WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2024) – The Delta Protection Commission appointed 12 members and 4 alternates Thursday to the Commission’s new National Heritage Area Advisory Committee.
The Committee will recommend policies, processes, and governance as the Commission implements the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Management Plan. Committee members will also act as ambassadors to the diverse partners and communities in the NHA.
The appointees are:
- Mike Campbell, president of the Delta Leadership Foundation, board member of Friends of the 1883 Clarksburg Schoolhouse, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
- Colin Coffey, an elected member of the Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District
- Lisa Craig, Mayor of Lodi, President of The Craig Group Partners, a Lodi-based preservation and planning consulting firm
- Dwayne Eubanks, President Antioch Historical Society from 2019 to 2023
- Carol Jensen, author, active in Delta historical societies, works in finance, accounting & information systems consulting, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
- Morris Lum, has served as president of the Sacramento Historical Society and board member of the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society and Sacramento History alliance, an elected director of Recreational Boaters of California, member of Delta Protection Advisory Committee, alum of the Delta Leadership Program (2022)
- Don Nottoli, former Sacramento County Supervisor, former chair of Delta Protection Commission
- Elizabeth Patterson, former mayor of Benicia, lead project manager for the State Lands Commission’s initiative leading to the adoption of the Delta Protection Act; was vice chair of NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
- David Stuart, archeologist, Director of Sacramento Science Center (now MoSAC), Sacramento History Museum, and San Joaquin County Historical Museum, Sacramento River Delta Historical Society board member, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
- Stuart Walthall, chairman of non-profits including the Locke Foundation, chair of the Locke Management Association, professional musician
- Dan Whaley, chairman of Delta Legacy Communities, operator of the Willow Ballroom and Event Center, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
- Katie Wiley, owner/operator of K. Wiley Marketing Design, member of Delta Protection Advisory Committee, alumna of the Delta Leadership Program (2024)
The alternates are:
- Paulette Hennum, former Tribal Affairs Program Manager, California State Parks; has worked in museums as an officer, board member, program advisor, peer reviewer, collections care assessor and grant reviewer; served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
- Douglas Hsia, secretary of Locke Foundation and materials broker for shoes and leather goods production, member of Delta Protection Advisory Committee, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee, alum of the Delta Leadership Program (2022)
- Janet Lake, board member of Freeport Citizens Community Council, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
- Gia Moreno, secretary of Hood Community Council, member of Pear Fair Planning Committee, served on NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee
Ex officio (non-voting) members are:
- Amanda Blosser, a cultural resource specialist at the Diablo Range District of California State Parks, worked on the National Heritage Area interpretive plan for State Parks
- Chris Lim, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, an alum of Delta Leadership Program (2022)
Other entities that may be represented by ex officio members in the future may include the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, the Delta Stewardship Council, the East Bay Regional Park District, the National Park Service, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, and the Suisun Resource Conservation District.
In addition to the above, two members of the Delta Protection Commission – Chair Diane Burgis of Contra Costa County and Commissioner Oscar Villegas of Yolo County – sit on the Committee. The group will be chaired by the Delta Protection Commission Executive Director Bruce Blodgett or his designee.
The Committee, which is governed by this charter (PDF), succeeds the NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee, whose work is done now that the Management Plan has been submitted to the Secretary of the Interior, via the National Park Service.
The Committee’s first meeting will be Oct. 31 in Oakley. The agenda for the meeting will be posted at least 10 days in advance.
Gerry Goodie, shown here in the front row on the right side at his first DPAC meeting in February
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2024) – The Delta Protection Commission on Thursday named one seat on the Delta Protection Advisory Committee in honor of Gerry Goodie, who served on DPAC briefly this year before passing away.
The Gerry Goodie Memorial Seat is Delta General Public Seat 2, currently occupied by Goodie protege Katie Wiley, who was appointed to the committee in May.
DPAC Chair Anna Swenson spearheaded the action. “He was so active, a great communicator, and a valued member of the Delta public,” she said of Goodie.
Goodie was the co-owner, with his wife, of Wimpy’s Marina Restaurant & Bar in Walnut Grove, as well as a 2023 alum of the Delta Leadership Program, a joint program of the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation. He was appointed to DPAC in January, and passed away in late February.
DPAC provides recommendations to the Delta Protection Commission on diverse interests within the Delta, including the Delta’s ecosystem, water supply, socioeconomic sustainability, recreation, agriculture, flood control, environment, water resources, utility infrastructure, and other Delta issues.
