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Russian River Watershed Council

Full Council Meeting

November 13, 2004

Cloverdale Veteran's Hall 9 AM – 12:30 PM

Approval of Agenda and Minutes: Chuck Vaughn motioned to approve the Nov. 13 Agenda, seconded by Jody Hymes with unanimous approval. Johanna Vanoni requested a change in the Sept. 11 minutes to use the full name for the fish visitor's center at Lake Sonoma. It should read "Milt Brandt Visitor Center and Don Clausen Fish Hatchery." Chuck Vaughn motioned to approve Sept. 11 minutes as amended seconded by Scott Barrow with 18 ayes and 1 abstention.
Agency Announcements: Rick Kaye from Sotoyome RCD brought a working watershed model for display and discussion. Rick made an announcement: As far as the interpretive plan for the Milt Brandt Visitor's Center and Don Clausen Fish Hatchery, Bob Garrison who is a consultant is looking to receive comments related to the notes that are in the minutes package. Please get comments to him by the end of November. The next public meeting will be in February or March and they will have design drafts on the table.

Rick also described the Watershed Education grant proposal with the Environmental Protection Agency for $10,000. The funds will deliver 50 demonstrations of the Russian River watershed in classrooms. With the model, demonstrations show students storm water and sewage drain systems, septic systems, non-point source pollution and how watersheds are connected. RRWC's share of this grant proposal is $5,000 from the DFG contract which pays for construction of the new watershed model and related literature.

Derek Acomb from Cal. Dept. of Fish & Game gave a Power Point presentation on the DFG Coho Salmon Brood stock program. DFG collected juvenile fish from streams, bred them in captivity and re-introduced the offspring into three springs in Oct. 2004 near Cazadero and Duncan Mills.

Karen Rippey from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed the WMP (Watershed Adaptive Management Plan) development. The Contract Division is still in negotiation. Congress and Administration have not provided the funds for fiscal year 2005. When the budget is approved, Congress will deduct slippage and savage of approximately 33%. As soon as the contract is finalized and funds are provided, the Corps will hire contractors.

Fred Euphrat on behalf of the Water Agency: Fred is working with Karen Gaffney of Circuit Rider Productions and the Water Agency on their Prop 50 funding. There is $50 million available around region 1 as the Water Agency puts together a bid for IRWMP (Integrated Regional Watershed Management Plan). That money is available to governments, agencies and non-profit organizations. It would be great if the RRWC can put something together so they can get involved with Prop 50 funding.

Workgroup Announcements: The DRCE Group - They formed a small committee comprised of Chuck Vaughn, Zeno Swijtink and Rue Furch. DRCE is working with Circuit Rider Productions on the RRIIS presentation which is tentatively scheduled for March. If anyone wants to help formulate a plan they welcome volunteers for the RRIIS Rollout, a presentation to the public. It will be held either at Sonoma State University or Santa Rosa Junior College. They are developing a mailing list and program schedule and hope the new Coordinator can be of assistance with this project.

There is a mistake in the cover letter; it gives the wrong URL for the RRIIS website http://www.russianriverwatershed.net. CHAH is running low on membership and the meeting has moved to this Tuesday, 5 p.m. at the Healdsburg library.

Information about Prop 50 is on the DWR and RWQCB websites. The Mendocino County Water Agency is having a Prop 50 meeting Dec. 9th 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Low Gap and Bush St. in Ukiah.

The Russian River Watershed Cleanup on Sept 25th was successful after receiving funding and insurance. About 350 people showed up over the two-day event. They collected 5600 pounds of metal, mostly car parts around Geyserville and Healdsburg. They also cleaned up 7400 pounds of general refuse including large appliances and computer monitors and 310 tires. The group sorted debris into recycle bins. All of the local high schools were involved except El Molino because they assist other cleanups. Congratulations to Alistair Bleifuss and Willowside School who cleaned up 12 yards of trash from Santa Rosa Creek. Thanks to residences from the Graton area who cleaned up the Atascadero Creek encampment.

