PressRelease:
Powder Basin Watershed Council
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
7 August 2013

Call to order: Nancy called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

Recognition of Guest: Karen Leiendecker, Courtney Schaff, Angela Bright

Nancy announced Eric Schoenfeld’s retirement from the Council due to his wife’s illness.

Approval of Minutes: July 10, 2013
Nancy called for additions or corrections to the minutes; no changes were requested. The minutes for the July 2013 meeting were approved as written.

Amendment of Charter: Due to Eric’s retirement from the Board of Directors, no need exists to amend the Charter. Jim Young nominated Karen Spencer to the Board of Directors; Steve Edwards seconded the nomination. Karen’s appointment to the Board of Directors was approved unanimously.

Nancy explained the Board’s desire to revise the Charter to better fit the Council’s current operations. Steve volunteered to be part of the group. Suzanne Fouty asked for more details on the proposal. Jim explained that staffing and project management have changed as the Council has grown. Steve added that in the past, the Board acted as the implementing body for the Council, while now staff implements the projects approved by the Council. Johanna gave examples from the Charter, such as the description of the treasurer’s role, which contain functions formerly assigned to the Board which are now completed by staff. Suzanne asked for a time frame in which this project would be completed. Steve suggested that the group determine the pace. Courtney noted that part of the changes for Council support grant eligibility include guidelines for Board members and bylaws. She has also put together a list of literature on Council effectiveness that may be useful for the group. Nancy added that the group would be using Google Docs to track proposed changes to the Charter. The workgroup members will include Karen, Nancy, Steve, and Suzanne.

Annual Work Plan:
Watershed Festival: Johanna explained that volunteers will be needed to help plan the proposed watershed festival. The Council agreed to table the discussion until more Council members were present.

Fundraising and Marketing: Johanna explained that volunteers will be needed to help develop a marketing and fundraising plan. Jim volunteered to be part of the group. The Council agreed to table further discussion until more Council members were present.
OWEB Small Grant Program: Aaron explained that the Council has received the proposed bylaws from the SWCD office, which will need to be signed, but that the Board would like to see more Council participation on the small grant team to support the work done by the districts.

Methow Valley Beaver Project: Before introducing the video, Suzanne explained that vandals have damaged the fences protecting the aspen at the North Fork Burnt River project site. She would like to see signs similar to those that will be installed along the Kirkway site placed near the fencing to educate forest visitors about the project. Johanna explained that the Kirkway panels had to match the existing signage along the pathway, but less expensive options are also available. Discussion followed about the value of signs at project sites and whether or not these would deter vandalism. Steve asked how the project was doing. Suzanne reported a positive response from the aspen, but added that damage had been done by elk that had taken advantage of the vandalized fence.

Suzanne introduced the video on the Methow Valley Beaver Project. She noted that Whitman College students have filmed the North Fork Burnt River project and may return in late summer to do additional filming. The Methow Valley Beaver film is an example of how the filming could evolve into a video that could be included on the Council’s website.

Update on Current Projects:

Basin-wide Water Quality Monitoring: Aaron reported that the third month of data collection had almost been completed. Water is now subsurface at the North Powder site. The database is almost complete and will be capable of housing both the water quality and quality assurance data.

Johanna reported that Randy Jones of ODEQ’s Regional Solutions Team may have an intern available to work on the monitoring program for fall semester. Denine is moving forward on the ODEQ nutrient monitoring grant, which will fund nutrient monitoring at BLM sites in the basin. Suzanne had questions about the nutrients being monitored; Aaron explained that ammonia, nitrate and nitrite, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, ortho-phosphate, total phosphorus, E. coli, and chlorophyll will be monitored. Steve noted that some landowners may be concerned about the data being collected; Suzanne commented that the data will support adaptive management. Aaron noted that many landowners have expressed interest in data to support their land management decisions. Marion reported that ODEQ has rejected the city of Halfway’s wastewater management proposal. Aaron noted that the city of Arcata, California has a similar treatment program; discussion followed about the city’s options.

Eagle Valley Point of Diversion Survey: Aaron reported that he and Karen Reiner are approximately two thirds of the way through the survey. The main stem of Eagle Creek and Summit Creek remain. They have seen locations that would be ideal for restoration. Both Trout Creek Ditch and the Phillips Ditch are entraining trout. About 200 redband trout were entrained in the Trout Creek Ditch, and fish 16-18 inches were being entrained in the Phillips Ditch. Discussion followed regarding the potential for fish screens to be installed. Council staff will contact the ditch owners and Jeff Tomac to follow up.

Holbrook Spur Bank Stabilization & McMullen Slough Avulsion Protection: The first request for funds will be made in August for the two OWEB grants that partially fund these projects.

Lower Clear Creek Project Development: The Council is waiting for River Design Group’s report before taking further action.


North Powder Flood to Sprinkler Conversion: Aaron reported that no funding is available to cover the cost of the pivot, as EQIP funds are earmarked for Catherine Creek. The Council will submit the grant application to cover the cost of the remaining expenses.

Reports from Council Members: No reports were made.

PBWC Board of Directors Report:
Council Facilitator: Denine will facilitate the September meeting, as she was unable to be present for the August meeting.

Treasurer’s Report: Johanna reported that the accountant leading the fiscal review, Mike Rudi, is working to establish the 6/30/10 balance. As a result of the review, the Council will change the way workman’s compensation is accrued and is reviewing the current policy to ensure it is adequate. Steve, who is acting as the interim treasurer, added that the Council is shifting to an accrual-based system and changing the procedure for reconciling the accounts. The Board adopted an annual budget for the new fiscal year. The budget is balanced, but may mean fewer staff hours are available beginning in January.

There was no further business.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 pm

Council Attendance: 7 voting members [Quorum = 5]
Suzanne Fouty: USFS
Karen Spencer, Baker Co. Parks Andrew Umpleby: PVW C
Steve Edwards
Marion Crow
Paul Wares
Nancy Rorick
Jim Young, Vice Chair
Shannon Archuleta, USFS

Non-member Attendance Guest
Johanna Sedell, PBWC Executive Director
Aaron Bliesner, PBWC Monitoring Coord.
Karen Leiendecker, OWEB
Courtney Shaff, OWEB
Angela Bright, District 8 Watermaster’s Office





Next Monthly Meeting
September 4, 2013
Presentation
5J District Supervisor’s Office; North Conference Room
4th and Broadway 5:30 p.m.

Meetings of the PBWC are open to the public. All are welcome.






Board of Directors Meeting
9/4/2013 @ 12:00 noon
Sumpter Valley Railroad Depot
2960 Broadway, Baker City, OR
541-523-7288