Agenda and Materials Available for the Delta Harmful Algal Blooms Workshop

A graphic showing the drivers and impacts of blooms

Agenda and Materials Available:

Delta Harmful Algal Blooms Workshop

November 8-9, 2022

Monitoring harmful algal blooms (HABs) is critical to protecting water quality and public health. But there is no comprehensive program, strategy, or funding to do so. As such, the Delta Science Program is hosting a two-day hybrid workshop focusing on nexuses where HABs monitoring and data collection can be optimized to create a strategy for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This workshop will facilitate the collaborative development of a monitoring strategy.

The following workshop materials are now available:

Delta Stewardship Council Executive Officer Jessica R. Pearson will welcome workshop participants. Assemblymember Bill Quirk, who authored Assembly Bill 834 to establish a Freshwater and Estuarine Harmful Algal Bloom Program, will provide opening remarks. Attendees will also hear presentations and panel discussions from subject matter experts and participate in breakout sessions.

VIEW THE AGENDA

Register for the Workshop

Both in-person and virtual attendance are free with registration. In-person attendance is available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be hosted at the California Natural Resources Agency Headquarters (715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814). Virtual attendance will be hosted via Zoom.

Listen to the Latest HAB Sci Comm

In a new episode of the Science in Short podcast, produced by Estuary News Magazine and Maven’s Notebook with funding from the Council, U.S. Geological Survey Biologist Keith Bouma-Gregson talks about his experience working on HABs in Lake Merritt and the San Francisco Bay.

“HABs are a problem for people and pets primarily because many HAB species can produce toxins which are harmful to humans, mammals, and other animals,” Keith says. “In the Delta, HABs are formed by a group of photosynthetic bacteria called Cyanobacteria. Not all cyanobacteria produce toxins, but if a bloom is producing toxins and the concentrations become elevated then that could result in negative symptoms or an illness.”

This workshop is in direct response to 2022-2026 Science Action Agenda Action 2B: “Develop a framework for monitoring, modeling, and information dissemination in support of operational forecasting and near real-time visualization of the extent, toxicity, and health impacts of HABs.” Developed by and for the Delta science community, this widely-endorsed Agenda prioritizes and aligns science actions to inform management decisions, identifies major gaps in knowledge, promotes collaborative science, and builds science infrastructure.

Scientist working on a piece of technology

The Delta Science Program recognizes that communication is essential to building the Delta science community and delivering pertinent information to scientists, decision-makers, the public, and other stakeholders. Effective science communication transforms information into knowledge and knowledge into action. The Delta Science Program communicates science to a wide range of audiences through hosting events, supporting various publications, and generating outreach materials.

Delta Science Program

715 P Street, 15-300

Sacramento, CA 95814

deltacouncil.ca.gov

Business Hours:

8:00 AM-

5:00 PM

(916) 445-5511