MEMORANDUM

TO: California Ocean and Coastal Community

FROM: Co-Chairs of the California Biodiversity Council:

Mike Chrisman, Secretary for Resources
Mike Pool, Director, Bureau of Land Management

DATE: July 11, 2005

SUBJECT: Ocean and Coastal Economic Summit: July 22, 2005

As co-chairs of the California Biodiversity Council, we would like to invite you to attend the next meeting of the Biodiversity Council on July 22, 2005 from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Cesar Chavez Community Center, 401 Golden Ave., Long Beach, California. We are calling this meeting the California Ocean and Coastal Economic Summit as we are bringing together experts to discuss the importance of economics to improving ocean and coastal management in California. The invitation, agenda, newsletter, registration form, and directions are available for download at ceres.ca.gov/biodiv/oceans.html We have extended the registration deadline.

The meeting will kick off with a presentation about California’s ocean economy by Judy Kildow and Charlie Colgan of the National Ocean Economic Project. Jim Leape of the Packard Foundation will give a presentation regarding the importance of economic information in funding decisions. In the morning session, a panel of economists will discuss the application of economic data to ocean and coastal management. The afternoon session will focus on market-based management approaches by examining three different on-the-ground examples of these tools.

The California Biodiversity News ceres.ca.gov/biodiversity/newsletter/v12n1/news_spring05.html released today contains several interesting articles related to this Economic Summit. Admiral James Watkins, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, demonstrates the importance of the ocean to the national economy in his article. Issues examined at the Economic Summit will help inform many local, state, and federal entities including the newly-formed California Ocean Protection Council. For more information, see the article about the Ocean Protection Council’s recent activities. The newsletter also includes an article by NOAA’s Coastal Connections that provides a primer on ocean and coastal economics.

The California Biodiversity Council seeks to improve coordination between the various resource management and environmental protection organizations at federal, state, and local levels. The council has 40 members, including 10 regional associations of county supervisors and governments, 18 state agencies, 12 federal agencies, and 10 local agencies.

We look forward to seeing you at the July summit.