Fish Mercury Project: Stakeholder Involvement and Risk Communication

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Fish Mercury ProjectStakeholder Involvement
and Risk Communication

• FMP Annual Meeting
• June 13-14, 2006
• California Department of Health Services (DHS)
• Environmental Health Investigations Branch

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DHS Role in FMP

• Fishing Activities and Needs Assessments Ensure
  sampling plan reflects actual fishing activities
  and local input
• Stakeholder Involvement
• Incorporate stakeholder concerns and viewpoints
• Outreach and Education (aka Risk Communication)
• Raise public awareness and reduce exposure to
  mercury

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FISHING ACTIVITIES NEEDS ASSESSMENTS
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• Colusa
• Contra Costa
• Glenn
• Sacramento
• San Joaquin
• Shasta
• Solano
• Tehama
• Yolo

Fishing Activities and Needs Assessment Counties

• Lower Feather River Counties
• Butte
• Sutter
• Yuba

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Fishing Activities and Needs Assessments

• Methods
• Key informant interviews
• Focus Groups
• DFG Creel Data
• Angler Survey Data
• Fishing Assessment Report
• SFEI website

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Key Informant Interviews

• In 2006, we met with
• Local Health Officers/Public Health Directors
• Environmental Health Directors
• Public Health Nursing Directors
• WIC coordinators
• Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP)
  Coordinators

• Dept of Fish Game wardens, lieutenants, and
  biologists
• Fish and Game Commission
• Park Managers
• Other Agencies (Forest Service, Army Corps of
  Engineers, Dept. of Water Resources)

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Key Informant Interview Topics

• Awareness and concern
• Local fishing activity
• Outreach and education activities
• Collaboration
• Additional Contacts

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Key Informant Interview Findings

• Identified specific fishing locations and species
  consumed
• Non-white populations fish in non-traditional
  sites (Sutter Bypass, Colusa Drain, rice fields)
• Concern over complicated nature of fish
  advisories

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Angler Focus Groups

• Purpose
• Input from anglers representing ethnic
  populations and specific groups

Focus group with LULAC Todos Unidos members,
Pittsburg, April 2006
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Focus Groups Topics

• Fishing locations
• Species consumed
• Attitudes toward fishing
• Ways to provide fishing/health information
• Testing of advisory messages

Focus group with Hmong anglers, Oroville, April
2006
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Angler Focus Groups

• 2005
• African-Americans,
• Hmong/Lao, Cambodians
• in the Delta
• 2006
• Hmong in Oroville
• Native Americans in Oroville
• Latinos in Pittsburg
• Fishing in the City volunteers (San Francisco
  Bay Area)

Focus group with Hmong and Lao Anglers, Stockton,
August 2005
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Focus Group Findings

• Identified fishing locations and species consumed
• Reasons for fishing recreation, relaxation,
  tradition, food
• Many consume fish more than 3 times / week
• High concern about fish contamination
• Consumption limits are difficult to follow
• Want to know safe locations
• Information sources
• word of mouth
• bait stores or license vendors

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Focus GroupsNext Steps

• Focus groups planned for summer 2006
• Delta boaters
• Russians in Sacramento area
• Vietnamese in Stockton area
• Additional focus group needs
• Non-angling women of childbearing age who consume
  local fish
• Multiple focus groups for each culture or
  population
• Develop focus group training as capacity-building
  for CBOs

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DFG Creel Surveys

• Reservoirs under consideration for FMP
• Jenkinson Lake
• Pardee Reservoir
• New Bullards Bar Reservoir
• Whiskeytown Lake
• Folsom Lake
• Lake Oroville
• New Melones Lake

• Rivers
• Sacramento
• Feather
• Yuba
• American
• Mokelumne
• San Joaquin
• Stanislaus

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DFG Creel Survey Sacramento River
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Delta
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Sierra Health Foundation
Miller Park
SACRAMENTO
Garcia Bend
Freeport
Clarksburg
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Clarksburg
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Freeport Bridge
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Outfall at Freeport
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Garcia Bend
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North of Miller Park
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DFG Creel Survey Hood to Sacramento
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DFG Creel Survey Species Kept
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Creel Survey Findings

• Strengths - able to quantify
• fishing pressure
• species targeted and kept
• fish length
• Limitations - purpose of survey
• Focus on salmon and steelhead harvest
• English speakers only
• Not all waterbodies included
• Difficult to compare waterbodies

