Summer 2022 WRMP Newsletter
It has been an exciting few months for the San Francisco Estuary and its Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program (WRMP). As our team and capacity grows, you can expect more consistent messaging about program progress and the ways that you may engage. If you can do so, please fill out our survey regarding a communication needs assessment that is currently being developed for the WRMP.
The WRMP is a collaborative regional program working to provide the information needed to increase the pace and scale of wetland restoration in the Bay. The Program is co-managed by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership and the San Francisco Estuary Institute. Read a brief description of the WRMP in this quarter's edition of the San Francisco Estuary Institute’s newsletter.
As we begin this next phase, we want to thank our partners and funders who are helping build a robust, successful Program. We want to welcome new members to the WRMP while inviting your interest and questions regarding the Program.
Meet our Steering Committee Chair and Vice Chair
The WRMP staff welcomes a new Chair, Sandra Scoggin, and Vice Chair, Erika Castillo, to the Steering Committee. Sandra, who currently serves as Coordinator for the SF Bay Joint Venture (SFBJV) and Erika, the Regulatory and Public Affairs Director for the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District, each bring a wealth of valuable experience, having been part of the planning processes and implementation of many regional projects. We are excited to have them!
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Sandra Scoggin
“SFBJV partners were actively working to advance regionally coordinated monitoring and were thrilled when [the Wetland Regional Monitoring Program] was conceptualized and awarded funding.
The work of the WRMP to map and track where our wetlands are and how they are changing over time is the top science priority of the SFBJV Science Committee.
We are currently working on a State of the Birds, San Francisco Bay Framework and are working with the WRMP Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Chairs and members to develop that framework, which is likely to inform the bird and wildlife indicators that will be selected by the WRMP at a later phase of program development.
As Chair of the WRMP Steering Committee, I’m looking forward to working closely with all the amazing partners and stellar program staff on this exciting and ambitious new program as we move it from program development to implementation. I’m excited about helping achieve many of the up-and-coming activities, including establishing the monitoring site network, rolling out the data entry and access platforms, expanding community and tribal engagement for more inclusive dialogues and outcomes, and much more.”
- Sandra Scoggin
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Erika Castillo
“I see the Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program as a vital component of wetland restoration projects in the upper and lower estuary, connecting agencies, restoration practitioners, and the needs of the local communities on a broad scale. Wetlands and public health are naturally connected, especially in the Bay Area where mosquito control districts originally formed to control salt marsh mosquitoes. A shared data pool of standardized information will improve decisions regarding the best ways to protect wetlands, wildlife, and people.
Being a part of the WRMP Steering Committee has been an interest of mine because the Mosquito Abatement District has over a hundred years of history working in the wetlands of the San Francisco Bay. We have a wealth of data that we monitor and collect, and I want to help that information reach a broader audience to enhance the development of wetland restoration projects.
As Vice Chair of the Steering Committee I am excited to work with our Chair, Sandra, the Technical Advisory Committee leadership, and WRMP staff to keep the momentum of the last few years going”.
- Erika Castillo
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Curious about SOPs?
Among the top priorities of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and its workgroups is the development of SOPs or “Standard Operating Procedures.” Critical to the development of a scientific program, SOP documents facilitate the highest levels of consistency and efficiency in its monitoring and strong quality assurance and comparability in its data. For the last twelve months, the TAC has leveraged the expertise of its members, who come from a range of organizations and subspecialties, to publish one SOP and achieve a draft status on another. Read more about SOPs on our blog post!
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WRMP Update
The WRMP has made significant progress in recent months. With the support of the Steering Committee and Technical Advisory Committee, the WRMP has moved to a co-management model comprising staff from the SF Estuary Partnership and SF Estuary Institute. Both organizations bring their skills and capacities to the program to maximize its impact.
Progress on the Science Framework
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Geospatial SOP completed. This SOP will be used to develop a basemap for the WRMP’s science framework. This geospatial dataset is currently under development and will help measure changes in habitat distribution over time across our region’s baylands.
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Fish and Fish Habitat in development. This SOP will identify monitoring options (e.g. gear types, sampling frequency) that address monitoring goals specific to fish and fish habitat.
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The SC approved formation of a new People and Wetlands Workgroup to further integrate into the Program frontline community and Tribal values, equity concerns, and broader understanding of the connections between humans and wetlands.
Progress on Program and Funding Development
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Formation of an Administration Workgroup to coordinate activities and priorities of the Technical Advisory Committee and Steering Committee
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Launch of the Regulatory Engagement effort — WRMP staff will be partnering with the Consensus Building Institute to complete a regulatory needs assessment. This project kicked off in Spring 2022.
Progress on Communications
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Tribal engagement — Thanks to coordination by the California Indian Environmental Alliance, WRMP staff held an introductory meeting with Tribes and Tribal organizations of the region to share information about the Program, future directions, and ways to get involved.
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Communications Needs Assessment — As the WRMP continues to grow, we recognize a strong imperative for inclusion and accessibility in all of our work. We want to better understand the best forms of communication to provide information to our diverse audiences. The purpose of the Communication Needs Assessment is to identify the best channels of communication and forms of engagement to achieve more effective outreach.
We want to hear your input! Please fill out THIS SURVEY that will aid in our development of the communication needs assessment for the WRMP.
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Meet the Team
As the program brings more capacity to meet our broad-ranging goals, we’d like to introduce you to the growing WRMP team. We are excited to bring scientific, technology, and management experts from both the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) to the region for the ambitious goals of the WRMP.
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