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.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2024) – The Delta Protection Commission today released a public-comment draft of the Management Plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (Delta NHA).
All interested parties are encouraged to view the plan here, and submit comments on the Plan by 5 p.m. March 6, 2024. Comments can be emailed to submit@delta.ca.gov, or mailed to the Delta Protection Commission, 2101 Stone Blvd., Suite 200, West Sacramento, CA 95691.
In addition, members of the public may attend one of two scheduled meetings to comment in person: Feb. 21 in Walnut Grove and Feb. 22 in Antioch, both 6-8 p.m. An additional virtual meeting will be scheduled as well.
“We’re excited and pleased to be at this juncture – a critical point in the development of this National Heritage Area,” said Commission Executive Director Bruce Blodgett.
“A great deal of work has gone into the plan in consultation with a broad group of stakeholders and tribes,” he said. “But this public comment process is key to ensuring that the voices of the Delta and all who depend on it – whether for work, recreation, historical and cultural appreciation, or spiritual connection – are represented well in the final plan.”
The Delta NHA was created in 2019 by Congress (PDF). It is California’s first, and so far only, National Heritage Area.
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 has 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 Delta Protection Commission is scheduled to vote on the plan March 7, 2024, after which it will be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for approval. After approval, implementation of the plan can begin.
Media contact: Blake Roberts, (530) 650-6572 or blake.roberts@delta.ca.gov
Update: Applications for both positions have closed.
The Delta Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC) provides recommendations to the Delta Protection Commission (DPC) on diverse interests within the Delta.
The Delta Protection Commission recently voted to expand DPAC membership to add a tribal representative and a general public representative. Applications for the general public position are due by 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2023; applications for the tribal position will remain open until it is filled.
Appointments are expected to be made at the Commission’s January meeting.
The general public representative must live in the Primary or Secondary zone of the Delta, or own or operate a business or property in Primary or Secondary zone of the Delta. The tribal representative must be a member or representative of a tribe with historic connections to 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.
The Delta Protection Commission, in partnership with the Delta Leadership Foundation, has created the Delta Leadership Program to build and support sustained leadership development within the Delta community. With the challenges facing the Delta today, it is clearly in the Delta’s interest to cultivate the best in our existing leadership and to assist in creating a pipeline of informed and energetic leaders for the Delta’s future.
The goals of the Delta Leadership Program are:
- Identify and promote regional leaders in the Delta community.
- Develop skills and awareness to increase the pool of effective Delta leaders.
- Expand leaders’ knowledge regarding the key issues, opportunities and challenges that face the Delta region
- Identify emerging leaders and deliver skills and tools to enhance their contributions to the Delta community.
- Build relationships of trust and cooperation between businesses, government, non-profit, civic, religious and cultural groups.
- Foster a shared sense of community throughout the Delta region.
The Delta Leadership Program consists of a five-day intensive curriculum completed over the course of four months (one business day every three to four weeks), with an additional day-long Delta water tour. Each workshop is integrated with half of the day spent on regional issues such as water and agriculture, public safety and economic development, and the other half spent on skill development such as negotiation, team building, innovation, values and organizational momentum. In addition, class members work as teams on selected class projects benefiting the Delta.
Participation in the Delta Leadership Program is by nomination and selection. Please nominate (self-nominations are accepted) individuals whom you consider potential or emerging leaders in the Delta community, and who would find this kind of top-level development and networking opportunity to be valuable. We encourage nominations from all walks of Delta life – agriculture, law enforcement, local government, non-profit organizations, local business, tourism and hospitality sectors, among others.
The application deadline is Friday, Nov. 17. More details and the application form are available here.
The Administrative Analyst (AGPA) provides a full range of complex analytical financial and administrative duties for the Delta Protection Commission. As the central point for the Commission, the Administrative Analyst also serves as the Commission Clerk for all Commission and Committee meetings and ensures that all meeting logistics are completed according to the Bagley-Keene Act.
This position is eligible for telework, and will be required to report to the office at least three days a week. The successful candidate must reside in California upon appointment.
The deadline to apply is Oct. 13.
Learn more and apply.
The Delta Protection Commission is seeking services to support its participation as an additional consulting party to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is leading the review of the Delta Conveyance Project under the National Historic Preservation Act Sections 106 and 110(f).
Deadline for submitting proposals has been extended to 2 p.m. PDT Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Click here for more information.
Protect the Delta – come work for the Delta Protection Commission as a senior environmental planner!
The person in this position ensures that land use changes in the Delta’s Primary Zone don’t come at the expense of agriculture, habitat, cultural values or levee systems, among other requirements.
Position is eligible for telework. Application deadline has been extended to Oct. 10.
Click here for full details and to apply.