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Delta Angler Surveys - 2005

• DHS Delta/San Joaquin River Shore Angler Survey
  (134 approached, n97 interviewed)
• Contra Costa County Public Works Department,
  Delta Boater Survey (n1310)

Interviewing anglers at Grasslands State Park.
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Ethnicity of Shore Anglers Survey of Delta/San
Joaquin River Anglers 2005
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Delta species caught and consumed Boat vs. shore
anglers
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Delta Angler Survey Findings

• Shore anglers are ethnically diverse
• Shore anglers and boat anglers eat different
  species

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Fish Activities Report
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Recommendations

• Balance providing a complete picture of extent of
  contamination in the watershed vs. scientific
  certainty
• Consider non-traditional sites and species
• Include at least one sampling site in each county
• Emphasis on shore anglers is appropriate
• Difficult to quantify fishing pressure from
  available data
• Increase collaboration

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Next Steps
Stanislaus Merced Fresno Madera Mariposa Tuolumne
Calaveras Amador El Dorado

• Expand fishing activities and needs assessments
  to San Joaquin River tributaries and reservoirs
  (9 new counties)

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STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT
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Stakeholder Involvement

• Stakeholders on the FMP Steering Committee
• Local Stakeholder Advisory Group (LSAG)

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FMP Steering Committee Stakeholders

• Angler Groups
• Doug Lovell, Federation of Fly Fishers/EJ
  Coalition for Water
• Bob Strickland, United Anglers of California
• Environmental Groups
• Andria Ventura, Clean Water Action
• Community-Based Groups
• Henry Clark, West County Toxics Coalition
• LaDonna Williams, People for Childrens Health
  and Environmental Justice
• Shyaam Shabaka, EcoVillage Farm Learning Center
• Tribal Groups
• Elaine Quitiquit, Robinson Rancheria and Seventh
  Generation
• Sherri Norris, International Indian Treaty Council

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FMP Steering Committee Stakeholder Issues

• Including organic chemicals, not just mercury
• Expanding technical knowledge
• Addressing environmental justice
• Reaching out to diverse communities
• Ongoing discussion of EJ
• Need for funding
• Providing stipends
• Circulating grant opportunities
• Seeking additional funding

Tour of New Almaden Mercury Mine, April 2006
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Local Stakeholder Advisory Group (LSAG) Members
Groups Attending the April 2006 meeting

• Maat Youth Academy
• Clean Water Fund
• United Anglers of CA, Inc.
• LULAC Todos Unidos
• Vietnamese Voluntary Organization (VIVO)
• Robinson Rancheria
• People for Childrens Health Environmental
  Justice
• Lao Family of Stockton
• Mechoopda Indian Tribe
• Lao Khmu Association, Inc.
• International Indian Treaty Council

• EcoVillage Farm Learning Center
• United Cambodian Families
• Solano County Resource Management
• San Joaquin County Environmental Health
• Contra Costa Health Services
• Sacramento County Environmental Health
• Sacramento River Watershed Program
• Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program

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LSAG Assessment of 2006 Goals

• Which activities are useful?
• Posting the Delta warning sign
• Training/workshops
• Designing new materials
• How could you benefit?
• Staying updated on fish issues
• Developing collaborative relationships
• Learning about funding opportunities

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OUTREACH EDUCATION
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Outreach and Education

• Mini-Grants
• Educational Materials
• Forum
• Delta Warning Sign
• Training
• Collaborations

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Mini-Grants

• Support community-based groups in
  outreach/education activities within
  hard-to-reach communities
• Five grants awarded (10,000 each)
• DHS provides technical support and training

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2006 Mini-Grants

• Maat Youth Academy
• EcoVillage Farm Learning Center
• LULAC Todos Unidos
• Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation, Inc. (VIVO)
• United Cambodian Families

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2006 Mini-Grant Activities

• Community workshops and presentations
• Health fairs and festivals
• Training high school students as community health
  educators
• Distribution of materials door-to-door
• Boat tour with community leaders
• English/Spanish fact sheet
• Workshops at health clinic

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Mini-GrantsNext Steps

• Continue to support mini-grant groups through
  training and collaboration
• Develop capacity-building activities
• Seek funding for mini-grants in 2007

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Educational Materials

• Multilingual materials developed with LSAG
  members
• gt64,000 materials distributed
• Materials distributed through diverse groups and
  organizations

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Forum on the Public Health Impacts of Fish
Contamination Collaborating on Outreach and
Education for Diverse CommunitiesDecember 7,
2005

• Forum Objectives
• Promote safe consumption of fish caught from the
  Delta Watershed
• Promote collaboration and share outreach,
  education, and training strategies for diverse
  communities
• Generate ideas and priorities for future
  direction of fish projects.

