PressRelease:







PBWC REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
03 September 2008





Meeting was called to order at 5:35 p.m. by Tim Bliss, Chairman.


Approval of Minutes 06/04/08 – In full consensus, the council approved the minutes as mailed.


Recognition of Guests / Unscheduled Business: There were no guests present.


GENERAL BUSINESS:

Watershed Status Reports:

Karen Leiendecker, OWEB, reported on the status of the two grant proposals from the Powder Basin Watershed Council. The OWEB Board Meeting to approve funding is scheduled for September 16 & 17, 2008. Upon Board approval Grant Agreements should be received around the first week of October.

 Brownlee Subbasin –
o Assessment: Jim Young reported that the goal of the Planning Committee is to integrate the information obtained from these studies, i.e. the Subbasin Assessment and the Implementation Plan Technical Assistance (T.A.) Project. The Corps of Engineers (USCE) has issued the funds for the LiDAR flight over the Valley Reach of Pine Creek and are providing analysis of bridge infrastructure on the same reach. The T.A. funds will address the Valley Reach specifically while the assessment will compile and integrate data on the whole subbasin including the smaller Snake Tributaries.
o Pine Creek - Floodplain Planning 5 Point Project WAP Co. Emergency Response Plan: Jim Young reported that construction of the 5 Point Diversion has been extended to the fall of 2009.
o Snake Tributaries

 Burnt River Subbasin
o Upper Burnt River –
NFBR Stream Restoration Project – No Update
o Middle Burnt River – No Update
o Lower Burnt River – No Update
 Powder River Subbasin
o Upper Powder River – WAP
Sumpter Municipal Diversion Project – Vicki Wares reported that a meeting is scheduled, Monday, September 29th, to analyze the McCully Creek profile before and after construction. Suzanne, Eric Schoenfeld and Vicki will be recording the new profile data, Monday, September 15th.
SVDTs (LiDAR Project) – The County copy of the LiDAR data was never retrieved. The USFS accommodated by providing a full copy of the data provided to them. The coordinator is working on the final report.
o Baker Valley –
Kirkway Project – No Update
o Powder Valley – Aaron Umpleby, North Powder Water Control District, reported that Pilcher Creek is 40% full; Wolf Creek, 35%. The District expects a 20% carry over.
o Lower Powder River – Paul Wares reported that it has been a good water year for Thief Valley irrigators as well as for landowners relying entirely on snow melt.
o Eagle Valley – Bruce Lindley reported that there has been plenty of water for Eagle Creek irrigators and that the Eagle Creek Project is currently in phase II.

 Powder Basin
Small Grant Program – No Update
Baker County Fairs – V.W. announced that the Watershed Council display was exhibited at both the Baker City and the Halfway fairs. Council visibility was significantly enhanced by this display and credit for the fine educational presentation goes to Vickie Valenzuela and Ulee Yanok. Thank you both and thanks also to Dan Weitz who donated time to man the Natural Resources booth for both the Watershed Council and for the Conservation Districts.



PBWC Self-Effectiveness Evaluation:

Vicki Wares announced that Jim Young is facilitator for the evaluation session. She distributed three checklists of members Jerry Franke, Ulee Yanok and Dan Weitz who were unable to attend this session but who provided input. Vicki explained that this session would identify concerns around Council effectiveness and prioritize their importance. The Board of Directors will take this information and translate into Action Items for approval at the November Council meeting. She then turned over the meeting to Jim.

Jim asked the members to answer the questions: What are we proud of? Why do we participate?
• Pine Creek Flooding is a chronic problem; I’m glad to see us
working on this.
• It is good to see the Sumpter Municipal Diversion/Fish
Screening and Passage project on the ground!
• This is the best example of diversified people working
together to solve natural resource problems.
• I’m proud we are moving ahead with good projects.
• We are getting projects on the ground and moving to doing more.
• The Council is moving to autonomy and members are stepping up
to work.
• We are focusing on municipal and other government/community
problems.
• We are moving forward and working on more outreach/education
activities.
• The Sumpter Municipal Diversion Project is inspiring and the
Site Visit and Tour evidenced this.
• This Council and the Conservation Districts are working well
together and this relationship is being held forth in some circles as
a state model.

