News
Consero announces 2023 end-of-year giving
As a small business with the mission to empower local organizations to enrich communities and protect the environment, Consero gives 1% of its profits to non-profit organizations every year. This year, Consero’s staff chose the following organizations to support:
Yolo Community Foundation: Consero is excited about the Yolo Community Foundation's new proposal to partner with Yolo County nonprofits to support development of policies and procedures to improve financial management, governance, and operations.
All Leaders Must Serve: Consero worked with All Leaders Must Serve to include funding for youth training and job opportunities in a Yolo County grant application for the proposed Cache Creek Visitor Center. Although the grant application was not successful, Consero was impressed with All Leaders Must Serve’s mission to empower young adults ages 15-25 through training to achieve self-sufficiency, prepare for a living wage job, and give back to the community.
Yolo Basin Foundation: Consero is working with the Yolo Basin Foundation to implement an innovative project to develop a mobile visitor center, update the Foundation’s outdoor learning space, and improve signage in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. Consero is especially moved by the Foundation’s work to provide free field trips for children from underserved communities so they can learn about wetlands and local wildlife.
International House Davis: Consero contracted with International House Davis to assist with community engagement necessary to develop a competitive grant application for the interactive water feature in Central Park, now known as Natalie’s Corner, to honor the memory of Officer Natalie Corona. International House Davis helped ensure the City reached people and groups who may not always have access to civic discussions, resulting in changes to the interactive water feature design.
We encourage you to give back, too! Support your favorite nonprofit this holiday season or subscribe to a local newspaper, such as the Davis Enterprise, the Daily Democrat, the Winters
Express, the Lodi News-Sentinel, or the Daily Republic.
Madison community receives major award to fix aging drinking water system
Daily Democrat | By Jordan Carlos Guerrero | September 8, 2022
The California Department of Water Resources recently announced the Madison Community Services District will receive a $3.8 million award to help rehabilitate the 60-year-old drinking water system in the rural town of Madison, located in Yolo County.
The funding will help replace the existing water distribution system to ensure the community has a reliable water supply during current and future droughts. Yolo County partnered with the Madison Community Services District to submit the grant since the district has limited staff and funding.
NAMI Yolo welcomes new executive director
Daily Democrat | February 24, 2022
NAMI Yolo County is pleased to welcome Jen Boschee-Danzer as the organization’s new executive director after an extensive search. She starts on March 1.
“Jen’s big heart, nonprofit experience, organizational skills, and communication expertise will help NAMI Yolo County do even more to reduce stigma, fill gaps in the mental health care system, and provide support to people in need,” said Petrea Marchand, president of the Board of Directors. “We are lucky Jen chose to join NAMI Yolo County.”
Congressman Garamendi presents Women of the Year awards
Daily Democrat | November 12, 2021
Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) honored 44 women from the 3rd Congressional District of California at his 8th annual Women of the Year event. The women have all made significant contributions to society through public service, business, education and local advocacy.
“Every year I have the honor of recognizing the achievements and service of these distinguished women,” Garamendi said. “These leaders come from a variety of backgrounds, but every one of them has made a real difference to their communities and the people around them. It’s a privilege to be able to honor them.”
Local water district receives $3.9M grant for groundwater project
Lodi News | By Wes Bowers | May 5, 2022
[Consero Solutions supports the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District with key tasks, including developing a strategic plan and other efforts to pursue grant funding.]
The North San Joaquin Water Conservation District announced this week that it has received a $3.9 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources.
The grant will be used for the district’s North System Groundwater Recharge Project, which will help support groundwater sustainability efforts in the Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Subbasin.
City of Davis awarded grant to add amenities such as an interactive water feature to Central Park
The California Aggie | By Shraddha Jhingan | January 13, 2022
The City of Davis “has been awarded a grant in the amount of $2.784 million by the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Grant Program to renovate Central Park,” according to a press release from the City of Davis on Dec. 8, 2021. The grant will also be used to “create an interactive water play feature near the existing universal play structure and restroom.”
Of the 465 projects that were submitted for the fourth and final round of funding, 112 received funding, including the one in the City of Davis. Vice Mayor for the City of Davis explained the benefits of the project.
How one year of coronavirus shutdowns affected mental health in Yolo County
Daily Democrat | By Jordan Silva-Benham | March 19, 2021
As part of the Yolo Community Needs Series, put on by the Yolo Community Foundation, county mental health providers met to discuss how the pandemic has affected their programs and the people they serve.
The panel was moderated by Petrea Marchand, President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Yolo County. It featured representatives from Suicide Prevention of Yolo County, Sutter Health and Rise, Inc. It took place on March 11.
