May 5, 2005 Meeting Minutes

Black Butte Elementary, Shingletown
Present: Glen Aldridge, Foster Brovan , Eda Eggeman, Aric Lester, Bea Nevins, Lynn and Roland Weidenkeller, Carl Weidert, Stan Weidert , Marc Petty, Beth Livezey, Shiloe Braxton-WSRCD Bear Creek Watershed Assessment project coordinator, James Moller- WSRCD Watershed Coordinator.

James Moller called the meeting to order at 6:35PM .

Review Last Months Minutes:

Last months minutes looked of good quality.
New Business:

• Fraser Sime- Chief, Watershed Management Section and DWR Watershed Program Regional Coordinator, attended the meeting to convey the opportunities and disadvantages of forming a formal group such as a CRMP, 501(c)(3), etc. Fraser has worked with multiple groups ranging from ad-hoc to very formal corporate groups.

  A Coordinated Resource Management Planning Group (CRMP) is a step by step program that assists in working towards a set end. Many CRMPs historically were often agency dominated with little landowner involvement. In the watershed world, a number of CRMPs have fallen by the way side over time, often due to the lack of enthused landowners being involved.

  For a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit group there are certain activities required to complete the group’s initiation. Also involved are increased responsibilities such as dealing with the IRS, having to hold proper insurance that covers the members and you can’t lobby as strongly as a not-for-profit.

  Some of the concerns from group members and the watershed coordinator were to form stronger partnerships with the WSRCD and other possible funding agencies to improve the possibility of receiving grant funding and to implement projects in the watershed.

  The WSRCD involvement is as the administrative partner controlling grant funds and implementing projects.

  The role of the Bear Creek Watershed Group is as an advisory committee to the WSRCD and their efforts.

  Some ideas for funding the Bear Creek group for future mailers and activities are to hold fundraises and acquire donations from large organizations for the implementation of potential projects in the future. The BCWG will work with the WSRCD as the controller of the funds, so no accountant will be needed. These funds will be used only in the Bear Creek Watershed.

  This is a two-way partnership between the WSRCD and the Bear Creek landowners, with each partner benefiting from the others participation. There are also responsibilities to both partners to work together to ensure the success of the partnership.

• Water adjudication processes discussion: The Bear Creek group has been looking into the possibilities of becoming an adjudicated watershed. Some questions that were asked:

  Is there grant funding to become adjudicated? Fraser explained that there is not grant funding for regulatory activities.
  There could be some funding available through the SWRCB for regulatory compliance monitoring.
  Water master costs have risen over the last few years; landowners now pay 3 to 4 times as much as they did two years ago.

  With the watershed not being an adjudicated watershed, is that affecting the possibility to receiving more grant funding then if the watershed was adjudicated? Fraser explained that adjudication has no effect on funding in the areas that most funding comes from.

  In conclusion, the Bear Creek watershed could be in worse shape. Proceeding towards the adjudication process and not being adjudicated is not affecting potential funding.

• Some possible projects to increase grant funding and landowner involvement are

  An assessment of anadromous fish

  A management plan

  A watershed strategic plan

  Assessment of water diversions and impounds

  Regular citizen monitoring

  Ground water monitoring

  Bear Creek watershed strategic fuels plan

  Planned fuelbreaks

Project Coordinator Report:

• Shiloe Braxton, the project coordinator, gave a report on the status of the watershed assessment. The TAC had met earlier in the week and had a detailed discussion determining what was good, what areas had problems, and if the current direction the assessment is taking will lead to a quality watershed assessment.

  An administrative draft for the WSRCD will be out the end of May

  July 13 th the administrative draft will be presented to the TAC

  September a draft will be presented to the community

  In mid October the final draft will be printed.

Watershed Coordinator Report:

• James Moller conveyed his recent activities to the group, along with the Sediment Transport modeling project on Cow and Bear meeting held May 10 th at the WSRCD. The DWR will be facilitating this meeting to contact local landowners within Cow and Bear Creek watersheds for their compliance.

  Brochures called “A homeowner’s guide to fire safe landscaping for brushland and forestland” were handed out to the group for information purposes. A homeowner’s guide to fire safe landscaping for grasslands is available upon request

  James received unanimous group agreement for the Bear Creek Watershed Group to support the National Forest Counties & School Coalition

  A map that the Cow Creek Watershed Group is using for community education was presented to the BCWG to see if it would be something that the BCWG would like to proceed with in order to increase landowner involvement.
  If funding could be found to proceed the BCWG agrees that a map on display could increase watershed involvement.

Marketing the Watershed Group:

• Foster Brovan provided the access statistics for the Goshingletown.com web site.

• Producing Bear Creek Watershed apparel

  A sub-committee consisting of Bea Nevins and Marti Weidert was formed to figure out the cost of producing shirts with the Bear Creek logo and name on them. The report from the sub-committee will be presented at the June Bear Creek meeting.
  

Old Business:

• Alternate meeting location

  Dave Dubose has donated the use of his barn for an upcoming Bear Creek Watershed meeting. This way we might get more involvement from landowners living on opposite ends away from the Black Butte School area.
  

Next Meeting Agenda Items:

• Where is the group, in being informed about different watershed groups?
• Water adjudication processes and discussions invite a speaker.
• Bear Creek apparel report
• Identification of future speakers to inform the BCWG
  

Meeting adjourned 8:45 PM

The next meeting will be June 2, 2005 at 6:30 PM .