LUCKIAMUTE WATERSHED COUNCIL MINUTES

Oct. 11, 2007

VOLUNTEER HALL, MONMOUTH, OR

 6 p.m. -- Education/Outreach and Steering committees met at Rick’s Place

7 p.m. -- Regular meeting

Call to Order and Introductions: Chairman David Anderson called the meeting to order. Everyone introduced themselves.

Minutes: ACTION – Kenn Carter moved and Tom Smith seconded the motion to approve the minutes with changes. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL

 

Guest speaker: Trish Wilson, BLM Salem District Field Manager

Trish Wilson described the BLM’s proposed revision to the Western Oregon Plan for the approximately 2.5 million acres of land it manages in Western Oregon. See attachment, “Summary of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.”

Deadline to comment on the draft is Dec. 10. You can read the full report and comment online at www.blm.gov/or/plans/wopr

 Council members asked questions about the four alternatives. The second alternative, the preferred alternative, would generate the highest level of receipts – some of which pay for county and school services -- and could include harvesting old growth, reducing buffers around some streams. Alternative two would triple the amount of timber being cut now on BLM lands.

 

Business:

 

Treasurer – Kenn Carter

See attachments including reports from Cascade Pacific RCD on Upper Maxfield Creek Restoration, South Fork Ash Creek Restortion, OWEB Council Support, Ash Creek Dam Removal and Steelhead Fish Passage Barrier Survey, and from Salem-Keizer Urban Watershed Councils Association repot on other funds. We have been notified that we will get an additional $18,000 from OWEB to supplement the council support grant. We have not yet decided what to do with that amount. Carter suggests that the administration/steering committee should have an approved budget before the additional amount is distributed.

 

Network of Oregon Watershed Councils gathering – Total to send Nicole, Christine and Michael, including mileage, room, scholarships and tuition would be estimated at $1,448.85. ACTION: Shawn Irvine moves, Tom Smith seconds a motion to reimburse all actual expenses to the conference. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL

 

Nomination of new members – Emily Plec and John Petersen are in line to be nominated to

the council, at the November meeting.

 

 

Watershed Coordinator Report – Michael Cairns, Christine Hurst

Nicole Duplaix is absent. Christine reports on two proposals to apply for grants – One is to support landowner recruitment in the Maxfield Creek/Kings Valley area. This is an $50,000 two-year outreach grant to get people interest in restoration. The three-part project will include community forums, participation in current community events, and leading public tours of projects that are already in place. Partners include Benton SWCD. The grant would support outreach to about 60 landowners, aimed at creating 10 projects.

The second grant proposal is to support the development of an action plan. The plan would establish priority locations for projects throughout the watershed. This is a one-year project to hire the consultant and pay for some of Christine’s time. If funded, we can have a very detailed, site-specific plan, a prescription for the watershed. The project would begin in June 2008, and last a year.

Contract for minutes – ACTION: Tom Smith moves, David Anderson seconds the motion that Nicole Duplaix be directed to draw up a new contract for minutes-taking. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL.

 

Project Manager’s Report – Michael Cairns

See handouts, LWC Project Manager Report, describing four grant applications; and Projects Summary Spreadsheet – Discussion about the Ash Creek Riparian Restoration grant proposal. The original $1 million price tag has been whittled down to less than half that. It will be forwarded to OWEB for preliminary advice before it is proposed. Kenn Carter asks about reliability of the landowner, Ron Cooper. Michael said he is supportive of the council and believes he will hold up his end of the project.

Three small grants have been approved for this region, as listed in the handout.

ACTION: Shawn Irvine moves to approve the grants to be submitted as described, some of which would need to be modified before submitted. Wade Edris seconds the motion. Discussion about deadlines, concerns that we are getting proposals at the last minute. MOTION WITHDRAWN.

ACTION: Shawn Irvine, David Anderson seconds a motion that we approve five grant applications, and vote on the Ash Creek Riparian Restoration grant separately. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL.

Further discussion on the Ash Creek Riparian Restoration grant revolves around expense, if it could be reduced. Costs may be lower than anticipated, Michael Cairns said. The grant will be reviewed by a panel of OWEB experts who will determine finally if it is viable. ACTION: Tom Smith moves and Ron Nestlerode seconds a motion to submit the grant for review to OWEB, at a cost that would be no higher than proposed, and that changes would be subject to OWEB suggestions. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL, David Anderson abstains.

 

Adjournment – The next meeting will be Nov. 8, preceded by committee meetings at Rick’s Place.

 

 

 

 

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
	X	Environment		Tom Smith		2006
	X	Environment		Wade Edris, Vice Chair		2007
		Federal agency				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
Staff, guests:			Affiliation		E-mail
Christine Hurst			Outreach Coordinator
Michael Cairns			LWC Projects		michael.cairns@yahoo.com
Trish Wilson Kelly Gordon			BLM Resident		Patricia.wilson@blm.gov kstrdon@open.org