Aoifee McCarthy: McCarthy was a copywriter in the 1930s and 1940s whose work saturates the labels and advertisements of fruit and meat packers of the region. An immigrant from Ireland, she had intended to settle in New York with her brother, but he sent her to California, where a transcendent slice of peach pie on the train journey lit up her imagination. “I had never eaten a peach,” she wrote. “Those peaches came from seeds that John Sutter himself planted,” the chef told her before sharing the recipe for the pie. McCarthy was played by Burns, who has copies of that very recipe – which she’ll share on request.

Connie King: King was the informal “Mayor” of Locke who fought both to preserve the historic town, and to buy the land on which the town was built – something that was originally made impossible by the Alien Land Law, which prohibited Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, and other East Asians from owning land or leasing land for more than three years. King was also known for her famous “Toilet Garden,” made of toilets that were being thrown away by a new property owner. When she asked him why he was getting rid of them, he told her, “We don’t want to sit on a toilet Chinese people sat on.” King was played by Cynthia Lee, a retired teacher, upper left in photo above.

Delta Happenings – March 12, 2024

Mourning Gerry Goodie, NHA Plan Approved, Delta Trail

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Contents

  • Delta Mourns Gerry Goodie
  • Commission Approves National Heritage Area Management Plan
  • Steven Hutchason Appointed to DPAC
  • Isleton Celebrates Asian New Year
  • Applications Open for 6 Seats on Delta Committee
  • DPC on Twin Cities Composting Facility: Incompatible with State Law, Delta Protections
  • Delta Leadership Program: A Place for Reflection
  • The Next Leg of the Delta Trail: West Sac to Clarksburg
  • Yolo Town Hall TODAY on AT&T Land Line Issue
  • Comment on Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Strategy
  • Delta Agency Meetings
  • Community Events: Flyway Nights, Asparagus Festival, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Travis AFB Talk, Spotlight on Rural California
  • Harmful Algal Blooms Report

Delta Protection Advisory Committee Openings (Deadline: April 12, 2024)

A montage of some of the current members of the Delta Protection Advisory Committee.Applications to fill six seats on the Delta Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC) opened today. The application deadline is April 12, and the Delta Protection Commission is scheduled to make the appointments May 16.

Five Committee members’ terms expire in May: Robyn Brown (Delta Business, Seat 2), Craig Watanabe (Delta Agriculture, Seat 2), Morris Lum (Delta Recreation, Seat 2), Douglas Hsia (Delta Cultural Preservation), and Erin Chappell (State Agency, Seat 2). All are eligible to reapply.

In addition, there is an opening to fill the seat of the late Gerry Goodie: General Public (Seat 2). The seat was created in 2023.

DPAC provides recommendations to the Delta Protection Commission on diverse interests within the Delta. Committee members are expected to attend six meetings per year. DPAC typically meets from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of even-numbered months (February, April, June, August, October, and December), though meeting dates may occasionally shift. Meetings are held in the Delta at rotating locations.

Committee member terms are three years, so these terms will expire in 2027.

Apply for the openings here.

If you have questions, please contact Delta Protection Commission Executive Director Bruce Blodgett at bruce.blodgett@delta.ca.gov.

Delta Protection Advisory Committee member appointed

Portrait of a man

Steven Hutchason

HOOD, Calif. (March 8, 2024) – The Delta Protection Commission appointed Steven Hutchason to the Delta Protection Advisory Commission (DPAC) on Thursday.

Hutchason is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Wilton Rancheria, a tribe whose indigenous territory encompasses Sacramento County. He is a descendent of the first people of the Delta.

Hutchason fills a new tribal-representative seat that was added in September when the Commission voted to expand DPAC. It also added a general public seat, bringing the committee size to 17. Hutchason will serve a three-year term.

DPAC provides recommendations to the Delta Protection Commission on diverse interests within the Delta, including the Delta’s socioeconomic sustainability, recreation, agriculture, flood control, environment, utility infrastructure, and other Delta issues.

