[RWG] 99.5%-or-Bust Standard for March 20 San Mateo County WMA meeting

[Craig Dremann - Redwood City Seed Company]

Dear All,

At our March 20 San Mateo County Weed Management Area meeting here in
northern California, I will be discussing the performance standard for the
native grasslands within our County, the topic will be "99.5% or Bust".

That is what we have to do here in northern California, get the grassland
ecosystem back to 99.5% native cover, or it quickly or eventually
collapses back to a huge weed-patch, like the I-505 project at
http://www.ecoseeds.com/road.test.html

At least every five year, we need to bring all of our measurments together
regarding weed management and ecological restoration, to see what
performance standards we have actually achieved.  In that way, we can see
how much further we must go, in order to get to the 99.5% native cover
standard.

Also, if all of the local land management agencies pool their achieved
performance standards for non-riparian grassland habitats, then if one
agency has spent serious money, like 1/2 million dollars from Caltrans, or
1/3 million from our local Open Space District at
http://www.ecoseeds.com/invent.html, or the 25 years and $3 million for
our local HCP on San Bruno Mtn., then other can get educated on what those
studies or plantings produced?

Each agency that manages land within a County, including the local road
department and the State highway department, share the same weed issues,
and those weed issues are also linked to every agency that has ecological
restoration issues.

Therefore,  it seems like there should be discussions started in every
County in the USA on how consistent and rapid performance standards for
both weed management and ecological restoration could be achieved, like in
the next 8 years.  Perhaps we could sneak up on a performance standard,
year-by-year?

If we take the I-505 performance standard that currently exists for
Sacramento Valley grasslands at 28% native cover, then if our goal is
99.5% within the 8 years, that means by the end of this year, get about
40% cover, then at the end of 2013, 46% cover, etc., until 8 years later,
you achieve 99.5% cover?

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333