The Trout Unlimited Teacher Training is at the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma January 8th 9:00 a.m.

The First Flush had 150 people involved at 32 stations. They collected data and took it to the lab for analysis. The State Board lost funding for this project which is all volunteer. They are working on getting the report out and looking for more volunteers.

The formation of the group Weed Management Area, Mendocino County has been completed. They focus on invasive plants on the Northern California coast and Mendocino's coniferous forests. Anyone interested contact tara_athan@safe-mail.net or 707-485-1198. Tara is interested in extending their focus into inland Mendocino County.

MCRCD's (Mendocino County Resource Conservation District) budget with the Department of Fish and Game was revised, shifting funds to increase the RRWC's Coordinator amount. This will help the new Coordinator have more flexibility and allow them to hire administrative help. In addition, the DFG contract was extended to December 31, 2005.

The Community Foundation of Sonoma County: The Foundation has been sent the documents in the Council packet to Robert Judd of the Community Foundation. The paperwork was well received and the Foundation is hoping to get confirmation today from the RRWC that they want to continue their relationship with the Foundation. Also, First Flush is now a project of RRWC so we can get donations. The timing on this depends on if the RRWC can get officers confirmed, which is required for the relationship with the Foundation. The new officers will meet with Robert Judd and two of the Foundation Board members in a couple weeks. This relationship is very important in positioning us in the community, having the Community Foundation behind us is definitely to our benefit. Since the RRWC is not a non-profit organization and does not have an accounting base, the Foundation can act as a fiscal agent to get projects off the ground. In addition, having the Foundation as an option opens us up to private funding and may help in outreach and education which was reduced in the DFG budget.

The Community Foundation requires RRWC to have officer positions. Right now we have Rusty Klassen for President, Joan Kelly as Treasurer, Chuck Connor volunteered to be Vice President and Scott Barrow volunteered to be Secretary.

New Coordinator Position: We had about 15 applications for the position and will interview 5 candidates on December 3rd. The Hiring Committee, comprised of Scott Barrow, Rusty Klassen, Bob Anderson, Joan Kelley, Eric Sunswheat and Jerome Dix, will conduct the interviews. Jody Hymes requested to be present during the interviews and can help develop questions on fund raising.

The future Council packets will be distributed electronically, possibly through the RRIIS website. This will save money in time spent preparing the packets and mailing costs.

Suggestions for the January 22 nd Meeting:

• Dennis O'Brien to speak on Prop 50 funds
• The Laguna Foundation
• DFG Watershed Model contract - expand beyond $5,000
• Presentation by Brian Hines from Napa River
• Presentation on Russian River Watershed Adaptive Management Plan

Action Items

• Chuck Vaughn made motion to have a straw vote on the MCRCD's proposed budget with DFG, seconded by Tim Buckner with 19 ayes, 1 opposed and 2 abstentions.

• Tim Buckner motioned to continue the relationship with the Community Foundation of Sonoma County and the goals as they have been laid out in the packet. Motion seconded by Chuck Vaughn with unanimous approval.

• Tim Buckner motioned to make Scott Barrow Secretary, seconded by Phyllis Burt with unanimous approval.

• Tim Buckner motioned to approve the amended meeting calendar, changing dates from Feb. 8th to Feb. 9th and Oct. 4th to Oct. 11th. The next Council Meeting is January 22nd. Chuck Vaughn seconded the motion with unanimous approval.

• Motion made by Zeno Swijtink to allocate $5,000 for the Sotoyome EPA Watershed model project, seconded by Tim Buckner with unanimous approval.

• Zeno Swijtink motioned to fund the new brochures project of CHAH: Three brochures: 1) a general brochure for the RRWC; 2) a brochure for the Adaptive Management Plan and 3) RRIIS. $1,000 for graphics and $1,500 for printing. Scott Barrow seconded motion, 18 ayes with 2 opposed.