The Committee was created by the Delta Protection Act, Public Resources Code Section 29753(a).

 

DPC Approves Delta National Heritage Area Management Plan

Montage of Delta Protection Commission meeting - members smiling and speakers addressing the Commission

Top: Commissioners Paul Steele (left) and Jim Paroli (right). Bottom L-R: Commissioner Alan Nakanishi, NHA Advisory Committee Chair Elizabeth Patterson, DPC Program Manager Blake Roberts

HOOD, Calif. (March 7, 2024) The Delta Protection Commission (DPC) today approved a draft of the Management Plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (Delta NHA) to submit to the Secretary of the Interior.

“There’s no place in the world like the Delta, with its unique geology, ecology, and history,” said Commission Chair Diane Burgis. “The Management Plan is our roadmap for how we talk about our history and how different agencies and community groups throughout the Delta’s five counties can work together to celebrate our shared heritage.

“Approving the Plan today is a big step toward receiving federal support and starting work on the ground,” she said.

The Commission’s action follows a 30-day public comment period on the draft plan. This is a critical part of the process, because unlike National Parks, National Heritage Areas are large, lived-in spaces. Local communities’ input is essential.

“We are so grateful to everyone who took time to attend meetings, review and comment on the draft Management Plan, and write letters of commitment,” said DPC Executive Director Bruce Blodgett. “Your input makes the plan stronger, and the partnerships that will come from letters of commitment ensure the Delta NHA becomes a vibrant resource that all Californians can be proud of.”

Among its supporters are members of the Delta’s Congressional Delegation: John Garamendi, Josh Harder, Ami Bera, Mike Thompson, Mark DeSaulnier, and Doris Matsui. They noted in support letters that approval of the management plan is key to unlocking funding authorized by Congress for the NHA – up to $10 million over 10 years.

The Delta National Heritage Area – the first and so far only NHA in California – was created in 2019 by Congress (PDF). It is one of 62 NHAs – places where historic, cultural, and natural resources create cohesive, nationally important landscapes.

The NHA’s boundary extends from Sacramento to Stockton to Vallejo with the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers at its heart. The history of California’s Delta and Carquinez Strait is a rich tapestry of indigenous peoples and immigrants from around the world, natural beauty and wildlife and engineering marvels, bustling metropolitan areas and picturesque rural towns. The native peat soils provide for fertile cropland and its water supports 27 million Californians.

The Delta Protection Commission, a California state agency, was designated the local coordinating entity for the Delta NHA. It drafted the Management Plan in cooperation with the commission’s Delta NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee, the National Park Service, California State Parks, tribes, and stakeholders.

The Management Plan will now be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for approval, a process that could take six months. After federal approval, the plan will come back to the Commission for a final vote, and implementation of the plan can begin.

Media contact: Blake Roberts, (530) 650-6572 or blake.roberts@delta.ca.gov

DPC Letter: Twin Cities Composting Facility

The Delta Protection Commission reviews hundreds of local and regional land use projects in the Primary and Secondary zones of the Delta for consistency with the Land Use and Resource Management Plan (PDF) and submits comment letters to ensure projects stay on track with the Plan. Under state law (Public Resources Code Sections 29770-29772), any action taken by a local government or agency in the Primary Zone that is inconsistent with the Plan can be appealed to the Commission. Appeals may be brought by any interested person, or by the Commission itself. Learn more here.


March 4, 2024

Leanne Mueller, Senior Planner
Sacramento County Planning and Environmental Review
827 7th Street, Room 225
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Ms. Mueller:

We are providing comments on the application for a use permit for the Twin Cities Composting Facility located on the north side of Twin Cities Road, west of Interstate 5, in the Delta community on Parcel 146-0080-040-0000. As defined in the Delta Protection Act (the “Act,”), this proposed facility occurs in the Primary Zone of the Delta. As used in the Act the Primary Zone means “the delta land and water area of primary state concern and statewide significance which is situated within the boundaries of the delta” (California Public Resources Code Section 29728).

