CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF RESOURCE CONSERVATION CONSERVATION DISTRICTS

Representing Resource Conservation Districts in the counties of:  
Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, and Tulare

Officers:  Tom Wheeler, Chairman - Phil Erdman, Vice Chairman - Barbara Helton, Secretary-Treasurer

Representing Resource Conservation Districts in the counties of:  
Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, and Tulare

California Association of  Resource Conservation Districts

San Joaquin Valley Area

Spring 2010 Area Meeting

Please bring a raffle item

to support the region

Date:                 Friday,  May 7, 2010

Location:          Double T Acres, 22368 W. 2nd Ave. Stevinson, Ca. See map

THE MEETING WILL BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 9:30 a.m. - REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED

9:00 a.m.           Please arrive early to register and purchase raffle tickets- $15.00 LUNCH

Please note: It is a book keeping necessity, that, if you RSVP for the lunch, and are unable to attend          the meeting, you will be billed for the lunch.

9:30 a.m.           WELCOME

                        Hosted by:  East Merced Resource Conservation District

                                           Tom Wheeler, Regional Chairperson

                        AGENDA REVIEW

                        Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call, Minutes

                        Chairperson’s Report

                        Treasurer’s Report

                        Public Comment, Correspondence

10:00 a.m.          AGENCY REPORTS

                        Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

                        SJV Watershed Project

10:30 a.m.           Break

10:45 a.m.           Speakers TBA

12:00 p.m.        Lunch (Menu to be announced) $15.00

1:00 P.M.         Department of Conservation (DOC)

                         California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD

2:00 p.m.          RCD REPORTS

2:30 p.m.           RAFFLE

3:00 p.m.          ADJOURNE

            Please RSVP to Mira Dick

Natural Resource Conservation Service 

(559) 674-2108 ex.114 by May 4, 2010

Please bring a raffle item

 to support the region and our regional Speak-Off winner.

Representing Resource Conservation Districts in the counties of:  
Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, and Tulare

Minutes: Spring 2009 

Meeting called to order by President Tom Wheeler, Coarsegold RCD at 9:40 am..  Tom thanked Home Grown Cellar, Lehman Family Farm for hosting the meeting at their farm.  Tom had a roll call of the RCD present and introductions of representatives of partner agencies. 

Motion by Toby Horst to approve the minutes from fall meeting, second by Norman Kuhr, motion carried. 

Motion to by Ernie Beck to approve the agenda with the addition of a period for the Regional Water Management Program and a period  for correspondence and public comment, second by Norman Kuhr, motion carried. 

Treasurer’s Report, Treasurer Toby Horst – We have $11,005.00 in San Joaquin Valley Area account.  Bulk of  funds are a result of Trellis Project.  Tom Wheeler suggested using some funds toward a conservation scholarship. The committee to determine what to do with excess funds will be comprised of Toby Horst, Niel McDougald, Mira Dick, and Jack Fry.  Motion by Larry Ballew to approve the treasurer’s report, second by Ernie Beck. 

Public Comment: Elissa Brown – The Department of Water Resources has Local Groundwater Assistance Grants Available. Counties are encouraged to look into this funding opportunity.  There will be a meeting of the Technical Advisory Panel for the Local Groundwater Assistance Program Monday, June 1, 2009. 

NRCS report, Curtis Tarver, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations– The agency is working to maintain current staffing levels.  The Agricultural Engineer position in the Visalia Field Office has been filled.  The Bakersfield Field Office will have a new Soil Conservationist in July.  Brandon Bates is the new Merced Field Office, Soil conservationist.  Curtis would like to support more opportunities for contribution agreements with partner agencies to address local conservation issues.  The best way to do this is to work with partners to have agreements ready when funding becomes available.  NRCS will be very busy for the next four months with sign-ups for many programs including Air Quality, Regular EQIP, and Organic.  Partnership is a priority for NRCS at every level. Neil McDougald asked Curtis about a new, comprehensive soil survey.  Arrangements will be looked into for Kerry Arrous, Supervisory Soil Scientist, San Joaquin Valley MLRA Soil Survey Office and/or Dave Smith, State Soil Scientist to attend to the next area meeting to address these concerns and provide update on the soil survey for the state. Ed Burton suggested counties pool their resources in an MLRA area to partner with NRCS to accelerate the soil surveys. 

Ed Burton, NRCS, State Conservationist – NRCS appreciates its partnerships with the RCD’s and the RC & D’s.  There is $50 million in our conservation programs this year. In response to tighter air quality demands there will be about $16 million to help producers upgrade their diesel engines.  San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control district will Partner with NRCS to provide additional cost share funds.  The Agricultural Water Enhancement Program is a new component of this Farm Bill. Some counties, who applied, will be receiving additional funding for water conservation/quality efforts through it.  This year will have $20 million for air quality, which is a $15 million increase over last year. 

Tom Wheeler-Distributed copies of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan for Madera County. Copies of the plan could also be obtained from www.madera-county.com., or by phoning his office.  Tom explained that the plan would have a direct impact on all in the area, and asked for feedback on the plan from all.

