TO:                  Members of the Ocean and Coastal Community                         

FROM:             Drew Bohan, Executive Policy Officer, OPC     

DATE:             August 6, 2008 

RE:                   Public Salmon Forums

On behalf of the Ocean Protection Council ( OPC ), I am pleased to invite you to attend two Salmon Protection public workshops scheduled to be held:  

·        Thursday, August 14, 2008 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Bay Model Visitor’s Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito*

·        Tuesday, August 26, 2008 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Agriculture Center , 5630 South Broadway Street , Eureka

The OPC recognizes that California has already benefited from a significant amount of work by thousands of people on salmon issues and seeks to build on and maximize these investments in salmon. The workshops have three goals:  (1) to review current California policy on wild salmon protection; (2) to identify the top causes of wild salmon population decline; and (3) to receive feedback from the public on how the OPC can help ensure wild populations of salmon exist in California for future generations.  There is a particular interest in “big ideas” about statewide policy objectives for salmon and the core strategies we are using, or should consider using, to achieve those objectives.

The OPC was created in 2004 as part of California ’s Ocean Protection Act, or COPA. The OPC has seven members:

·        Secretary for the Resources Agency, Mike Chrisman, Chair

·        Chair of the State Lands Commission, John Chiang

·        Secretary for Cal/EPA, Linda Adams

·        Public member, Susan Golding

·        Public member, Geraldine Knatz

·        State Senator, Darrell Steinberg

·        State Assemblymember, Pedro Nava

The OPC is a leader in setting policy and promoting legislation on key issues, such as wild salmon protection. The OPC seeks public input on how best to ensure that wild populations of salmon exist in California well into the future.  The workshops are open to the general public. Please forward this email invitation to other colleagues and friends who might be interested in attending.