PressRelease:
Powder Basin Watershed Council
Regular Meeting Minutes
for May 7, 2014
Baker School District 5J Building, 2090 4th Street
Voting Members = Seven Per Charter: Quorum for decision-making is five
Facilitator: Nancy Rorick

Call to order: Nancy called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m.

Guests: Meta Loftsgaarden, OWEB Deputy Director, Focused Investments & Policy Manager; Todd Arriola, The Baker County Press; Curtis Martin, North Powder

Guest Presentation: Changes to OWEB’s Focused Investments
Meta Loftsgaarden, OWEB Deputy Director, Focused Investments & Policy Manager

Since its inception, OWEB has developed and piloted different strategies for grant investments. The focused investment grant program grew out of conversations begun in 2008 in several places around the state: groups partnering on watershed restoration needed a different vehicle for implementing large-scale projects with multiple partners than the regular grant cycle. Three partnerships have been developed, one in the Deschutes basin, one in Klamath, and one in the Willamette. Funding is awarded on a biennial basis to support projects identified by the strategic plan developed by each group of partners. Most Councils and Districts focus on working with landowners who are interested in a project. When this group expands, more resources are brought to the table and the impact of the projects has more significance to the basin. Developing these focused investment partnerships promotes focus on the highest ecological needs of the basin and unites the groups willing to work toward addressing those needs. Meta stressed the role of the strategic plan in developing the partnership. Generally a Council or a District has identified the priority. In each case, the resulting partners are actively working toward the solutions—not just voicing support for a solution—identified by the group’s strategic plan. The plan also identifies barriers—which groups may not be on board who need to be included or what the organizations need to do to ensure that communities are in support of the proposed solutions. OWEB will be offering funding to develop those strategic partnerships; Meta recommended looking at the planning strategies developed by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and also asking, if you only have two staff members, what do you really want them to be focusing on? The strategic plan should incorporate the residents’ ideas about what the watershed should look like in 20 years. Nancy asked Meta for outreach strategies; Meta suggested neighborhood meetings with 10-12 people gathered at the host’s home, and following up with invitations to more formal meetings. Wasco SWCD has done an excellent job of combining landowner meetings, coffee klatches, and local radio programming to reach out to residents. Curt noted the importance of getting information out to landowners and encouraging residents to ask questions on major issues such as TMDL development. Johanna asked Meta to elaborate on the grant funding timeline; Meta explained that starting in April 2015, there will be two solicitations, one for existing partners who have developed a strategic action plan and a separate solicitation for groups who have formed a partnership and would like assistance developing the strategic action plan. Those seeking assistance on strategic planning will need to have already identified the partners that will be working together on the strategic plan. Grants will be awarded every two years. Meta noted that the scope of the strategic plan should be given significant thought. Each of the current partnerships have scaled back on the scope initially identified in the action plans.

Membership Discussion
Nancy explained that the work group reviewing the Council’s bylaws cannot move forward until the Council addresses its status as a membership organization. The Council incorporated as a non-membership organization, but, because the Council members elect the Board, the organization acts as a membership organization. The Council can choose to continue electing a Board, or the organization can choose to be a Board without members. Johanna asked that the Council members reach consensus about which structure they wish to adopt so that she can present an amendment for approval at the next meeting. Marion noted that the Council has had different structures in the past, but that in its current format, the group is able to accomplish more. Nancy pointed out pros and cons for each option, noting that the number of Board members can be flexible and could accommodate a larger group if the Council chose that route. Questions arose about how members are appointed to the Council; Curt advised that the Council members take responsibility for accepting new members into the organization. The members reached consensus: Johanna will propose amended language to the Charter for approval at the June meeting.

Annual Work Plan Tabled in the interest of time.

General Business
Minutes from the February 5th and March 5th meetings were approved by consensus.
McMullen Slough Avulsion Project: The restoration work at Holbrook Spur will not go forward, and the remaining grant funds from OWEB will be returned as the landowners have decided not to continue with the project. Thanks were given to Marion and to the Mayor of Halfway, who acted as intermediaries with the landowners and tried to assist them with the required paperwork. The Council is currently soliciting bids for construction at McMullen Slough.
Basin-wide Water Quality Monitoring: The Council will host a training for volunteers on May 9th. Thirteen volunteers are expected to attend.
2014 Field Day: The field day for Haines and South Baker students is scheduled for May 27th. Volunteers are needed to lead the activities.
Leo Adler SOLVE Cleanup: Eight volunteers participated in the cleanup event. Fourteen bags of trash were collected. The entire length of the pathway was covered, with two people in waders in the Powder River where conditions permitted.
IPC Small Grant Awards: The review team awarded four grants this year. Two projects will allow irrigators to convert from flood to wheel lines, one will convert from flood to a cannon, and one will convert from partial flood irrigation to sprinklers. More applications were received this year than in the first year of the program.

PBWC Board of Directors Report:
Council Facilitator: Marion will facilitate the June meeting.
Treasurer’s Report: Karen reviewed the month’s profit and loss statement. The Board expects to receive the final fiscal review from Guyer & Associates in June and may decide to invest in new fiscal software this year.
Board Update: Nancy reported that the Board plans to change to a new worker’s compensation insurance agent more familiar with the work done by the Council. The Board is also looking for a nonprofit solution for legal review of the Council’s contracts. A retirement plan has been approved for Council employees.

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

Council Attendance: 5 voting members [Quorum = 5]
Marion Crow
Nancy Rorick, Co-Chair
Karen Spencer, Co-Chair Andrew Umpleby
Paul Wares, Director at Large

Staff Attendance Guests
Aaron Bliesner, Monitoring Coordinator
Johanna Sedell, Executive Director
Meta Loftsgaarden
Todd Arriola
Curtis Martin

Next Meeting – April 2, 2014