CNRA’s Wellness Information and News Digest – Friday, June 18, 2021
California Natural Resources Agency Celebrates Juneteenth
The California Natural Resources Agency commemorates the importance of Juneteenth, or June 19th. On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce, and more importantly to enforce, the emancipation of African Americans living in Texas that were still being enslaved. Despite President Lincoln having issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, many distant holdings like Texas had failed to follow it. It was only through federal implementation and enforcement of that proclamation that freedom could begin to be realized across the country. Juneteenth is now formally recognized as the end of slavery in the United States, and its importance is honored across the nation through festivals, parades, and activities uplifting Black voices.
As a Cabinet-lead State entity, we are compelled to recognize systemic racism that our institutions have fostered and supported. As we work to dismantle all forms of oppression and create a more equitable society, we invite those in our network to think of ways to support Black communities both professionally and personally.
This week, our very own California African American Museum’s history curator, Susan D. Anderson published an op-ed in the LA Times titled “The California Connection to Juneteenth you Probably Didn’t Learn in School.” In this op-ed Susan links the history of Juneteenth to California’s own history of slavery and the fight for freedom.
Here are a few additional resources to check out:
- Juneteenth Celebration Reading and Resources from the Sacramento Kings
- This Is How We Juneteenth by New York Times Contributor Gina Cherelus
- How to Be a Better Ally to Your Black Colleagues by Harvard Business Review Contributor Stephanie Creary
We encourage you to look into and support local organizations working towards racial justice. If you are in the Sacramento area, we encourage you to participate in events in recognition of this historic day.
CNRA Virtual Town Hall Roundup
Thank you to everyone that was able to participate in Monday’s Town Hall on returning toward “normal” and the new natural resources headquarters building. We had great turnout and engagement. For those that missed the Town Hall, it can be viewed HERE.
During the Town Hall we referenced the following links, that we want to make sure you and your employees have access to. Please feel free to share this information with your teams:
- Thrive@Resources Website: https://thrive.cnra.ca.gov/
- New HQ Building FAQ’s on Thrive@Resources: https://thrive.cnra.ca.gov/faqs/
- Further questions regarding the new building and workplace transformation, please email: Thrive@Resources.ca.gov
- Entire move schedule: https://thrive.cnra.ca.gov/move-schedule-for-departments-to-transition-out-of-the-old-building-and-into-the-new-natural-resources-headquarters/
- GovOps and CalHR Training on CalLearns titled “Beyond the Pandemic: The Hybrid Model” is available now through 7/13/2021: https://calhr.geniussis.com/PublicWelcome.aspx
Here is the word cloud below of the responses received from the question: In one word, how are you feeling about California moving back toward “normal” this summer? It provides a good visual of the range of emotions people are feeling right now during this time of transition.
Extreme Heat Planning
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Toolkit
CalHR has launched a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Toolkit page to be a shared resource for state organizations to access.
The toolkit starts with “Ten Things You Can Do in Honor of PRIDE Month 2021” (shared below). CalHR will continue to develop this page to provide additional helpful tools and resources to assist and empower you in your DEI efforts. Join the distribution list to be the first to know whenever new tools and resources are added.
For general EEO or DEI assistance, please contact your organization’s EEO Officer or DEI Committee.
Contact DEIToolkit@calhr.ca.gov with any questions or feedback on CalHR’s DEI Toolkit.
Ten Things You Can Do in Honor of PRIDE Month 2021
- Invite staff to provide input on how to celebrate PRIDE at your organization. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.
- Set the tone at the top by sending out a brief message (e.g., email, video message, etc.) from your director to all staff acknowledging PRIDE month and highlighting how your organization will be celebrating all month long.
- Develop and share talking points with managers/supervisors on how to acknowledge PRIDE month at staff meetings.
- Include PRIDE in your June all staff meeting, through ways such as:
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- Sharing information about PRIDE and the LGBTQ+ community (e.g., history, EEO laws/office policies, definitions, what flags represent, etc.)
- Creating an opportunity for a conversation (e.g., safe space meeting)
- Having fun with engagement activities (e.g., trivia games)
- Connect with local LGBTQ+ community organizations to learn more about them, set up an education and fundraising campaign, etc. (TIP! Invite them back to participate in your “Our Promise Campaign” kick-off events later in the year.)
- Bring visual awareness to PRIDE through creating virtual backgrounds for staff to use in virtual meetings and sharing how to add pronouns to an email signature block (see below).
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- See examples of virtual backgrounds in our Employee Recognition Toolkit.
- Set up a virtual bulletin board (e.g., on your intranet page) for hybrid workers and a physical bulletin board in the office for essential workers.
- Share guidance on how staff can decorate cubicles and common areas.
