The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) is hiring an Environmental Scientist (Water Quality Program Manager) to help advance strategic priorities related to improving coastal and marine water quality in California. The Environmental Scientist will also be responsible for grant and contract management including developing scopes of work and budgets, tracking deliverables, processing invoices, and coordinating with grantees. The Environmental Scientist will also provide additional support and capacity for OPC’s other strategic priorities, as needed.
Applicants should have a strong scientific and policy background, working knowledge of coastal and ocean issues and stakeholders in California, experience working on projects or research and/or developing or analyzing regulations, policy, or legislation related to coastal or ocean water quality in California or elsewhere, and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Proficiency reading and speaking Spanish is preferred. The ability to work in a fast-paced environment and prioritize tasks is a must.
Minimum qualifications for an Environmental Scientist, including necessary education and experience, can be found here. Completion of the Environmental Scientist State Civil Service Examination is required, and exam scores must rank in the top three tiers within the applicant pool to be further considered in the application process; information on the examination can be found here.
California is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. As such, OPC values diverse employees working together to protect the coast and ocean for all Californians. OPC is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment where all backgrounds, cultures, and personal experiences can thrive and connect others to our critical mission. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all OPC staff are currently working remotely. However, once staff return to the office, the Water Quality Program Manager will be required to work from the office in Sacramento one to three days a week.
OPC is a Cabinet-level state policy body that works to ensure healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems by advancing innovative, science-based policy and management, making strategic investments, and catalyzing action through partnerships and collaboration.
The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and California Sea Grant (CASG) are pleased to announce the release of a solicitation for letters of intent on monitoring, research, and synthesis projects that will enhance our understanding of ocean acidification and hypoxia on biological vulnerability.
Please see the solicitation for specific project types and priorities. There is a total of $2.2 million available for this solicitation—$1,800,949 will be provided by OPC and $400,000 from CASG. Letters of intent will be accepted via eSeaGrant until 5:00pm PT on August 30, 2021 and full proposals will be due by 5:00 p.m. PT on October 7, 2021 via eSeaGrant. Only applicants who have submitted a letter of intent may submit a full proposal.
OPC staff and CASG will hold an informational webinar to answer any questions for interested applicants on Thursday, August 5, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:00PM. To register for the webinar, please complete the Webinar Registration Form. For more information about the solicitation please see the solicitation webpage.
OPC is proud to announce the public release of the “Guiding Principles for Sustainable Marine Aquaculture in California”. These Guiding Principles establish a framework for marine aquaculture development in California and were collaboratively developed by members of California’s Aquaculture Leadership Team and associated staff. The Principles will enhance existing collaborative interagency efforts and providing near-term guidance to promote a robust, sustainable industry in a way that also protects the environment, effectively manages public trust resources, and enhances food safety and supply. The Principles will also serve to improve and strengthen awareness, information sharing, and collaboration with aquaculture producers, federal and state agencies, public and private organizations, the seafood industry, California Native American Tribes, universities, and other relevant parties.
California’s collection of 124 marine protected areas (MPAs), which spans the state’s 1,100-mile coastline, is unique in its size, scale, biogeographic and cultural setting, and status as an ecologically connected network. As the MPA network approaches its ten-year anniversary and accompanying first decadal management review in December 2022, Californians want to know: are our MPAs working? In other words, to what extent is the MPA network making progress toward the goals listed in its founding legislation— protecting the state’s natural marine biodiversity, rebuilding depleted populations, and improving ocean health, especially in the face of a changing climate?
The Ocean Protection Council (OPC) is pleased to share the results of two OPC-funded projects. The first is a report providing guidance for addressing microplastic pollution in California’s waters and assessing the risk of microplastics, and the second is a set of reports on validating trash monitoring methodologies and a playbook enabling local governments to use and understand available trash monitoring methods. Please see below for more information about each project.
The Ocean Protection Council is seeking nominations for the following non-commercial fishing representatives on the Dungeness Crab Task Force (DCTF):
— Two voting (2) members representing crab processing interests
— One nonvoting (1) member representing nongovernmental organization interests
If you are interested in representing crab processing or nongovernmental organization interests on the DCTF, please complete this brief two-page nomination form by June 1, 2021 at 5pm and email your completed form to Noah Ben-Aderet, Noah.Ben-Aderet@resources.ca.gov.
After OPC staff have reviewed nominees, they will recommend representatives for appointment to the Chair of the Ocean Protection Council, Secretary of Natural Resources, Wade Crowfoot. Recommendations will be based on experience and knowledge of the Dungeness crab fishery, experience with the DCTF, geographical balance, willingness and ability to effectively and respectfully collaborate among diverse perspectives, willingness and ability to represent others within their representative seat, and ability to consistently participate in DCTF meetings. OPC staff may contact nominees for brief interviews if needed. CDFW Law Enforcement Division will also contact nominees and determine if they are in good standing to represent the DCTF. Representatives are anticipated to be notified as soon as possible after June 1 and in advance of the next DCTF meeting planned for mid-October.
OPC will be sharing details regarding the public solicitation process for the non-commercial fishing members on the DCTF webpage and via the OPC listserv, as well as the DCTF listserv.
OPC is pleased to announce that a 2-pager on frequently asked questions for the Coastal Environmental Justice funding opportunity is now available. For more information on the Coastal Environmental Justice Solicitation, please see the Prop 1 webpage. As a reminder, Letters of Intent are due this Friday, April 23, 2021.
OPC staff will be available for virtual “office hours” using a webinar format to answer questions from prospective applicants and provide technical assistance. Office hours are scheduled for April 14, 2021 from 2:00-3:30 PM. The Office Hours webinar will be conducted as an open Q&A session and speakers are limited to 5-7 minutes to allow time for others to ask questions. If you need more time to ask specific questions on your project, you may request a 15-minute pre-consultation meeting when registering for the Office Hours Webinar. Please fill out this form to register for the Office Hours Webinar and/or request an individual pre-consultation meeting: OPC Prop 1 Solicitation: Office Hours Webinar Registration Form.
For more information on OPC’s Coastal Environmental Justice Solicitation, please see the Prop 1 Webpage. Letters of intent are due April 23, 2021.
The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) is hiring an Environmental Scientist (Water Quality Program Manager) to help advance strategic priorities related to improving coastal and marine water quality in California. The Environmental Scientist will also be responsible for grant and contract management including developing scopes of work and budgets, tracking deliverables, processing invoices, and coordinating with grantees. The Environmental Scientist will also provide additional support and capacity for OPC’s other strategic priorities, as needed.
OPC is proud to announce the public release of the “Guiding Principles for Sustainable Marine Aquaculture in California”. These Guiding Principles establish a framework for marine aquaculture development in California and were collaboratively developed by members of California’s Aquaculture Leadership Team and associated staff. The Principles will enhance existing collaborative interagency efforts and providing near-term guidance to promote a robust, sustainable industry in a way that also protects the environment, effectively manages public trust resources, and enhances food safety and supply. The Principles will also serve to improve and strengthen awareness, information sharing, and collaboration with aquaculture producers, federal and state agencies, public and private organizations, the seafood industry, California Native American Tribes, universities, and other relevant parties.