Jenny Di Stefano, Department of Conservation-Prop. 84 Watershed Coordinator Grant Program is still on hold. Once a Request for Proposal is issued, period to apply may be short.  The new program will be focused in areas outside the Cal-Fed Solution Area but all may apply.  At this time Jenny is the only staff member dedicated to RCD assistance, she can be reached at 916-804-2345.  The DOC has started a Statewide Watershed Program that will be solidified with the passage of  A.B.1520, which is now suspended.  RCD’s have received approximately $50 million in grant funds from watershed programs. The new RCD Advisory Committee held its first meeting May 6, 2009, to develop new State and RCD partnerships, and to give the RCD”s a stronger voice in state government.  The Committee Director is Bridgette Luther and committee members are; Scott Harvey, Placer County RCD and Deputy Director of  State Department of General services,  Phil Schoefer, Western Shasta RCD; Richard Campbell , Antelope Valley RCD; Pete Johnson, Fall River RCD; Ryan Bonea, Sutter RCD; Kathie Matsuyama, Director of Coastal San Luis RCD; Karen Sweet, Alameda County RCD;  Dennis Washburn, Director of RCD in the San Juan Mountains; Tacy Curry, Executive Director CARCD.  Jeannie Habben, Ernie Beck, and Brian Hockett were recommended to be nominated as committee members from Area 9.  A collection of Historical RCD records were discovered in the DOC warehouse.  If you are interested please contact Jenny. 

Tacy Curry, Executive Director, CARCD - On the State Budget, CARCD has spent $6,000.00 on the RCD’s behalf on efforts to get outstanding invoices paid and to restart grants that are frozen.  CARCD staff is now entirely on half time.  At the State Capitol, because of the budget crisis, there is a lot of legislation in motion and it is important for interested parties to respond to upcoming legislation quickly and effectively.  The CARCD is working hard to stay on top of the issues that are relevant to the RCD’s but there cannot be too much RCD level awareness or commitment to legislative actions that could affect our conservation efforts.  The CARCD website  has been improved, it is now possible to edit your RCD information. Your new district log-in is your district name (i.e.Sierra RCD) and your password is the first word of your RCD name (i.e. Sierra).  Complete contact information for all the Directors in the state, training modules for RCD related activities, and access to data that has been collect by the CARCD on RCD projects and activities is now available on the site. There is also an interactive flash, Claude the Soil Clod that is available and free to download and to distribute to schools.  Speak-off  and Envirothon topic for this year is “The RCD’s roll in the protection of Groundwater through urban, agricultural and environmental planning.”.  CARCD will be hosting the 2010 Envirothon at the U.C. Merced, at the fall meeting Tacy will be looking for volunteers to help with that.   The State Conference will be in Squaw Valley, November 17-20.  Southern California has had an infestation of Spotted Borer Beetle that is killing several Oak species and it is being spread by the transporting of the lumber particularly in the form of fire wood. 

Dave Durham, District Conservationist Fresno Field Office-The California Invasive Plant Council’s yearly meeting will be hosted in Visalia October 8-10.  Information can be found at www.calipc.org.  The European Honey Bee and Our Native Pollinators workshop will be held June 19, 2009 8:30a.m.-12:00p.m. at the U.C. Ag Extension.  They will talk about practical steps to improve the presence of pollinators on your farm.  Information is available at your NRCS office.  

Tom Wheeler- A reminder that the fall meeting will include election of officers for Area 9 and we will need people for the nominating committee. 

District Reports:  

Neil McDougald for Coarsegold RCD- The RCD is working with the Minarets High School at Rd. 200 and Hwy. 41. We have gotten a conservation easement that includes an Elderberry Mitigation.  Larry Ballew - The Fire Safe Council works on water production, fuel modification, and fire protection.  We now have nine projects in progress.  A revision of the “Oak Woodland Guidelines” will soon be available.  Rob Roy thanked Coarsegold RCD for hiring Chuck Sikora to prepare a Forrest Stewardship Plan for the Northfork-Mono Rancheria. 

Bruno Palenconi for Madera RCD- We are preparing a display of the State Soil to be placed in the Madera County Government Center. 

Toby Horst for Sierra RCD-Sierra RCD is one of the RCDs whose funding is caught up in the state budget crisis. They are now the county sponsor for the Oak Woodland Management Plan. They have been very active in the Regional Water Program.  They have had weed workshops in the Navalencia area that have been very well attended and we hope to expand those in the future. 

Phil Erro for Westside RCD-They have continued to work on local drainage problems associated with our soils types and irrigation issues that results excess salt and selenium runoff..  In the fall they anticipate receiving funds form the Central Valley Project Improvement Act that will allow them to work on Upland Habitat Restoration.  They are working with Tulare County RCD and Tulare Lake RCD to obtain a watershed coordinator.  They are encouraging producers to apply for NRCS engine replacement program. 

Jeannie Habben for Chowchilla-Redtop RCD- There will be a Dairy Workshop on June11, 2009 at the Madera County Farm Bureau Office.  We are working on community outreach by going to the schools and community events and speaking about, and distributing information on, water issues and weeds.  We are also waiting for payments from the state. 

Vincent Moreno for Excelsior/Kings River RCD- They are working with the City of Hanford to attain satisfactory arsenic levels in their water.  They have been working with our producers to improve irrigation systems, they have 40 applications for micro-irrigation systems. 

Malia Hildebrandt  for Merced RCD –This weekend will be the River Fair the Riverdance Farm in Livingston.  Information is on our website.  Gustine/Romero RCD has been inactive but has recently started meeting again.  

Rob Roy mentioned that Columbia RCD is also still active in Madera County. 

Meeting adjourned by Tom Wheeler. 

Prepared by Mira dick