The Delta Protection Commission is a state agency charged with ensuring orderly, balanced conservation and development of Delta land resources and improved flood protection in the Primary Zone. The Commission reviews projects within the broad framework of the Delta Protection Act of 1992 and Delta Reform Act of 2009, which declare that the State’s basic goals for the Delta are to provide a more reliable water supply for California and protect, restore and enhance the Delta ecosystem “in a manner that protects and enhances the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource and agricultural values of the Delta as an evolving place” (Public Resources Code section 29702(a) and Water Code section 85054).

We understand that the County must issue a discretionary use permit for this facility and must conduct design review. This letter provides our comments and the results of our initial review of the project for consistency with the Act (California Public Resources Code Section 29700 et seq.) as well as our Land Use and Resource Management Plan (required by California Public Resources Code Section 29760), and our Economic Sustainability Plan (required by California Public Resources Code Section 29759).

Proposed local government-approved projects within the primary zone of the Legal Delta must be consistent with the Commission’s Land Use and Resource Management Plan (LURMP) (California Public Resources Code Sections 29700-29780). California Public Resources Code Section 29760(b) states that the Land Use and Resource Management Plan “shall. . .preserve and protect agricultural viability” and “shall. . .protect the delta from any development that results in any significant loss of habitat or agricultural land.” “Development” is defined by the Delta Protection Act as “the placement of. . . any solid material or structure” over land or water in the Primary Zone of the Delta (California Public Resources Code Section 29723(a)). A list of excepted activities that are not regulated as development are provided in California Public Resources Code Section 29723(b). None of these exceptions apply to the proposed facility thus it is regulated “development” within the meaning of the Act.

The Land Use and Resource Management Plan provides the following policy:

“The priority land use of areas in the Primary Zone shall be oriented toward agriculture and open space. If agriculture is no longer appropriate, land uses that protect other beneficial uses of Delta resources and that would not adversely affect agriculture on surrounding lands or the viability or cost of levee maintenance, may be permitted” (Delta Protection Commission 2010:12).

In addition to regulating development, the Delta Protection Commission is required to plan for and promote the economic sustainability of the Delta under the Act. The Commission prepares an economic sustainability plan to promote the “continued socioeconomic sustainability of agriculture and its infrastructure” in the Delta (California Public Resources Code Section 29759(b)(2)).

The applicant’s biological assessment indicates that the current project would result in the permanent loss of 39.4 acres of agricultural land (Madrone 2023). Between present and 2014, over 12,000 acres of farmland have been lost in the Delta (Delta Stewardship Council 2024). Our planning work documents that agriculture is the main economic driver of the Delta economy (Delta Protection Commission 2012:274). A dollar of agricultural crop revenue generates three to five times greater regional income than other leading revenue sources such as recreation or tourism (Delta Protection Commission 2012:274). For these reasons, the project would contribute to the incremental loss of agricultural land and the reduction of economic sustainability in the Delta.

The natural resource goals for the Delta also include the goal to “preserve and protect the natural resources of the Delta [and to] encourage compatibility between agricultural practices and wildlife habitat.” (Delta Protection Commission 2010:18).

The land in the project area proposed for conversion serves as foraging habitat for various raptor species including but not limited to Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni) (Madrone 2023). Swainson’s hawk is listed as a threatened species by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW 2024). CDFW must make the determination for a “threatened” listing based on facts demonstrating the presence of one or more of the factors provided in California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 670.1(i)(1)(A), including “present or threatened modification or destruction of [a species’] habitat.” The primary threat to Swainson’s hawk is loss of suitable foraging habitat, including suitable agricultural foraging habitat (CDFW 2016:3). The conversion of this parcel would reduce habitat for a threatened species that CDFW has identified as contributing factor to decline of the species consistent with its listing process and five-year review under California law (CDFW 2016).