Russian River Watershed Council	Full Council Meeting
November 13, 2004	Cloverdale Veteran's Hall 9 AM – 12:30 PM


Approval of Agenda and Minutes: Chuck Vaughn motioned to approve the Nov. 13 Agenda, seconded by Jody Hymes with unanimous approval. Johanna Vanoni requested a change in the Sept. 11 minutes to use the full name for the fish visitor's center at Lake Sonoma. It should read "Milt Brandt Visitor Center and Don Clausen Fish Hatchery." Chuck Vaughn motioned to approve Sept. 11 minutes as amended seconded by Scott Barrow with 18 ayes and 1 abstention. Agency Announcements: Rick Kaye from Sotoyome RCD brought a working watershed model for display and discussion. Rick made an announcement: As far as the interpretive plan for the Milt Brandt Visitor's Center and Don Clausen Fish Hatchery, Bob Garrison who is a consultant is looking to receive comments related to the notes that are in the minutes package. Please get comments to him by the end of November. The next public meeting will be in February or March and they will have design drafts on the table. Rick also described the Watershed Education grant proposal with the Environmental Protection Agency for $10,000. The funds will deliver 50 demonstrations of the Russian River watershed in classrooms. With the model, demonstrations show students storm water and sewage drain systems, septic systems, non-point source pollution and how watersheds are connected. RRWC's share of this grant proposal is $5,000 from the DFG contract which pays for construction of the new watershed model and related literature. Derek Acomb from Cal. Dept. of Fish & Game gave a Power Point presentation on the DFG Coho Salmon Brood stock program. DFG collected juvenile fish from streams, bred them in captivity and re-introduced the offspring into three springs in Oct. 2004 near Cazadero and Duncan Mills. Karen Rippey from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed the WMP (Watershed Adaptive Management Plan) development. The Contract Division is still in negotiation. Congress and Administration have not provided the funds for fiscal year 2005. When the budget is approved, Congress will deduct slippage and savage of approximately 33%. As soon as the contract is finalized and funds are provided, the Corps will hire contractors. Fred Euphrat on behalf of the Water Agency: Fred is working with Karen Gaffney of Circuit Rider Productions and the Water Agency on their Prop 50 funding. There is $50 million available around region 1 as the Water Agency puts together a bid for IRWMP (Integrated Regional Watershed Management Plan). That money is available to governments, agencies and non-profit organizations. It would be great if the RRWC can put something together so they can get involved with Prop 50 funding. Workgroup Announcements: The DRCE Group - They formed a small committee comprised of Chuck Vaughn, Zeno Swijtink and Rue Furch. DRCE is working with Circuit Rider Productions on the RRIIS presentation which is tentatively scheduled for March. If anyone wants to help formulate a plan they welcome volunteers for the RRIIS Rollout, a presentation to the public. It will be held either at Sonoma State University or Santa Rosa Junior College. They are developing a mailing list and program schedule and hope the new Coordinator can be of assistance with this project. There is a mistake in the cover letter; it gives the wrong URL for the RRIIS website http://www.russianriverwatershed.net. CHAH is running low on membership and the meeting has moved to this Tuesday, 5 p.m. at the Healdsburg library. Information about Prop 50 is on the DWR and RWQCB websites. The Mendocino County Water Agency is having a Prop 50 meeting Dec. 9th 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Low Gap and Bush St. in Ukiah. The Russian River Watershed Cleanup on Sept 25th was successful after receiving funding and insurance. About 350 people showed up over the two-day event. They collected 5600 pounds of metal, mostly car parts around Geyserville and Healdsburg. They also cleaned up 7400 pounds of general refuse including large appliances and computer monitors and 310 tires. The group sorted debris into recycle bins. All of the local high schools were involved except El Molino because they assist other cleanups. Congratulations to Alistair Bleifuss and Willowside School who cleaned up 12 yards of trash from Santa Rosa Creek. Thanks to