Next the facilitated session used the OWEB Self-Evaluation form to review concerns and prioritize them. Concerns ranking of most importance for the PBWC are:
• Membership
o Broad diverse membership which represents most interests in
the watershed
o Members understand their responsibilities and roles
o New members are provided orientation and materials
• Participation
o Our council members share a common vision and purpose
o Members are aware of and involved in projects and/or activities
• Accountability
o Community members know how to contact our group
• Staff Management
o The group has and uses an objective methodology for evaluating
staff performance and compensation.
• Fiscal & Project Management
o Members are aware of the council’s contractual commitments and
understand their responsibility
o Council members are aware of recordkeeping procedures and have
access to records
o Our council effectively carries out projects within schedules
and budgets
• Watershed Planning & Projects
o Our council identifies key issues, limiting factors and/or
watershed conditions (assessments)
o Activities and projects address the concerns identified and
move us towards our desired outcomes
o Projects implemented by the council are monitored for their
effectiveness
o Our plans identify outcomes for the next three to five years
• Citizen involvement & support – the 4 items in this category
consistently ranked lower than all other categories.


Jim summarized the prioritization of council concerns for the members.
Concern Comment / Summary
Membership Are new members receiving the information / assistance they need to effectively serve the Council?

Participation It is not in the nature of the watershed council to share a common vision for the watersheds.

Accountability We need to update our reports to County government and to advertise our contact information and activities, e.g. radio, newspapers, advertising, one-on-one outreach.

Staffing This item is handled by the Board of Directors and should be addressed in their reports to the members.

Fiscal & Project Management Again, this is the business of the Board of Directors. All fiscal and final project reports should be distributed to the members.

Watershed Planning We need to reactivate our two existing Watershed Action Plans. We should apply for non-capital funds to update existing plans and initiate planning in new watersheds.

Citizen Involvement This is the category of most confusion and concern. We need to address this!



PBWC Fair Display:

Vickie Valenzuela called attention to the display which was set up in the meeting room. She stressed that this new portable board will increase vastly our outreach to local communities and that the most important aspect of community education consists of honoring our partners.

Vickie showed the small 3-dimensional representation of the Powder Basin that she constructed out of cardboard and aluminum foil to actualize the concept of our separate and distinct watersheds contributing to the Snake River and to the Columbia and thence to the Pacific Ocean. It would be a significant educational tool to have one made of better materials and constructed to scale. Actually, no child who showed interest in participating in the watersheds naming contest had a real clue as to the geographical aspects of the basin and its three subbasins. This appears to be a significant need that the council might be able to address within the 5J curriculum.



PBWC Steering Committee:

 Treasurer’s Report:
Checking balance of 07/04/08 = $2,683.93
Money Market balance of 07/31/08 = $17,117.9

 The other agenda items were tabled due to time constraints.


Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.


Council Attendance: [8 members, 8 voting]
7 = Quorum Marion Crow Timothy Bliss, Chairman Jim Young
Aaron Umpleby Dan Weitz Eric Schoenfeld Paul Wares Bruce Lindley Vicki Wares, Council Coordinator

Others Attending:
Karen Leiendecker, OWEB, Eastern Region Representative

Attachments: None


 UPCOMING EVENTS – COUNCIL TIMELINE 

 Board of Directors Meeting  October 8, 2008, 1230 hours, USDA
Service Center
 Pine Creek Floodplain Planning  TBA
 Powder River Kirkway Project – 50% Design deadline
September 30, 2008
 Next OWEB Deadline: October 20, 2008
(restoration/acquisition/other types TBD)
 Sumpter Valley Dredge Tailings - LiDAR project completion deadline
September 30, 2008
 OWEB Conference in Eugene: November 5-7, 2008
 Council Support Application OWEB Deadline: December 21, 2008