Course participants and instructors.

In April, CSF lead a three-day training for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in Sacramento, CA. Participants included 22 members of the CDFW staff, and 5 members of the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC). We were able to reach 8 staff in field offices across California using remote access technology and our online workspace.

The three-day course was an in-depth look at they types of economic analysis required in California’s regulatory process. CSF training staff, Kim Bonine and Niki Gribi, collaborated with Professor Steve Hackett from Humboldt State University to design new curriculum specifically tailored to address the CDFW Economic Impact Statement Guidelines and associated forms.

Steve Hackett presenting a case study on the Klamath River dams.

The course started with a basic overview of how economists approach policy, followed by detailed explanations of economic methods to evaluate policy including cost-benefit analysis and economic impact analysis. Participants had opportunities to work with each method through stylized examples and exercises. On day three of the course, we looked at case studies using each method, and ended with a discussion of a regulation currently under analysis by CDFW and FGC.

Course participants provided great feedback about the course:
“[CSF does] a good job of introducing the terminology and concepts with great examples. They also touch on some important issues in terms of social equity/economic justice, human nature and regulation. They cover a lot of ground in these three-day courses, but at the end even someone like me, who has only taken one economics course, has a better understanding of how economics are used to support natural resource decisions.”

Craig Martz participating in discussion.

“Economic impact assessment is a complicated subject with hard to understand aspects and new approaches for biologically trained staff. The class structure mixture of knowledgeable presentations and real work experiences coupled with tools and examples will be useful for the Department's range of novice of experienced staff.”

“The class provided a good overview for novice and experienced DFW staff with practical activities. It is a complicated subject and the course provided good tools and examples for our future work.”

Niki Gribi presenting a case study on the Clear Creek watershed restoration project.

In the coming months, CSF will work with CDFW on an analysis project focused on California’s Halibut fishery. We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate and address important natural resource challenges together.

For this course we were pleased to partner with Margaret Duncan and Craig Martz from CDFW, and we thank Resources Legacy Fund for their generous financial support.