Welcome to Delta Science Plan 2019
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The Delta Science Plan is a shared framework providing vision, principles, and approaches to better coordinate Delta science and more effectively communicate the outcomes of science activities and their management implication to policy makers. Initially released in 2013, the Delta Science Plan fulfills a recommendation in the Delta Plan (GR1) and also supports requirements in the 2009 Delta Reform Act, which calls for the use of science in the development and implementation of all Delta policies and management. The document is intended to be used by the broad Delta science community and was developed through an open, transparent, and inclusive process. The Delta Science Plan proposes mechanisms to conduct science in a manner that achieves the vision of One Delta, One Science. This vision refers to an open Delta science community that works collaboratively to build a shared body of scientific knowledge with the capacity to adapt and inform water, environmental, and societal decisions. To achieve this shared vision, the Delta Science Plan identifies six objectives, which are collectively supported by 26 actions. Together, these actions guide the development, coordination, and communication of science to provide relevant, credible, and legitimate decision-support for policy and management actions. The Delta Science Plan is also an element of the three part Delta Science Strategy, a collection of guidance documents to achieve the vision of One Delta, One Science. The other two elements are the State of Bay Delta Science, and Science Action Agenda.
The third iteration of the Delta Science Plan is currently underway, with the final version due to be released in 2025. The Delta Science Program has scoped out Grand Challenges to Delta science that will be used to guide the development of the third iteration of the Delta Science Plan. These Grand Challenges were described through a process of reviewing visionary literature relevant to the science of the Delta, its watershed, and the broader San Francisco Estuary (Figure 1). The visionary documents include peer-reviewed literature, agency and workshop reports, scientific reports, official memos, and review products from the Delta Independent Science Board (Delta ISB). The first three grand challenges are pulled from the literature, however, the fourth grand challenge, although supported by peer reviewed journal articles, is not well reflected in Delta scientific literature brought into decision- making. By including these documents, we brought in the ideas of many voices and organizations to identify the ongoing gaps in Delta science. The development of the Grand Challenges is not meant to take the place of these visionary documents, but rather to assemble the information from these works into a centralized location and to build out actionable steps from this work.
Figure 1. Grand Challenges process
The essay on the Grand Challenges is currently available for public comment. Comments may be submitted via this online survey or emailed to collaborativescience@deltacouncil.ca.gov or mailed to the following address by 5:00 PM on July 12, 2024, to be considered for the final Grand Challenges essay.
Delta Science Program
715 P Street, 15-300
Sacramento, CA 95814
Grand Challenges to Delta Science: Planning for Science in a Dynamic System