Consero President, Petrea Marchand, stands with California Congressman John Garamendi and fellow Yolo County honorees at the 2021 Women of the Year event.
Bridges installed in Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area to improve wetlands
Daily Democrat | Woodland Daily Democrat | August 6, 2020
Construction crews installed two bridges in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area this past week as part of a larger construction project taking place this summer to create new habitat, improve wetlands management and support wildlife-friendly agriculture.
A 350-ton hydraulic truck crane placed the precast concrete bridges that replace narrow pipes regularly blocked by beavers and debris, improving drainage and water supply in the Wildlife Area. The area is located between Davis and West Sacramento, directly south of Interstate-80 in the Bypass.
Yolo COVID-19 relief fund up to $404,000 in grants
Davis Enterprise | By Special to the Enterprise | August 4, 2020
The Yolo Community Foundation announced that the Yolo COVID-19 Relief Fund disbursed $114,000 in grants over the past two months; combined with the $290,000 announced in early June, the Relief Fund has now made 30 grants totaling $404,000.
The Relief Fund is a partnership between Yolo County, the Cities of Woodland, Winters, West Sacramento, and Davis, and the Yolo Community Foundation. It makes grants in two categories: Front-Line Response grants, to support organizations that are addressing problems that were created or exacerbated by COVID-19 and its fall-out, and smaller Nonprofit Sustainability grants, which support organizations that have been negatively impacted by the crisis.
In 2019, Consero Solutions’ President, Petrea Marchand, received the Meritorious Service Award from the Sierra Club for her exemplary leadership as the Executive Director of the Yolo Habitat Conservancy. Petrea is pictured above with her father, Peter Moyle, who has always served as her inspiration to advocate for protection of the environment.
Community unites to help Pine Tree Gardens
Davis Enterprise | By Special to the Enterprise | October 23, 2019
On Oct. 12, the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Yolo County (NAMI-Yolo) and the Save Pine Tree Gardens Committee hosted an event that drew more than 100 people to support development of a long-term sustainability plan for Pine Tree Gardens, two group homes in Davis for adults living with mental illness, currently in danger of closure.
Pat Williams, a local mental health leader who passed away in 2009, opened the first Pine Tree Gardens home in 1986 to provide a supportive, family-oriented environment for her adult son diagnosed with mental illness, as well as other adults living with mental illness. Williams opened a second home in 1990.
Vernal pool tours coming to Grasslands Regional Park this spring
Winters Express | By Community Content | September 11, 2019
Recently, the Yolo County Parks Division, in partnership with the Yolo Basin Foundation, was awarded a four-year, $65,200 California Department of Parks & Recreation grant to provide docent-led vernal pool tours in Grasslands Regional Park during the spring season to students from Yolo County and the greater Sacramento region, as well as the general public. The program will provide hands-on, inquiry-based science education to over 7,000 residents over the course of the grant.
Davis to get greener, as 1,000 new trees to take root thanks to Cal Fire grant
The Sacramento Bee | By Candice Wang | June 8, 2019
Davis residents may soon see 1,000 new trees taking root throughout their community, thanks to a half-million-dollar grant from Cal Fire.
“We’re targeting bike paths, parks, and disadvantaged communities,” said Rob Cain, the city’s urban forest manager. “The bulk of the trees will go in and around those communities.”
Yolo Habitat Conservation plan gets formal approval
Daily Democrat | By Democrat Staff | October 31, 2018
The Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan has now received final approval from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
This milestone was celebrated Tuesday at a Signing Ceremony on the Grand Steps of River Walk Park in West Sacramento.
Conservation and agriculture coexist with new plan
Winters Express | By Julia Millon | May 24, 2018
Land development in the state endangers the habitat and continued existence of native species in the area, leading to policy efforts to protect them. However, preservation has historically worked against the preservation of another open land use at the heart of Yolo County—agriculture.
After a long, choppy journey across the uncertain waters of local, state and federal government beginning in 1993, the Yolo Habitat Conservancy finally has a document ready to protect 12 endangered species in the county, while preserving habitat on working agricultural land, allowing agriculture and wildlife to succeed in partnership.
Yolo Habitat Conservancy Plan approved by Supervisors
Woodland Daily Democrat | By Cintia Lopez | May 22, 2018
It’s been more than 20 years in the making — Yolo supervisors have finally adopted the Yolo Habitat Conservancy plan with a unanimous vote.
The Environmental Impact Statement found that there are 12 species that need to be protected in the county and that 653,549 acres of land will be conserved over the next 50 years with long-term permits for things such as urban projects and activities, rural projects and activities, operations and maintenance, conservation strategy implementation, and neighboring landowner protection program.