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Forum

• Agenda included
• 2 keynote speakers
• 2 panels
• 2 workshop sessions
• Open session
• Proceedings on SFEI website http//www.sfei.org/cm
  r/fishmercury/

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Forum Results/Conclusions

• Written evaluations (n35)
• Most found all parts very effective and useful
• Most useful opportunities for networking and
  hearing from diverse groups
• Open Session Issues
• Need longer term funding
• More time for networking
• Better use of media
• More Tribal representation

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Delta Warning Sign

• Developed with LSAG input
• Languages English, Spanish, Cambodian, Hmong,
  Lao, Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese
• 300 large signs (outdoor)
• 500 small signs (indoor)

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Delta Warning Sign Posted by counties and
community-based organizations.
Ryer Island
Suisun City Fishing Pier
Solano County Resource Management
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Delta Warning Sign Posted by counties and
community-based organizations.
Ladds Marina / March Lane
8-Mile Road
San Joaquin County Environmental Health
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Delta Warning Sign Posted by counties and
community-based organizations.
Pittsburg Marina
Riverview Park Fishing Pier
EcoVillage Farm Learning Center
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Delta Warning SignNext Steps

• Continue posting efforts in all 5 Delta Counties
• Implement evaluation activities

Richmond High School Students conducting
interviews at Pittsburg Marina
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Training

• 5 module training curriculum
• 2 Approaches
• Direct training for groups
• Training for Trainers

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Recent Trainings

• Solano County School Health Council
• Solano County Environmental Health
• Queen of the Valley Community Outreach (Napa)
• Cooperative Extension Shasta County
• Mini-grant recipients
• USBR staff at Lake Berryessa
• Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (8
  counties)
• Delta Health Care WIC (Stockton)

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Training-for-Trainers

• Purpose
• Can use curriculum to train own staff
• Integrate training into ongoing programs
• First T4T on 9/14/05
• Second T4T on 3/8/06
• 37 total participants, 22 organizations

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Methods used to evaluate trainings and
Training-for-Trainers

• 1. Pre- and post-tests of knowledge
• 2. Questionnaire on satisfaction and intention to
  use training materials
• 3. In select cases, follow-up phone calls or
  observations to track where information and
  materials are used. Example FSNEP

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Evaluation General Satisfaction with Training

• I thought the training was very effective, not
  too hard but simple.
• The training was wonderful. I am glad to be a
  part of what I think is a very much needed
  outreach effort.
• Very good, but I would like to do a one on one
  basis.

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EvaluationIntent to use training curriculum

• I will actually go and train hands on with
  students so that we can apply the lessons at the
  after school program.
• Will be better able to provide information at
  community events/outreach/public inquiries will
  be able to perform training if requested.
• To help develop training working with seniors to
  youth outreach.

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Collaborations

• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
  Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP)
• Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP)

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Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

• WIC Goal improve health of participants by
  providing supplemental food and nutrition
  counseling
• WIC Clientele
• low income (lt35,798 / year for family of 4)
• pregnant or breastfeeding women
• families with children under age 5

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Collaboration with Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC)

• Distributed statewide
• Ten languages
• Distributed order form to all Northern California
  WIC clinics

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Delta Health Care WIC (Stockton)

• Serves 7000 participants/year
• Diverse ethnic populations

Front Desk at Delta Health Care WIC

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Delta Health Care WIC (Stockton)2004- present

• Fish consumption survey
• Training
• Participant education
• Evaluation

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Other Collaborations

• Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program
• provides prenatal medical services to low-income
  women
• Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program
• conducts nutrition education for food stamp
  eligible populations

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DHS Fish Team Staff

• Tivo Cheatham-Rojas
• Lori Copan
• Ilinisa Hendrickson
• Jessica Kaslow
• Diana Lee
• Elana Silver
• May Lynn Tan
• Alyce Ujihara

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Thank You