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Fall 2022 WRMP Newsletter
It's officially the fall season and the WRMP is starting to take off–fast!
The Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program for the SF Estuary is working to improve wetland restoration project success by putting in place regional-scale monitoring and data management systems to inform science-based decision-making. We want to acknowledge our funders for helping the Program achieve current and future milestones. We want to give special thanks to the US EPA Region 9, National Estuaries Program, and the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority for funding the components that allow the WRMP to push forward.
Check out the updated WRMP Website!
As we begin to develop the Program, more project components are being highlighted within the WRMP website. Some changes include a new “Engage” tab where you can find these newsletters along with blog posts, events and other ways to engage with the WRMP. Other highlights include revamped Steering Committee Meetings and Resources sections where you can find Steering Committee meeting packets, WRMP technical products and information on how to request letters of support.
Regulatory Needs Assessment: Aligning Monitoring Recommendations
One question that reflects a core goal of the WRMP is: “How can we work together to align recommendations for permit driven monitoring?” The WRMP Regulatory Needs Assessment (RNA) was developed to assess these recommendations to improve alignment that will benefit regulatory agencies in advancing restoration goals.
To start, the Consensus Building Institute (CBI) along with SFEP is conducting a series of focus groups with regulatory partners in the SF Bay. As CBI conducts this assessment, their work is being guided by key project advisors, including the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, SF Bay Water Board, BCDC, and project implementers (S. Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project). The Project Advisors are helping frame the questions, data collection methods, and approach.
Over the next two months, CBI and SFEP will continue to have discussions with regulatory agencies in focus groups to help understand the regulatory framework in the Bay, and to ultimately add value to our regulatory process. Keep an eye out for more updates in this year's Winter Newsletter!
The Development of the Geospatial Data Catalog
At the heart of the WRMP, there is a need for collecting regional data. The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) is helping lead these efforts by developing a WRMP Geospatial Data Catalog, with input from the WRMP Technical Advisory Committee. The Geospatial Data Catalog will include data from all regions of the Bay and Delta in one platform, facilitating data sharing so people can learn from each other and contribute to a shared understanding of wetland health.
The goal of the Data Catalog is to provide a space for community members to share salient, high-quality data and download such data from others. Furthermore, the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture and San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve are leading beta testing of the platform to solicit ideas, input, feedback, and recommendations for improvements from likely users before the platform is released broadly.
The first user testing session will be held on November 1st!
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