DPR Announces $2.6 Million for Local Park Projects
California Dept. of Parks and Recreation | June 08, 2017
The California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) today announced selections for $2.6M in funding for 19 local park projects under the Habitat Conservation Fund Program. The grants assist cities, counties and districts with projects such as protection of various plant and animal species, acquisition and development of wildlife corridors and trails, and nature interpretation programs to bring urban residents into park and wildlife areas.
Nearly 1,200 Solano acres part of Yolo conservation plan
Daily Republic | By Todd R. Hansen | June 07, 2017
Nearly 1,200 acres of privately owned land south of Putah Creek in Solano County is part of a proposed habitat conservation plan that also includes the whole of Yolo County.
A 90-day comment period continues through Aug. 30 on the Yolo County Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan. The total acreage is 654,723, of which 1,174 acres are in Solano County.
Habitat Conservation Plan proposed for Yolo, Solano counties
The Reporter | June 01, 2017
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the Notice of Availability for the proposed Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan (HCP) prepared by the Yolo Habitat Conservancy, Yolo County, and the cities of Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland.
The applicants requested a 50-year incidental take permit and submitted a draft HCP, proposing strategies to avoid, minimize, and offset potential direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of development, public service, agricultural, and conservation strategy implementation activities on 12 species — some of which are federally listed as threatened or endangered.
IGNITE at UC Davis empowers women to seek positions of leadership
The Tab | By Lauren Riebs | May 2016
The difference between men and women in these fields is that men choose to run for a leadership positions while women are more often asked, touched Petrea Marchand, Founder of Consero Solutions. Other panelists emphasized the importance of recognizing one’s own intersectional, underrepresented identities as a strength in the face of adversary rather than viewing them as a weakness.
Yolo Bypass Symposium, Part 3: Farms, flood, fish, and fowl: Putting the puzzle together
Maven's Notebook | By Maven | February 20, 2015
Stakeholders discuss how to integrating the multiple plans and processes in the Yolo Bypass Land use in the Yolo Bypass is dominated by agriculture; it is part of Yolo County’s heritage as well as a vital of its economy. Farming activities in the bypass generally begin in late spring and extend through the summer, when flooding is uncommon. Primary crops grown in the bypass include rice, wild rice, corn, tomatoes, and safflower, with pasture lands in the south....
Petrea Marchand began by stating that she owns the consulting firm, Consero Solutions, and although she does work on behalf of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and the executive director of a JPA currently developing a HCP, this presentation is her own opinion and not on behalf of any of those agencies.
Habitat conservation program moves forward
The Davis Enterprise | By Jason McAlister | March 09, 2014
After a decade in the works, a Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan that would help balance those interests and ease the effects of development on endangered species is nearing completion.
The first draft of the Yolo plan was completed last year and received a $990,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife in July 2013.
A grant of $700,000 from the California Wildlife Conservation Board toward a second draft was awarded recently.
Local agency presents first draft of conservation program
The Davis Enterprise | By Brett Johnson | July 18, 2013
The first draft of the Yolo Natural Heritage Program, a conservation plan that’s been in the works for nearly a decade, came to fruition Monday. And the program is well on its way to the next step, with a nearly $1 million grant and support from local leaders.
Petrea Marchand, who serves as its executive director, said great strides were made after the agency was reorganized last year. She added that the vast amount of information gathered was also a lengthy process.
Yolo Habitat Conservancy wins state award of excellence
Daily Democrat | Woodland Daily Democrat | August 8, 2020
The Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan, was recently selected as the recipient of the 2020 Award of Merit for Innovation in Green Community Planning by the American Planning Association California Chapter.
This is the second win for the Yolo HCP/NCCP, which, earlier this year, received the Sacramento Valley APA Section Award of Excellence in the same category, according to Yolo County spokeswoman Jenny Tan.
Solano moves towards hiring "housing czar," creating "housing plan"
Daily Republic | By Todd Hansen | October 2, 2019
Solano County supervisors on Tuesday directed staff to hire a “housing czar” and to take steps toward the development of a plan to address affordable housing needs in the county.
The housing executive would answer to the county administrator. An executive housing team, possibly made up of department heads, also would likely be formed.
Vernal pool tours planned this spring at Grasslands Park
Daily Democrat | Woodland Daily Democrat | August 28, 2019
Tours are being planned this spring of vernal pools at the Grasslands Regional Park, thanks to a state grant.
The Yolo County Parks Division, in partnership with the Yolo Basin Foundation, was awarded a four-year, $65,200 California Department of Parks & Recreation grant recently.