residences from the Graton area who cleaned up the Atascadero Creek encampment. The Trout Unlimited Teacher Training is at the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery, Lake Sonoma January 8th 9:00 a.m. The First Flush had 150 people involved at 32 stations. They collected data and took it to the lab for analysis. The State Board lost funding for this project which is all volunteer. They are working on getting the report out and looking for more volunteers. The formation of the group Weed Management Area, Mendocino County has been completed. They focus on invasive plants on the Northern California coast and Mendocino's coniferous forests. Anyone interested contact tara_athan@safe-mail.net or 707-485-1198. Tara is interested in extending their focus into inland Mendocino County. MCRCD's (Mendocino County Resource Conservation District) budget with the Department of Fish and Game was revised, shifting funds to increase the RRWC's Coordinator amount. This will help the new Coordinator have more flexibility and allow them to hire administrative help. In addition, the DFG contract was extended to December 31, 2005. The Community Foundation of Sonoma County: The Foundation has been sent the documents in the Council packet to Robert Judd of the Community Foundation. The paperwork was well received and the Foundation is hoping to get confirmation today from the RRWC that they want to continue their relationship with the Foundation. Also, First Flush is now a project of RRWC so we can get donations. The timing on this depends on if the RRWC can get officers confirmed, which is required for the relationship with the Foundation. The new officers will meet with Robert Judd and two of the Foundation Board members in a couple weeks. This relationship is very important in positioning us in the community, having the Community Foundation behind us is definitely to our benefit. Since the RRWC is not a non-profit organization and does not have an accounting base, the Foundation can act as a fiscal agent to get projects off the ground. In addition, having the Foundation as an option opens us up to private funding and may help in outreach and education which was reduced in the DFG budget. The Community Foundation requires RRWC to have officer positions. Right now we have Rusty Klassen for President, Joan Kelly as Treasurer, Chuck Connor volunteered to be Vice President and Scott Barrow volunteered to be Secretary. New Coordinator Position: We had about 15 applications for the position and will interview 5 candidates on December 3rd. The Hiring Committee, comprised of Scott Barrow, Rusty Klassen, Bob Anderson, Joan Kelley, Eric Sunswheat and Jerome Dix, will conduct the interviews. Jody Hymes requested to be present during the interviews and can help develop questions on fund raising. The future Council packets will be distributed electronically, possibly through the RRIIS website. This will save money in time spent preparing the packets and mailing costs. Suggestions for the January 22 nd Meeting: • Dennis O'Brien to speak on Prop 50 funds • The Laguna Foundation • DFG Watershed Model contract - expand beyond $5,000 • Presentation by Brian Hines from Napa River • Presentation on Russian River Watershed Adaptive Management Plan Action Items • Chuck Vaughn made motion to have a straw vote on the MCRCD's proposed budget with DFG, seconded by Tim Buckner with 19 ayes, 1 opposed and 2 abstentions. • Tim Buckner motioned to continue the relationship with the Community Foundation of Sonoma County and the goals as they have been laid out in the packet. Motion seconded by Chuck Vaughn with unanimous approval. • Tim Buckner motioned to make Scott Barrow Secretary, seconded by Phyllis Burt with unanimous approval. • Tim Buckner motioned to approve the amended meeting calendar, changing dates from Feb. 8th to Feb. 9th and Oct. 4th to Oct. 11th. The next Council Meeting is January 22nd. Chuck Vaughn seconded the motion with unanimous approval. • Motion made by Zeno Swijtink to allocate $5,000 for the Sotoyome EPA Watershed model project, seconded by Tim Buckner with unanimous approval. • Zeno Swijtink motioned to fund the new brochures project of CHAH: Three brochures: 1) a general brochure for the RRWC; 2) a brochure for the Adaptive Management Plan and 3) RRIIS. $1,000 for graphics and $1,500 for printing. Scott Barrow seconded motion, 18 ayes with 2 opposed.