LUCKIAMUTE WATERSHED COUNCIL MINUTES

July 14, 2005

Place: Monmouth Volunteer Hall, Monmouth

 

Absent	Present	Position	Board member	Term ends
X		Agriculture	Garth Mulkey	2006
		Agriculture	vacant	2005
		At Large	vacant	2007
	X	City	Kenn Carter	2007
		City	vacant	2007
		Commerce	vacant	2006
		Domestic H2O Supply	vacant	2007
	X	Education	Ron Nestlerode	2006
	X	Environment	Dave Vesely	2006
	X	Environment	Michael Cairns*	2005
	X	Federal agency	Randy Gould*	2006
		Industrial timber	vacant	2007
		Industry	vacant	2005
X		Recreation	Sean Burgett	2005
X		Small farm & forest	Ann Stewart*	2006
	X	Small farm & forest	Kirk Lewis	2005
X		SWCD - Benton	Cliff Hall	2005
X		SWCD - Polk	Jim Clawson	2005
		Watershed Resident	vacant	2007
	X	Watershed Resident	Jo Yeager	2006
X		Wildlife	David Anderson	2007
		Other members:	Affiliation
	X	Charles Redon	Watershed Coordinator
	X	Phil Larsen	U.S. EPA
	X	Mike Schindler	WOU Student
	X	Judy Lewis	Watershed resident
	X	Gail Oberst	Ed/Outreach Comm.
	X	Dave Anderson	City of Monmouth
	X	Mark Henkles	WOU Professor
		Guests, speakers	Affilation
	X	Russ Lawrence	Stream engineer
	X	Teresa Matteson	Benton SWCD
	X	Donna Schmitz	Benton SWCD
	X	Paul Sieber	Watershed resident
	X	George Tres	Watershed resident
	X	Frank Murphy	Watershed resident

 

* Board officers

 

 

INTRODUCTIONS

Call to Order – The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by Chairman Michael Cairns. A quorum was established. Minutes from June were approved with changes. Board and council members were reminded to fill out monthly volunteer sheets. Guests from the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District were introduced.

 

CHAIR’S REPORT – Michael Cairns

Public opinion survey – Survey results were summarized – 320 returned surveys, half rural, half urban. SEE ATTACHMENT A -- The surveys can be used to target projects, prioritize riparian and other issues, get a sense of what the public thinks council should do. Mark Henkles adds that the results can also be analyzed and used as a strategic document. Randy Gould suggested that Western students be involved in developing address lists.

South Fork Ash Creek dam removal – The chair has been working with Karen Strohmeyer, Cascade RC&D, and other officials on a project that would remove the dam and restore a natural riparian area on the city-owned portion of South Ash Creek near the former Mountain Fir mill. Discussions are surrounding boulder placement and other engineering details, funding, agency/volunteer involvement and coordination. The chair hopes to see this project begun before the rains begin this year.

End of the year budgeting – LWC funds are spent. The Polk SWCD is funding the coordinator’s position, Charles Redon, until additional funds are available from the anticipated grant from Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

Water quality monitoring update – Water monitoring for temperature and dissolved oxygen continues once a month. Volunteers will be adding turbidity sampling at six sites this fall. E coli testing will also be added in the fall. More than 20 people now involved.

Board membership nomination – Jo Yeager, watershed resident, was unanimously elected to fill the watershed resident position on the board that ends in 2006. The chair asked for volunteers to fill the Vice Chair officer’s position, but none stepped up.

Announcements – Cairns has been in contact with the canoe group who sawed through woody debris to make a clear passage through the Luckiamute River for a tour. It is an opportunity to educate them on environmental issues, he said.

 

SPECIAL TOPIC – KNOTWEED

Benton SWCD’s Teresa Matteson and Donna Schmitz updated the council on their role in the knotweed eradication project in the watershed. The Benton SWCD has allocated about $9,000 this year for the project in Benton Co. A map of the knotweed locations is being created and letters sent out to landowners to get permission to remove the invasive weed from their land. Coordination with Polk SWCD is important – Polk is working this year on the Little Luckiamute. Patches of knotweed occur all over the watershed. It is a long-term project which will require continuing funds. Randy Gould said he will ask BLM about inventory information on their lands. Benton SWCD also provides landowner information at fair and farmer’s market tables and booths and in its newsletter.

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Administrative Committee – Kenn Carter -- No report

Education/ Outreach – Ron Nestlerode -- Aug. 13, council members and guests will attend a tour through BLM lands on Maxfield Creek, followed by an awards celebration at Airlie Winery. Ron suggested that we skip the August council meeting, since it would occur two days before this gathering. Also noted for next year: this event occurs during the Polk County Fair week, in which we participate.  Next year, we should plan on a different time. Cards are being mailed out inviting those who were interested (from the survey results) to the meeting and awards celebration. Also discussed maps, assessment materials, brochures at the celebration.

 

TREASURER’S REPORT

Randy Gould -- End of the biennium, most of the money is spent. No funds have been officially allocated from OWEB; the Salem-Kaiser account is now set up to accept donations on our behalf including Jane Claire Dirks-Edmunds grant, Weyerhaeuser and Polk SWCD donations.

 

COORDINATIOR’S REPORT – See ATTACHMENT B

Charles Redon is getting supplies for the quarterly newsletter’s first publication this fall. The newsletter will be from all three watershed councils in the umbrella group. Polk County Fair volunteers are needed Aug. 11-14.

A teen crew removed weeds over three days at the South Fork Ash Creek site.

Recruitment is underway for an Industrial Timber representative – Hugh Bucanan is suggested, and others.

Aug. 18 is the small grant program deadline for restoration projects up to $10,000.

Dave Vesely completed the print order for stationery, envelopes, cards, T-shirts. T-shirts can be for sale at the celebration, fair booth.

 

BOARD AND VISITOR REPORTS

Visitor Russ Lawrence, stream engineer and owner of StreamFix, gave the board some information about his services.

Kirk Lewis reported that bridge improvement projects in Polk County over the Luckiamute are continuing. He also has aerial photos of his land, Luckiamute Landing. He suggested that state officials could be invited to talk about their project near there.

Ron Nestlerode asked if a county commissioner could possibly come to the meeting to talk to us about bridges and culvert projects in the watershed. Michael Cairns asks if it is time to ask them for more operating funds, as they donated $5,000 last year.

Randy Gould announced that the Title II fish passage project was not approved.

Phil Larsen said that the Moss Rock Road, Foster Road culvert projects on Soap Creek and Vincent is going ahead as planned in Benton County.

Frank Murphy introduced himself and said he’d like to stay involved.

Mike Schindler said that about 8 percent of the 4,500 people who were sent surveys responded to it and that further comparisons can be made to rural and urban responses.

 

The meeting adjourned at 9 p.m. The next meeting is Sept. 8.