Nominations are open for the 2025 Delta Leadership Program, a joint effort of the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation.
The program targets potential or emerging leaders in the Delta from all walks of life – agriculture, law enforcement, local government, non-profit organizations, local business, and the tourism and hospitality sectors, among others. It puts participants through an intensive curriculum to expand their knowledge of key issues and challenges in the Delta, teach them leadership skills and tools, build relationships and trust, and foster community.
The ultimate goal of the program, which has been operating since 2016, is to build a cadre of dedicated leaders to protect and improve the Delta. Alumni can be seen in leadership positions throughout the Delta and often appear in the news.
What’s Involved
Interested participants can apply, or they can be nominated. (Application information is below.)
Nominations and applications are accepted through Nov. 22, participants are announced the week of Dec. 9, and the curriculum – five day-long seminars – runs January through April. Nominees must commit to 100% attendance on these dates to be considered for participation in the program:
- Seminar 1: Jan. 10 in Sacramento
- Seminar 2: Feb. 7 in Stockton
- Seminar 3: Feb. 28 in Rio Vista
- Seminar 4: March 28 in Oakley
- Seminar 5: April 25 in Clarksburg
In addition to attending seminars, participants work on team projects designed to benefit the Delta, with some of the work occurring during seminars and some on their own time – about two hours per month. When feasible, participants take a tour of the Delta by boat in the late spring.
The program concludes with a graduation at the Delta Protection Commission meeting tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. May 15 at a location in the Delta. The exact date and location will be determined in November, when Commission sets its 2025 meeting schedule. (Information continues below photo.)
Scenes from the 2024 Delta Leadership Program
Nominating or applying
The application form can be completed online. The deadline is midnight Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.
The quality and content of the nomination is critical to the candidate’s success. Try to include specific examples and make sure you have included all of your nominee’s civic and leadership experience and service.
If you are nominating someone, they will be notified of your nomination as soon as you submit it. Nominees accepted into the program will be notified by the week of December 9, 2024.
Class size is limited, so not all nominees will be accepted – as a courtesy to all applicants, please refrain from announcing nomination submissions publicly.
Submission Checklist
- REQUIRED: Complete the Delta Leadership Program 2025 application/nomination form online by Nov. 22.
- REQUIRED: Upload at least one and no more than three substantial letters of recommendation. You will upload these during the online application process.
- REQUIRED: Nominee/applicant must complete Letter of Commitment online, also by Nov. 22 (they will get a link when your nomination is submitted).
- OPTIONAL: Upload nominee’s resume, if available. You can upload this during the application process.
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions, please contact Program Coordinator Erik Vink at erik.vink@delta.ca.gov or (530) 650-6327.
Tricia Canton (Photo courtesy of Delta Sculling Center)
Water defines the Delta, and access to water defines people’s connection to the Delta.
For both Dr. Pat Tirone and Tricia Marie Canton, there was no access in the beginning. Their early time as Stockton residents was completely disconnected from the water that flows through the city.
“I lived here for three years and didn’t know the Delta was here,” said Tirone, a physical therapist and graduate of the 2024 Delta Leadership Program.
When she first stumbled onto a city park with water access, she saw not the water and boat ramp that were hidden from view, but a private boat club, and it was unclear whether she even had the right to access the water.
Then she came across a rowing club that was raising money at a shopping center one day. That’s when she learned the public does have access to the water, and that there were ways to enjoy it without buying a power or sail boat or joining an exclusive yacht club.
That launched her into something that would become not just a personal passion, but a professional one: sculling.
Canton’s path was different. Born and raised in Stockton, she discovered her love of water only when she moved to Southern California to attend UC Irvine, becoming an avid beachgoer.
Then in 2014, at the age of 28, she had a ruptured brain aneurysm and three strokes that nearly killed her, leaving the entire left side of her body paralyzed. Her family was told she would probably never walk, talk or even breathe on her own again, and they moved her back to Stockton to take care of her.
This is where both Canton’s and Tirone’s stories would meet.
Pat Tirone
As part of Tirone’s rehab work, she spent much of her time taking her clients into nature, often at Berkeley’s Bay Outreach and Recreation Program, which had an entire barn full of adaptive recreational equipment. But as soon as her clients were discharged from rehab, their access to those opportunities ended.
