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Media Contacts:
Steve Lyle, CDFA Public Affairs,
(916) 654-0462, slyle@cdfa.ca.gov
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CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE ANNOUNCES VACANCIES ON THE
CALIFORNIA INVASIVE SPECIES ADVISORY
COMMITTEE |
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Sacramento, December 13, 2011 - The
California Department of Food and
Agriculture, on behalf of the Invasive
Species Council of California (ISCC),
seeks to appoint seven (7) members to
the California Invasive Species Advisory
Committee (CISAC).
The role of CISAC is to advise the
ISCC on a broad array of issues related
to preventing the introduction and
spread of invasive species and providing
for their control and/or eradication, as
well as minimizing the economic,
ecological, and human health impacts
that invasive species cause.
The ISCC chair is the secretary of the
California Department of Food and
Agriculture and the vice-chair is the
secretary of the California Natural
Resources Agency. Other members are the
secretaries of the following California
agencies:
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Business, Transportation, and Housing
Agency
• Health and Human Services Agency
• Emergency Management Agency
The ISCC represents the highest level
of leadership and authority in state
government regarding invasive species.
Its goal is to promote a consistent
approach to invasive species at the
state level. The purpose of the ISCC is
to help coordinate a comprehensive
effort to exclude invasive species from
entering California and to eliminate,
reduce, or mitigate the impacts of
invasive species already established in
the state.
CISAC maintains an intensive and regular
dialogue regarding the aforementioned
issues and provides advice in
cooperation with other stakeholders and
existing organizations addressing
invasive species.
Prospective nominees of the CISAC
should be knowledgeable in and represent
one or more of the following communities
of interest:
- Biologists - Global Commerce
- Ranchers - Economists
- Foresters - Tribal Government
Representatives
- Farmers - Plant Pathology
- Academics / Researchers - Entomology
- Public Health Specialists - Risk
Analysts
- Weed Science - Nematology
- Veterinary Medicine - Public Member
- Federal, state, county and city
Government Representatives
- Non-Governmental Environmental
Representatives
No member may serve on the CISAC for
more than two (2) consecutive terms. All
terms will be limited to three (3) years
in length.
Members of the CISAC and its
subcommittees will serve without pay.
However, while away from their homes or
regular places of business to attend to
CISAC business, members, to the extent
funding is available, may be allowed
travel expenses, including per diem.
Interested parties and newly appointed
CISAC members are encouraged to attend
the next meeting of the CISAC which will
be held on Thursday, January 19, 2012.
Submitting Nominations:
Nominations should be typed and
should include the following:
1. A brief summary of no more than two
(2) pages explaining the nominee’s
suitability to serve on the CISAC.
2. A resume or curriculum vitae.
3. At least two (2) letters of
reference.
Nominations should be postmarked no
later than Tuesday, January 10, 2012, to
the following address:
Dr. Robert Leavitt
Invasive Species Council of California
Executive Office
1220 N Street, Suite 221
Sacramento, California 95814.
For additional information, visit the
Invasive Species Council of California’s
website at:
http://www.iscc.ca.gov/.


California Department of Food and
Agriculture Office of Public Affairs
1220 N St., Ste. 214, Sacramento, CA
95814
916-654-0462,
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/
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For Release: August 18, 2010
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Finds
Stephens' Kangaroo Rat Still Endangered
Carlsbad, Calif. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
announced today it
has completed a 12-month finding on a petition to delist
Stephens' kangaroo
rat (Dipodomys stephensi). After a review of the best
available scientific
and commercial information, we find that delisting the
Stephens' kangaroo
rat is not warranted at this time.
The 12-month finding can be viewed online today at the
Federal Register
Public Inspection Page. It will also be posted on
www.regulations.gov, as
Docket Number FWS-R8-ES-2010-0052.
The status review was initiated after the Service received
two petitions to
delist the species. The first petition was submitted in
1995, followed by a
second petition in 2002. Both petitions included
assertions that the
discovery of new populations of the Stephens' kangaroo rat
and the
completion of several Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP)
indicate the species
no longer needs protection under the Endangered Species
Act (ESA).
Although the intensity and magnitude of habitat loss from
development has
greatly diminished through implementation of HCPs, there
are additional
populations of the species that are not conserved and
remain at risk.
