January 2, 2004

Dear Governor Schwarsenegger,

I am writing on behalf of the Salmonid Restoration Federation to urge the California Department of Finance and the Resources Agency to utilize the sale of Proposition 40 Bonds in the upcoming fiscal for protection and restoration of California watersheds. These funds are vital for restoration of salmonid habitat in California. Citizens voted for Prop 40 to protect coastal watersheds and restore fisheries for anadromous salmon.

Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) is a non-profit organization that promotes restoration and stewardship of California’s native salmon, steelhead and trout populations and their habitat. SRF provides educational trainings and advocates for habitat protection to preserve, restore and enhance recovery of self-sustaining populations of native salmonids.

Our constituents are deeply concerned that withholding the sale of Prop 40 bonds would threaten the restoration funds available through the California Department of Fish and Game’s Fishery Restoration Grant Program. The state provides both a hard match (bond dollars) and soft match (General Fund dollars in the form of necessary DFG project biologists and contract administrators). These funds allow California to access millions of dollars in federal matching funds at a ratio of 3:1, as well as significant private matching funds for individual projects. Eliminating the Prop 40 and General Fund matching funds will end the state's ability to access these other funding sources. The economic impact of shutting down the Department of Fish and Game's Fishery Restoration Grants Program would also be felt in coastal communities throughout California through the loss of tourism associated with commercial and recreational salmon fishing.

More than $54 million in federal dollars have come to coastal California since 2000 because of the state’s ability to provide matching funds. The projects funded through the Fishery Restoration Grants Program also significantly improve water quality and will help reduce future flood damage to public and private infrastructure in coastal communities.

Watershed Restoration programs are active from Del Norte County in the North to Los Angeles County in the South, as well as inland counties through the Klamath and Trinity Rivers. DFG has received upwards of 320 proposals this year alone, which would employ hundreds of people full-time in many coastal counties doing work approved by California's voters.

A one year hiatus in the Prop 40 bond funding for the Fishery Restoration Grants Program will likely result in the elimination of this vital habitat restoration program. If the state forfeits these Federal funds now they most likely will not be available in the future.

Please do not jeopardize the estimated $22 million that should be made available for salmonid restoration projects in California in the upcoming fiscal year. This habitat improvement work creates employment opportunities, benefits communities, and improves the imperiled salmon fishery that is a vital part of California’s natural heritage.

Additionally, California's salmonid habitat restoration program is an essential element for the state to meet it's obligations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).

Sincerely,

Dana Stolzman
Executive Director