- Invite staff to share photos of themselves and their family/friends celebrating PRIDE (e.g., at work, at home, at PRIDE events, etc.). Share these photos throughout the month and/or in your organization’s newsletter.
- Create a social media campaign for your organization.
Telework Training – Beyond the Pandemic: The Hybrid Model
Telework training is available now from CalHR and GovOps titled “Beyond the Pandemic: The Hybrid Model” on CalLearns. This is a new requirement for managers/supervisors, whether or not you directly manage or supervise employees. The entire six course hours can be counted toward the biennial minimum requirement of 20 hours of leadership training. If you haven’t done so already, create an account on CalLearns (instructions below). Once you sign in, select/add to your cart ‘Beyond the Pandemic: The Hybrid Workforce 6/1/2021-7/13/2021: https://calhr.geniussis.com/PublicWelcome.aspx
Once added to your cart, you will need to click on ‘Proceed to Checkout’ in the upper right hand corner:
Follow the rest of the prompts to complete your registration.
Directions for Registering for CalLearns
- Create a CalLearns Profile (a prerequisite for registering) if you do not have one: Use this link: Create an account
- Log onto Your CalLearns Account via Access CalLearns using any borrower (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) except Internet Explorer (IE).
- Register for the Course on your CalLearns Dashboard. Please refer to this document: Register for Training
- Take the Course You can begin taking the course immediately after registration. The course consists of sequential, self-paced modules. You can exit the course at will and re-access it again later to continue. You will have until end-of-day on July 13 to complete the course; there will be no extensions.
- Retrieve Your Certificate – Certificates of Completion, in downloadable pdf format, are available via your CalLearns Dashboard usually within 15 minutes after you complete the entire course. Please refer to this document: Print Transcripts and Certificates
Information and Troubleshooting: Visit the CalLearns Homepage for information about the CalLearns resources. Additionally, typically questions and problems can be resolved easily by referring to the FAQs and troubleshooting links on the homepage. If you encounter a registration or course problem that cannot be resolved via the FAQs or troubleshooting links, then please address your questions in writing to training@calhr.ca.gov.
Time Capsule Submission Request (Last Day for Submissions!)
We have the exciting opportunity to place a time capsule in the new CNRA Headquarters Building and we want your input! We are requesting concepts to be submitted by June 18, 2021 through this survey. Categories to keep in mind while considering your submission should include:
- Something that is reflective of CNRA’s mission: To restore, protect and manage the state’s natural, historical and cultural resources for current and future generations using creative approaches and solutions based on science, collaboration and respect for all the communities and interests involved.
- California current events.
- Something that is specific to the building.
In thinking about ideas, please keep in mind the limitations due to the size of the time capsule box: 14”W x 10“H x 32“D.
If you would like to submit an idea, please fill out this form.
Hero Chronicles – Sam Schuchat
ARTICLE: Ode to Sam: A Legacy of Partnership for Sam Schuchat’s 20 Years at the Coastal Conservancy
by Annie Burke
June 14, 2021
Ride your bike almost anywhere on the San Francisco Bay Trail and it’s likely that you’ll pass wetlands that are protecting communities against sea-level rise and sequestering carbon. Chances are that the support for the protection and restoration of these critical wetlands is attributable to the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC). Watch a group of kids explore a beach for the first time and it’s possible that they’re there because of the SCC. Walk by a creek in a Bay Area redwood forest, and there’s a good chance that the SCC is supporting efforts to improve the forest’s health and wildfire resilience.
One reason for the SCC’s impactful breadth and depth is Sam Schuchat. Sam has served as the Executive Officer of the SCC since July 2001. Before he retires later this month, I want to take a moment – especially in the pandemic era when time is so slippery – to honor and acknowledge Sam before he rides his recumbent bike into the next chapter of his life.
Over the past 20 years, Sam has led the SCC through the rise of the internet and social media, a recession, and the proliferation of smart phones. When he started as Executive Officer, climate change was only discussed in academic circles and by former Vice President Al Gore and author Bill McKibben (thankfully this has changed dramatically since then). Since 2001, Sam and the SCC have:
- Served four California governors and five Natural Resources secretaries
- Distributed approximately $1.3 billion through voter-approved Propositions 12, 40, 50, 84, 1, and 68
- Established the agency’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) guidelines
- Established the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority and the placement of Measure AA on the ballot in the Bay Area
- Established the Explore the Coast program which has provided 220 grants to date, enabling thousands and thousands of people to visit the coast, many for the first time
- Established the Climate Ready program, supporting public agencies and nonprofits in addressing climate change through nature-based adaptation
- And expanded the scope of the SCC to address known challenges like sea level rise as well as emergent threats like catastrophic wildfires.