The money will go toward docent-led tours during the spring to students from Yolo County and the greater Sacramento region, as well as the general public.
Sierra Club honors local environmental heroes
Daily Democrat | By Democrat Staff | May 18, 2019
This year, environmentalists from the local Sierra Club Yolano Group’s area received four of the six individual awards given for all of Northern California at the Sierra Club’s Mother Lode Chapter Annual Awards Banquet in Sacramento on May 18.
One additional special award for meritorious service was given to a local environmentalist by the Yolano Group.
County, city approve Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan
The Davis Enterprise | By Anne Ternus-Bellamy | May 23, 2018
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan on Tuesday, one week after the Davis City Council did the same.
Both the city and county, along with the cities of West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland, are members of the Joint Powers Authority — the Yolo Habitat Conservancy — which created the plan and must now approve it.
Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan heads for final approval
Davis Enterprise | By Anne Ternus-Bellamy | May 24, 2018
Western burrowing owls, valley elderberry longhorn beetles and giant garter snakes are among the dozen species protected under the 50-year conservation plan local governments will consider for approval over the next two months.
The Yolo Habitat and Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan will provide Endangered Species Act permits and associated mitigation for infrastructure and development projects over the next 50 years throughout the county.
Draft Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan released for public comment
The Davis Enterprise| By Anne Ternus-Bellamy | June 23, 2017
A draft plan aimed at protecting Yolo County’s natural habitats and sensitive species over the next 50 years will be the topic of discussion at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting as well as at a public meeting scheduled for next week in Davis.
The Yolo Habitat and Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan was released on June 1 for a 90-day public comment period. A draft environmental review document accompanied the release of the draft plan and the conservancy will accept comments on both documents until Aug. 30.
Local experts discuss mental health amid COVID
Winters Express | Rick Von Geldern | March 18, 2021
The Yolo County Foundation (YCF) focused on mental health in Yolo County during the pandemic in its third of five community panel discussions on March 11.
Jessica Hubbard, YCF executive director, assembled a panel of experts to tackle how COVID-19 has affected mental health in Yolo County. Petrea Marchand, board member of the Yolo County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health, acted as the panel’s moderator. Panel experts included Dr. Urmi Patel, director of clinical care at Sutter Health, Diane Sommers, executive director of Suicide Prevention of Yolo County and Dr. Tico Zendejas, executive director of RISE, Inc.
Countywide habitat conservation plan now under review
Daily Democrat | By Jim Smith | June 10, 2017
Woodland’s City Council got the first official look at a countywide Habitat Conservation Plan that has been in the making since 2002.
The multi-species conservation effort is now undergoing a 90-day public comment period for development of an environmental report.
When completed, it’s hoped the plan will be a model for other communities throughout state in its protection of both habitat and agriculture, according to Petrea Marchand, executive director of the Conservancy.
Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan released
Daily Democrat | By Democrat Staff | June 02, 2017
The long-delayed Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan has been released for a 90-day public comment period.
A draft environmental review document prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Environmental Policy Act accompanied the release of the draft plan.
The Yolo Habitat Conservancy and its partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will accept comments on both documents through Aug. 30.
Yolo Habitat Conservancy deserves high praise
The Davis Enterprise | By Glen Holstein | August 14, 2016
Because it’s so complicated to conserve nature in today’s altered environment, projects successfully bringing stakeholders and local governments together to achieve that deserve the highest praise.
Marchand and her colleagues have essentially finished such a good plan that it’s already attracting grant offers like a recent one from the S.D. Bechtel Foundation for $177,000, recognizing our contribution to a regional conservation framework coordinating California conservation like plans do in local regions.
County strategy will support and grow local agriculture
The Davis Enterprise | By Elizabeth Case | October 29, 2014
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved the Agriculture Economic Development Fund last week, which prioritizes measures that sustains and expand local agricultural production.
“This program is saying that mitigation for agriculture isn’t enough. We need to all be working together to actually help agriculture maintain sustainability,” said Petrea Marchand, whose company, Consero Solutions, prepared the report.
Defter Delta Restoration
Estuary News | By Ariel Rubissow Okamoto | September 2014
Volume 23, No 3.
Such exhortations to ongoing scrutiny and adaptive management certainly address one gap that the independent science board thought needed to be closed. Another gap the board warned could plague these well-intended, but topdown, government projects is the lack of local buy in. Indeed, Delta restoration planners have been surprised by the lack of willing sellers of properties in the priority zones.
“Projects almost always fail without serious local input,” says Petrea Marchand, a consultant for Yolo County. “You can’t just have check-the-box meetings and invite local stakeholders, you have to actively seek their input and design your project based on that input.”