Intensive management of some of the reserve areas that
support populations
of the Stephens' kangaroo rat is needed to maintain the
habitat for the
species. However, recent surveys on some of these reserve
areas indicate
the amount of occupied habitat has decreased over time.
This may indicate
current management strategies are not adequate and further
monitoring is
needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ongoing
conservation efforts.
Stephens' kangaroo rats are nocturnal, burrow-dwellers
that feed primarily
on seeds. This species has a relatively large head with
external fur-lined
cheek pouches that it uses to transport seeds to safe
caches. Stephens'
kangaroo rats have large, elongated hind legs used for
jumping. They are
currently known to exist in portions of western Riverside
County, and parts
of northern and central San Diego County.
- FWS -
Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office
6010 Hidden Valley Road, Suite 101
Carlsbad, California 92011
Phone: 760/431-9440
Fax: 760/431-9624
http://www.fws.gov/carlsbad
SACRAMENTO, CA; December 14, 2009:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must stop dragging its
feet and issue a delisting decision in response to
petitions from the Riverside County Farm Bureau to remove
the Stephens kangaroo rat (SKR) from listing under the
Endangered Species Act.
So argues a lawsuit filed in federal court today by
attorneys with Pacific Legal Foundation, representing the
Riverside County Farm Bureau.
PLF is the nation’s leading legal watchdog for property
rights and a balanced approach to environmental
regulations.
"For 14 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been
disobeying the legal deadline for properly responding to
the Riverside County Farm Bureau’s petition to delist the
SKR," said PLF attorney Damien Schiff. "Today we are
asking a federal court to order the agency to get off the
dime, obey the law, and issue a decision on SKR
delisting." The case is Riverside County Farm Bureau
v. Salazar. The complaint and the 1995 delisting
petition is available on PLF’s Web site.
Nearly 15 years of federal foot-dragging
The Stephens kangaroo rat was added to the Endangered
Species Act list in 1988. The Farm Bureau argues that the
information gathered by the FWS to place the SKR on the
endangered list significantly overestimated the threats to
the SKR’s survival and significantly underestimated
habitat available for the SKR. The Farm Bureau’s first
petition to delist the SKR was submitted on May 1, 1995.
Under the ESA, the agency had 90 days to determine whether
the petition had merit, but the FWS never responded to the
Farm Bureau’s petition.
On February 25, 2002, the Farm Bureau submitted a second
petition to the FWS to delist the SKR.
Although the FWS responded with a determination that the
delisting of the SKR might be warranted by the science, it
has not followed through on its legal obligation to issue
a final "determination," or ruling, on delisting.
"The Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors believes it has
given the FWS ample time to do its studies and determine
if the Stephens kangaroo rat should or should not remain
on the Endangered List," said Steve Pastor, executive
director of the Riverside County Farm Bureau. "It is now
time to settle this question through the court system."
The historic range of the Stephens kangaroo rat includes
western Riverside County, southwestern San Bernardino
County, and parts of northern and central San Diego
County.
The listing’s harm to property owners
The continued listing of SKR is being challenged because
it is scientifically dubious and because the listing has
led to significant restrictions on private property. For
instance, to protect the SKR, government officials began
restricting brush-clearing by farmers and ranchers. In
1993, after these prohibitions were implemented, intense
brush fires destroyed several homes.
Pacific Legal Foundation is well-versed in litigation to
compel federal environmental officials to stop stalling on
delisting actions. For instance, PLF attorneys won the
lawsuit that forced the Fish and Wildlife Service to cease
delaying and remove the bald eagle from the Endangered
Species Act list.
Summary: PLF and Riverside County Farm Bureau sue to force
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to act on Stephens
kangaroo rat delisting petitions. The case is
Riverside County Farm Bureau v. Salazar. The
complaint and the 1995 delisting petition is available at
PLF’s Web site.
About Pacific Legal Foundation
Pacific Legal Foundation is the oldest and most successful
public interest legal organization that litigates
nationwide for limited government, property rights, and a
balanced approach to environmental regulation.
A brief video about PLF’s history and mission, including
comments by former U.S. Attorney General Edwin J. Meese
III, can be viewed at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnBSlRQwxKU.
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