All of this has translated into direct impact on the ground. Sam and his team at the SCC are collaborative and essential partners for TOGETHER Bay Area members. Our 69 members are working collectively for climate resilience and equity in a variety of ways. Some examples of projects supported by the SCC include:
- Trust for Public Land’s partnership with the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and the creation of the Kashia Coastal Reserve, returning land to the Tribe for the first time in hundreds of years.
- Brown Girl Surf’s Surf Sister Saturdays which created a safe, inviting, and accessible space for girls and women of color to connect with the ocean, the sport of surfing, and each other.
- Amah Mutsun Land Trust’s coastal stewardship summer camp for Native American youth.
- San Mateo Resource Conservation District’s work in the Pescadero Marsh to restore natural creek function, reduce erosion, restore wetland habitat, and improve water quality.
- Marin Agricultural Land Trust’s conservation easement on Gallagher Ranch, which keeps the land in production and also permanently protects critical habitat for a host of native wildlife like endangered coho salmon.
- Dozens and dozens of miles of Bay Area Ridge Trail and San Francisco Bay Trail, both of which provide world-class opportunities to circumnavigate the region by foot or bike.
This short list of projects were made possible because of SCC funding and the SCC’s staff’s support. And it barely scratches the surface. There are hundreds of more examples like them.
I asked one of TOGETHER Bay Area’s members – Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) – about Sam and the SCC. This is what Shaun Horne, MMWD’s Watershed Resources Manager, said: “The SCC under Sam’s direction has long been a supporter of large scale multi-benefit and multi-partner projects that are restoring and protecting sensitive biological species and critical habitats. For example, the SCC has been a strong supporter of Marin County’s Regional Forest Health Strategy, which is helping to increase the resiliency of forests and watershed lands on Mt. Tamalpais in an effort to protect a critical municipal water supply. Sam has a legacy of strong and influential leadership that is much appreciated and will be greatly missed.”
Under Sam’s leadership, the SCC has supported the creation of and updates to the Conservation Lands Network (CLN), one of TOGETHER Bay Area’s programs. The CLN is a regional conservation strategy for the San Francisco Bay Area, with a bold but achievable goal of conserving 50 percent of the Bay Area’s ecosystems by 2050 and a science-based pathway for achieving it. The CLN is one component of a trio of regional plans – all funded by the SCC – that includes the Baylands Habitat Goals and Subtidal Habitat Goals. This trio guides restoration efforts from below the waterline of the Bay to the peaks and ridges. And they wouldn’t exist without the SCC and Sam’s leadership.
In addition to the accomplishments that can be measured and counted, in addition to the list of projects and measurable outcomes, Sam’s legacy is partnership. He brings people together, builds connections, and works for solutions. And he doesn’t lack personality. Whether he’s playing his saxophone in the SCC band, or wearing his biking kit to ribbon cutting ceremonies, Sam is never boring. He brings a smile-inducing dose of spunk to everything he does.
The region’s 1.4 million acres of conserved lands are one reason the Bay Area is special. Another is the large, diverse, and dedicated community of people who work tirelessly to restore and steward those millions of acres plus the urban forests, parks, and streams. This community is collegial, caring, and committed to the mission.
Sam Schuchat has been an integral member of this community for the past 20 years. On behalf of the TOGETHER Bay Area Board of Directors and members, I want to thank him for his service. For his vision and leadership. For his flair. The Bay Area is better off because of Sam, and we’re eternally grateful.
If you know of a person or group that has stepped up in an extraordinary or unexpected way, we want to feature them. Please share uplifting and inspiring people – sharing, giving, sacrificing, etc. Please email information to Elizabeth.Williamson@resources.ca.gov.
Scenic California
Photo shared by Tami Plisco from the California State Lands Commission. This photo capture the North Fork of the American River, take at the Mineral Bar Campground where she visited for her birthday.
If you would like to submit a photo you’ve taken to be shared in the West WIND, please email Elizabeth.Williamson@resources.ca.gov with a brief description.
Virtual Water Cooler
Tweet(s) of the Day
Telework Tip
Visit telework.govops.ca.gov for best practices and tips to help make telework successful for every employee and the Californians we serve.
Featured Activities
CA Science Center – Life! Beginnings Exhibit
Starting today, the California Science Center is launching a new hands-on exhibit called Life! Beginnings. If you’re in the LA region, stop by the California Science Center and discover the ways humans and all living creatures reproduce, develop, and pass on their genes in order to bring new life into the world.
22nd Annual California Ocean & Coastal Amateur Photography Contest
Show us your California coastal photos! Enter the 22nd annual California Ocean & Coastal Amateur Photography Contest until July 17. You can also vote for your favorite photos through July 30. Visit http://mycoastalphoto.com.