LUCKIAMUTE WATERSHED COUNCIL MINUTES
April 12, 2007
VOLUNTEER HALL, MONMOUTH, OR
5 p.m. -- Education/Outreach Committee meeting, Rick’s Place. Discussed work plan for education/outreach coordinator
6 p.m. -- Steering Committee meeting, Rick’s Place.
7 p.m. -- Regular meeting
Introductions:
Vice Chairman Wade Edris called the meeting to order in the absence of Chairman David Anderson. He welcomed graduate students from OSU’s new water resource management and governance class, Arthur Bass and Guillermo Giannico.
Minutes:
ACTION: Motion to approve March 2007 minutes, made by Jim Clawson, seconded by Kirk. Approved, unanimously.
Guest Speaker:
Arthur Bass, Willamette Riverkeepers, talked about a study of freshwater mussels in the Willamette Valley, including sites in the Luckiamute River, partially funded by PGE Salmon Habitat Fund. There are five species in the Willamette basin, 300 in north America. All mussels are declining worldwide at fast rate. Life cycle: Once they are adults, they spend most of life in one square yard. Larvae attach to fish host, spend six weeks traveling as parasite, then drop off and grow. Western pearlshell (here) can live for a century. Bass is studying them in cross section to find out more about mussels. Need some volunteers to locate mussel beds, find access to property. This may be good way to test toxicity and water quality because they are filter feeders. Seeking field workers, snorklers or waders, to begin in June. A bed in Helmick state park. Michael asked about bombarding landowners with phone calls, as we are also calling. Arthur will present a list of possible contacts to Michael for advice.
Business:
Treasurer’s report. KennCarter
See Handouts, cumulative through 4/07
Coordinator Report, Michael Cairns
See written report attached – “LWC Coordinator Report April 2007” – Michael updates council on status of grants – OWEB application for technical assistance to remove a log jam blocking passage on Ritner Creek. Several ODFW biologists said it should be removed, but it is a three step process. The proposal to OWEB is due April 23. The actual work would be summer of 2008 over a two-week period. Engineers have done estimates at no charge.
ACTION: Kirk Lewis moves and Jim Clawson seconds a motion to approve the application for a technical assistance grant. Council approves, unanimously.
South Fork Ash Ck – The project is moving ahead on the dam removal.
Luckiamute State Natural Area LWC office – it appears we may not be able to have an office out there, but can still use the space occasionally.
Road clean-up -- May 5 is the first day of Adopt-a-Road clean-up, to clean litter along our one-mile stretch of Buena Vista Road park area. The county will provide plastic bags, vests, pin flags and road signs.
Shawn Irvine – Independence is applying for a grant to begin another segment of the Ash Creek trail. When complete, it will go from Riverview Park to Western Oregon University, through natural areas, some pristine, some disturbed. The first 1400 feet is done at 16th Street behind Talmadge Middle School. This new grant would allow access at 11th Street and include a nature loop, birding stations and about a mile of trail ending at Ash Street. Some bank improvements on school district property is taking place. Improving the creek will be part of the trail process, to keep it attractive. Shawn seeks our signature on a letter of support from the council to apply for this additional grant. He describes the group 2 Cities 1 CommUnity, which wants to build an interpretive shelter, rest area, history plaques of the two communities. This project includes graphic design classes at Western. Letter of support is for the Ash Creek trail itself. ACTION: Gail Oberst moves and Jo Yeager seconds a motion to sign the letter of support for the trail grant. Discussion: Kenn Carter mentions concerns about the access to the trail, vandalism, neighbors and others. Shawn talks about how these have been addressed in the public process. Kenn suggests that the letter should addresses only watershed concerns. VOTE: Unanimous in favor of the motion. Shawn Irvine abstains.
Umbrella council report – Charles Redon reports that the newsletter The Heron is due in two weeks. He is working on an OWEB support grant and recommendation will be in mail soon from OWEB. Heron goes to 333 people in the Luckiamute.
Michael – we have a new web master, took over, just need to feed him our stuff. John Petersen, of Independence, Oregon.
Outreach specialist report – Christine Hurst reports on the steelhead passage project. Fifteen tributaries were picked for the study, and after contacting owners on the first eight streams, only 10 have refused. She’s working on those. The next section is around the Ritner Creek area. Volunteer training takes place in a couple of weeks. Michael suggests we donate LWC T-shirts to survey crews so they can be identified as volunteers for the council, not government employees. ACTION: Jo Yeager moves that we donate the shirts. Kirk seconds. Vote: Unanimous approval.