“My husband listened to me complain that there was nothing like that in our community and finally told me to put up or shut up,” Tirone said. So together they started the Delta Sculling Center in Stockton in 2013, buying boats, renting storage space for them, and acquiring gear needed to adapt to rowers’ various needs.
“Rowers joined us as volunteers, and all a sudden we had a whole program,” she said.
Canton learned about Delta Sculling Center in 2022.
Being immunocompromised, she had been confined to her home since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, and her rehab stopped during that time. As the pandemic was receding, her doctor told her about a program that teaches people with disabilities to row, and that’s when she contacted “Coach Pat.”
The Sculling Center had a way to compensate for poor grip in her left hand: a Velcro connection to the oar, and a handle that would release if the boat turned over so the connected oar wouldn’t drag her down. The Center also had gear that would help her climb into the boat. And of course, volunteers who would row with her.
She used her arms more in her first session than she had the entire time since the aneurysm, and rowing has increased her endurance and strength. Just last week, she set a new personal record: 7 km on a day when her goal was 5.
But it’s about more than that. “On land I have to worry about gravity, other people, and the terrain – if it’s slippery, if there’s an incline, if there’s gravel, if there’s sand,” she said. “On the water, I’m just free.”
Beyond that, nature is endlessly delightful, a chance to encounter ducklings growing from one outing to the next, sea lions swimming near the boat, herons threatening to “drop bombs,” or the rush of dozens of blackbirds lifting from a powerline all at once.
And then there are the local landmarks, like the miniature Statue of Liberty at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Calaveras rivers. Canton rowed there recently with Tirone’s husband Bob, and they spontaneously sang God Bless America.
Experiences like these are what Pat Tirone cherishes about her time on Delta waters as well. “The other day, I was out rowing by myself and the sound of all the birds at 6 in the morning was just overwhelmingly beautiful,” she said. “I just turned the recorder on my phone on, laid it down on the deck of my boat and captured their beautiful music. In the middle of Stockton! What a gift.”
All people need to be able to connect with this gift – the water that is the lifeblood of the Delta – is access.
Learn more about:
- The Delta Sculling Center. The center is a non-profit whose mission is to provide inclusive rowing opportunities to people of all abilities. Tagline: “Where EveryBODY Sculls,” and “EveryBODY” includes adults of all ages, military veterans with disabilities, and middle and high school aged youth, especially those who come from under-resourced parts of the region.
- The Delta Aquatic Center. The Delta Sculling Center has been instrumental in the development of the Delta Aquatic Center of Stockton project, a new facility in Stockton that would increase access to the water for the community. A $2.5 million grant from the Delta Conservancy is funding planning for the project.
RIO VISTA, Calif. (May 16, 2024) – The Delta Protection Commission appointed two new members and re-appointed four incumbents to the Delta Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC) on Thursday.
The new appointees are Emily Pappalardo, Delta Business Seat 2 (on the left in the photo), and Katherine Wiley, Delta General Public Seat 2 (on the right in the photo). Both are graduates of the Delta Leadership Program, a project of the Delta Protection Commission and Delta Leadership Foundation – Pappalardo in 2016, and Wiley this year.
Pappalardo is a principal engineer and partner in DCC Engineering Co. Inc. in Walnut Grove, which serves several reclamation districts in the North Delta and provides permitting, planning, and architectural services to the Delta community. She has an interest in Steamboat Resort, a private boat club and residence on the north end of Steamboat Slough, where she was raised. She is also incoming president of the Rotary Club of Walnut Grove, a board member of the Delta Leadership Foundation, an associate member of the Central Valley Flood Control Association, and a volunteer on the Pear Fair Committee.
Wiley owns Wiley Marketing & Design, which has a substantial client base in Rio Vista, Walnut Grove and Locke. She and her husband own a houseboat that’s been berthed in Walnut Grove for the past eight years, and both are avid boaters who spend most of their free time on the river.
The incumbents who were reappointed Thursday are:
- Craig Watanabe, Delta Agriculture (Seat 2)
- Douglas Hsia, Delta Cultural Preservation
- Morris Lum, Delta Recreation (Seat 2)
- Erin Chappell, State Agency (Seat 2)
All six will serve three -year terms.
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).