To review the facts, the proposed facility:

  • Falls inside the Primary Zone of the Delta subject to our Plan,
  • Is inconsistent with the statutory mandates of California Public Resources Code Sections 29759 and Section 29760(b) to protect agricultural land and economic sustainability because it would permanently convert agricultural land to non-agricultural uses in the Primary Zone,
  • Is inconsistent with the natural resource policy goals of our Land Use and Resource Management Plan adopted under California Public Resources Code Section 29760 because it would reduce habitat for a threatened species, and thus contribute to one of the factors CDFW has identified as a cause of the species’ decline.

Note that California Public Resources Code Section 29770 allows “any aggrieved person” the right to appeal land use decisions taken in the primary zone for inconsistency with the Act or our Plan. The exact language states: “the ground for an appeal and the commission consideration of an appeal shall be that an action, as to land located exclusively within the primary zone, is inconsistent with the resource management plan, the approved portions of local government general plans that implement the resource management plan, or this division [i.e. the Act]” (California Public Resources Code Section 29770).

In closing, our contention with this project is not about its merits. It appears to be a valuable facility; however, it is in a location that makes it incompatible with California law and our mandate to protect the Primary Zone of the Delta.

Sincerely,

Bruce Blodgett signature
Bruce Blodgett, Executive Director
Delta Protection Commission

CC: Patrick Hume, Supervisor, Sacramento County

References Cited

Delta Protection Commission. Economic Sustainability Plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. 2012. West Sacramento, California.

Delta Protection Commission. Land Use and Resource Management Plan for the Primary Zone of the Delta. 2021. West Sacramento, California.

Delta Stewardship Council. Updated Delta Plan Performance Measures Guidebook. Available: https://viewperformance.deltacouncil.ca.gov/ 2024. Sacramento, California.

California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW:3). Five Year Status Review for Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni). 2016. Sacramento, California.

CDFW. 2024. State and Federally Listed Endangered and Threatened Animals of California, January 2024. Sacramento, California.

Madrone Ecological Consulting (Madrone). Biological Resources Assessment Twin Cities Composting Facility. 2023. Citrus Heights, CA.

The Next Leg: West Sac to Clarksburg

A bike trail, a river and the Great California Delta Trail logo.WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Feb. 29, 2024) The Great California Delta Trail may grow its network of trails with a new segment from West Sacramento to Clarksburg.

The segment would run along 6.4 miles of the Clarksburg Branch Line of the Sacramento Northern Railroad. West Sacramento acquired the right of way in 2005.

The addition would create a safe, healthy way for pedestrians and cyclists to reach Clarksburg, a historic Delta community with popular wine-tasting venues. It could also help improve broadband access in the Delta by including conduit for fiberoptic cable.

Project partners are West Sacramento, Yolo County, the Yolo Transportation District, and the Delta Protection Commission, which is the coordinating agency for the Great California Delta Trail. West Sacramento leads the project, and the DPC will:

  • Contribute toward required local matching funds.
  • Lead community outreach.
  • Ensure the project meets guidelines for designation as part of the Great Delta Trail.

The partners have applied for a grant from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments to fund trail development. If funded, the next step would be seeking public input on design. The target completion date would be in 2029.

This project would extend one of five existing segments of the Great Delta Trail: the Clarksburg Branch Line Trail. The other four segments are:

  • West Sacramento River Walk
  • Sacramento River Parkway
  • Big Break and Marsh Creek Trail
  • Carquinez Loop Trail

The Great California Delta Trail is envisioned as a continuous regional recreation corridor extending around the Delta.  Learn more about the Great California Delta Trail here.

Delta Happenings – Feb. 27, 2024

Flood Risk Tool, Aquatic Invasives, NHA Deadline, Lunar New Year Celebrations

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Contents

NEWS

  • Delta National Heritage Area: Comment by March 6
  • Explore Flood Risks with New Online Tool
  • Aquatic Invasive Plant Control to Begin March 6
  • Commission Member in the News

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DELTA

  • Opening: Tribal Representative on Delta Protection Advisory Committee
  • Openings: Small Craft Operators for USF&W in Lodi

DELTA AGENCY MEETINGS

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Harmful Algal Blooms Report

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