Action planning (End of Process) – Guillermo Giannico
G.G. is an OSU Fisheries professor and Extension Fisheries specialist and master watershed steward instructor who developed a protocol for developing priorities for restoration activities. Guillermo advises: Don’t look at specifics. Use the action plan for general strategies. Specifics can be applied in the second pass. We don’t have a specific, updated assessment. He said it would be useful to do a second tier analysis of the data that we have, to put the information in context. That might be best to do first, before acting on a series of priorities. This action planning process could be used to develop general rules of thumb, about what makes more sense to do. He recommends getting a technical assistance grant to do another tier of analysis. Possibly volunteers could do it, or students. He suggests prioritization and analysis are important and that we could be creative to get experts to develop these. Also, complete the information we don’t have. Michael says that we have focused on aquatic species because winter steelhead is a listed species and critical habitat is found throughout the watershed. This makes it hard to decide where to concentrate projects, GG says.
GG describes red, green, yellow and blue color categories to determine what projects come first. Kenn Carter points out that we have been reacting opportunistically to projects that come to us, because we have no specific priorities. Would we do a project still that comes to us? GG says if your plate is full, take only highest priority projects. This helps the council stay in focus. The council can continue on an opportunistic mode, but once priorities are established, energy goes into those. The council can decide to allocate, for example, 50 percent to opportunistic projects, and the other 50 percent to planning, long-term, and high priority projects. Every project is different – Some are long-term, some aim at creating social capital, some depend on how community operates – Does it have open spaces, school groups, good teachers, is it lively and engaged? NEXT: Numbers will be compiled and GG will look at it with us. This will give us a list of “green” actions, which we can apply to a map of the watershed.
Chair and Committee Reports
Education/Outreach committee – Christine Hurst reports on the committee’s discussion for her work. See committee notes, outreach work plan 2007.
LWC member reports and public comments – Tom Smith, Soap Creek area resident and former wastewater treatment operator in Albany, introduces himself as a potential council member. Carolyn Menke reports that they are looking for landowners with upland prairie to be involved in the Benton Co. Habitat Conservation Plan survey, conducted by the Institute for Applied Ecology. Ron Nestlerode said he went to training in streamside gardening. Gail Oberst reports on the Ritner Creek Bridge meeting. Kenn Carter asks to set an agenda item to strategize on how to complete the assessment. Kirk Lewis asks about writing letters for boat wake disturbance enforcement at the Luckiamute River mouth. Wade Edris said a talk will be on the agenda in May.
Next meeting: May 10 -- Committees: 6 p.m. at Rick’s Place Regular meeting, 7 p.m. at Volunteer Hall, Monmouth.
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Absent |
Present |
Position |
Board member |
Term ends |
||
|
X |
|
Agriculture |
Garth Mulkey |
2006 |
||
|
|
|
Agriculture |
vacant |
2005 |
||
|
|
X |
At Large |
Gail Oberst |
2007 |
||
|
|
X |
City |
Kenn Carter, Treasurer |
2007 |
||
|
|
X |
City |
Shawn Irvine |
2007 |
||
|
|
|
Commerce |
vacant |
2006 |
||
|
|
|
Domestic H2O Supply |
vacant |
2007 |
||
|
X |
|
Education |
Karen Haberman |
2006 |
||
|
|
|
Environment |
Vacant |
2006 |
||
|
|
X |
Environment |
Wade Edris, Vice Chair |
2007 |
||
|
|
|
Federal agency |
vacant |
2006 |
||
|
|
|
Industrial timber |
vacant |
2007 |
||
|
|
|
Industry |
vacant |
2005 |
||
|
|
X |
Recreation |
Tammee Stump |
2005 |
||
|
X |
|
Small farm & forest |
Ann Stewart |
2006 |
||
|
|
X |
Small farm & forest |
Kirk and Judi Lewis |
2009 |
||
|
X |
|
SWCD - Benton |
Cliff Hall |
2009 |
||
|
|
X |
SWCD - Polk |
Jim Clawson, Secretary |
2009 |
||
|
|
X |
Watershed Resident |
Ron Nestlerode |
2007 |
||
|
|
X |
Watershed Resident |
Jo Yeager |
2006 |
||
|
X |
|
Wildlife |
David Anderson, Chair |
2007 |
||
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Staff, guests: |
Affiliation |
|
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|
Christine Hurst |
LWC E/O |
|
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Michael Cairns |
LWC Coordinator |
michael.cairns@yahoo.com |
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Charles Redon |
Umbrella coordinator |
rickreallwc@hotmail.com |
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|
Scott Snedaker |
BLM |
Scott.snedaker@blm.gov |
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Carloyn Menke |
IAE |
cmenke@peak.org |
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|
Guillermo Giannico |
OSU |
giannico@oregonstate.edu |
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|
Sally Morris |
landowner |
Salmal7@gmail.com |
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|
Tom Smith |
LWC |
townesj@peak.org |
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Also attending were OSU students Yashiko Sano, Dawn Marie Gaid, Eugene Choi, Maria Stetanorich, Eva Lieberherr, K. Michele Lizon.