Participants Share Their ‘Ah Ha!’ Moments
Top image, L-R: the 2024 Class of the Delta Leadership Program – MacKenzie Owens, Krystal Moreno, Cintia Cortez, Malissa Tayaba, Katie Wiley, Matthew Brown, Nancy Young, Alice LLano, Min Park, Tim Cook (not shown: Priti Agarwal, Ahmad Majid, Samar Salma, Jacylyn Stokes, Pat Tirone). Bottom left image, L-R: Three alumni of the Delta Leadership Program – Chuck Winn, Anna Swenson, and Emily Pappalardo. Bottom right: Erik Vink, Coordinator of the Delta Leadership Program, a joint project of the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation
CLARKSBURG, Calif. (April 19, 2024) – The 2024 class of the Delta Leadership Program graduated Friday, and celebrated at a reception hosted by Bogle Family Vineyards in Clarksburg.
The graduates were welcomed there by existing Delta leaders, many of whom are also alumni of the program, including Delta Protection Advisory Committee Chair Anna Swenson, former San Joaquin County Supervisor Chuck Winn, and Delta NHA Advisory Committee Member Douglas Hsia.
The program, a joint project of the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation, is designed to build and support leadership within the Delta community.
The group visited locations around the Delta where it heard about diverse issues and perspectives on myriad challenges facing the region. Members also worked on group projects, which they will present to the Delta Protection Commission on May 16.
Some of the graduates reflected Friday on their “ah ha!” moments and key takeaways, including:
Krystal Moreno, Traditional Ecological Knowledge Program Manager for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians: “Hearing from a panelist talking about rice farming conversion and its connection to salmon habitat, which was new to me. As an indigenous person, we have been fighting to restore salmon in our watershed. (This is) work we can connect to.”
Min Park, hospitality industry and Bethel Island community volunteer: “The fact that most of our water comes from the Delta, and my friends in Los Angeles have no idea about this. We need to protect this place – it’s special.”
Alice LLano, pear farmer: “We have to start teaching our children more about the Delta. Our kids live here, and we need to be teaching them about how fragile it is, what the issues are, so when they grow up, they can be Delta advocates.”
Min Park pours water into a to-scale map of the Delta at Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley.
Pat Tirone, Founder of Delta Sculling Center in Stockton: “It was standing on the map at Big Break, seeing everyone having fun pouring the water in, really seeing why water gathers in one place, and how much you need the water to flow from another place, and how all of it impacts each other.”
Jacylyn Stokes, fourth-generation farmer: “Being able to interact with the tribal community. I got to have conversations with my colleagues Malissa and Krystal, and hearing their perspective on how ownership and land have affected them, in comparison to my story, really changed the way I view things.”
Malissa Tayaba, Vice Chair of Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians: “I learned so much from other perspectives that were really important because there are so many different communities in the Delta. … (Also) the thought of building coalitions and relationships that make movement in the Delta. I think that’s how things move faster, when you get together with people with common goals and make things happen.”
Tim Cook, co-owner of Meyer and Cook Insurance Co.: “One thing that stood out to me the most was the part of it I’d never really thought about before – the interests of the California Delta from indigenous people’s perspective. I didn’t really understand why Shingle Springs had an interest in the Delta. Going through the program, I learned the history.”
Cintia Cortez during an exercise in Rio Vista about leveraging strengths and weaknesses
Cintia Cortez, policy analyst for Restore the Delta: “There was an exercise where we had to talk about our strengths and weaknesses and how to leverage those. We had to be vulnerable and share what we struggle with the most. One of my classmates, Min, she told me she really looked up to me and in those spaces she started to expect me to show up in a certain way. When I walked into that training, I felt like a closed rosebud, and after that, I felt like I bloomed, through the training and with a compliment from a classmate.”
Nancy Young, Mayor of Tracy: “I joined this group just to learn more about water, and my eyes have been opened. I see water everywhere: I see the reservoirs, I see the aqueducts, I see the Delta, I see the flow of life around me. I’m excited to have learned so much from individuals, from the Miwok tribe, understanding how it’s part of their land.”
Delta Leaders, Hidden Women, Free Marina Workshops
Read this issue
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
Chinese New Year, SPAM Festival, Delta Newsmakers
Read this issue
Contents
Governor Appoints Delta Leadership Program Alum
Commission Appoints Gerry Goodie to DPAC
Delta Agency Annual Reports Released
Conservancy: Fishing Dock Grant Approved
Rio Vista Pedestrian Improvement Project Begins
Opening: Tribal Representative on Delta Protection Advisory Committee
Delta Agency Meetings
Community Events: SPAM Festival, Chinese New Year and More
Harmful Algal Blooms Report
STOCKTON, Calif. (Jan. 18, 2024) – The Delta Protection Commission appointed Gerry Goodie to the Delta Protection Advisory Commission (DPAC) on Thursday.
Goodie is co-owner, with his wife, of Wimpy’s Marina Restaurant & Bar in Walnut Grove. A 2023 alum of the Commission’s Delta Leadership Program, he also serves as a board member of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA) Delta Chapter, and is active in the Walnut Grove Rotary Club.
Goodie fills a new general-public seat that was added in September when the Commission voted to expand DPAC, adding a tribal representative and an additional general public representative. He will serve a three-year term.
The tribal seat remains open; applications will be accepted until it is filled. The application form is here.
The Committee meets every other month, and its next meeting is on Feb. 6.
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).
The 2024 class of the Delta Leadership Program. L-R front: Jacylyn Stokes, Pat Tirone, Priti Agarwal, Min Park, Samar Salma, Cintia Cortez, Matthew Brown, Nancy Young. L-R back: Tim Cook, Krystal Moreno, Malissa Tayaba, Katie Wiley, Ahmad Majid, Alice LLano, MacKenzie Owens.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Jan. 12, 2024) – The 2024 Delta Leadership Program kicked off Friday with its first meeting of the year for its 15 participants.
Run by the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation, the program is designed to build and support leadership within the Delta community.
The first seminar of the year covered Delta legislation; Delta agencies; and Delta trends, issues and interests. In addition to honing leadership skills, participants will team up on projects benefitting the Delta.
This years participants are:
Priti Agarwal, Alameda County: Recent volunteer with Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival, nearly 20-year career in Bay Area corporate positions (Director, Manager, Analyst).
Matthew Brown, San Joaquin County: Banking officer (Bank of Stockton since 2019, Bank of Rio Vista from 2011-2018), 3rd generation Rio Vistan, Walnut Grove Rotary Club since 2015, graduate of Leadership Lodi.
Tim Cook, Yolo County: Co-owner of Meyer and Cook Insurance Co. (Walnut Grove), Walnut Grove Rotary Club, Walnut Grove Fire Department (former Captain), Clarksburg Cub Scouts Pack 83 Den Leader.
Cintia Cortez, San Joaquin County: Restore the Delta (Policy Analyst since March 2022).
Alice LLano, Yolo County: Pear farmer in Clarksburg, community volunteer (school parent teacher council, Friends of Clarksburg Library, Clarksburg Rotary Club).
Ahmad Majid, San Joaquin County: National Women in Agriculture (Central Valley Chapter President since September 2022), Director of Environmental Initiatives – With Our Words (since Jan. 2023), Central Valley Neighborhood Harvest (multiple positions since March 2020).
Krystal Moreno, Placer County: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Program Manager (Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians – since 2018), DSC Adaptive Management Forum Advisory Board member, volunteer competitive softball coach.
MacKenzie Owens, San Joaquin County: Restore the Delta (Media and Communications Coordinator), Community Based Organization Advisory Committee for Estuary Youth Council (part of San Francisco Estuary Partnership).
Min Park, Contra Costa County: Bethel Island community volunteer (Bethel Island Municipal Improvement District), professional career in hospitality industry (New York, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Bay Area restaurants, including Executive Director of Greens Restaurant).
Samar Salma, Solano County: External Affairs Specialist with FEMA, Certified California Naturalist.
Jacylyn Stokes, San Joaquin County: Walnut Grove grape grower, board member of Lodi Winegrape Commission, California Agricultural Leadership Foundation (Class 52).
Malissa Tayaba, El Dorado County: Vice Chair and Director of Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians (and other positions since 2008), member of Delta Conveyance Project Stakeholder Advisory Committee.
Patricia Tirone, San Joaquin County: Founder of Delta Sculling Center in Stockton, advocate for building the Delta Aquatic Center in Stockton.
Katie Wiley, Sacramento County: Marketing Manager for numerous Delta businesses (Wimpy’s, Al’s Place, Fosters Bighorn), Delta recreationist.
Nancy Young, San Joaquin County: Mayor, City of Tracy (on City Council since 2012), deep community involvement with numerous organizations in Tracy.
