Minutes - Central Sierra Watershed For additional information on three watershed assessments in our local foothills, click on the link below:
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Articles by the Central
Sierra Watershed Management Committee |
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| Fifty Ways to Save Water | Noxious Weeds |
| Air Pollution | Fractured Rock and Hydrologic Cycle Diagrams |
| Drip Irrigation in your Garden | Water Saving Tips for home and business |
| Drought Tolerant Plants | Septic Systems |
| Erosion and Sediment Control | Dirty Water |
| Fire Safe - Fire Clearance | Yellow Star Thistle |
Please mark your 2010 calendars
| January
27, 2010 February 24, 2010 March 31, 2010 April 28, 2010 May 26, 2010 June 30, 2010 |
July
28,
2010
August 25, 2010 September 29, 2010 October 27, 2010 Nov./Dec. combined on December 8, 2010 |
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Agenda
CENTRAL SIERRA WATERSHED COMMITTEE Wednesday,
February 24, 2010
MEETING AGENDA 9:00 AM Coordinator/Facilitator:
Jeannie Habben
1.
Introductions 2.
Mission Statement 3.
Review of Minutes/Agenda 4.
Updates, Handouts & Extra Information for Committee Public
Comment 5.
Sustainable Forest and Community Collaborative
Mandy Vance Sierra Nevada Conservancy 6.
Project Updates
7.
Pending Grants & Grant Proposals
8.
Legislative/Regulatory Updates
9. Adjourn Next Meeting: March 31, 2010; 9:00 am to 12:00 noon
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CENTRAL SIERRA WATERSHED COMMITTEE Wednesday, January 27, 2010 9:00 AM MEETING MINUTES 9:00
AM
Coordinator/Facilitator:
Jeannie Habben
MEETING MINUTES
Coordinator/Facilitator:
Jeannie Habben
1. Introductions
2.
Mission Statement
Read by Don N. 3.
Review of Minutes/Agenda
The minutes were accepted as presented. Mandy Vance will do a presentation on the Sustainable
Forestry project at the next CSWC meeting on February 24. 4.
Updates, Handouts & Extra Information for Committee Public
Comment
5.
Upper Fresno River Watershed Assessment
Steve Blumenshine California
State University, Fresno
The presentation was as follows: Project Sampling Overview Field and Data Components
Storm events, Septic Influences, Sedimentation Influences Effects of Septic Systems status of septic systems on
landowners parcels in the watershed Siting
Strategy
Concentrations of failing/repaired septic systems
Potential for influences on surface waters
Proximity and clusters e.g. mostly dry channel, influence
downstream
Access Look
at
1. Nitrogen Products: Nitrate, Ammonia, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen
2. Stable Isotopes of Nitrogen: 15N : 14N
3. Microbes: Total Coliform, E.coli and Enterococcus (fecal
indicators) **Coarsegold Creek and the bridge in town; the area by the
Oakhurst Sewage Treatment Plan, and Poison Switch showed the Highest levels
of Nitrogen contaminants; high levels of Enterococcus and Total Coliform,
lower levels of E.coli. Sediment Sampling areas of the study: Landscape, Water
Quality, Fine Sediment (as an indicator of land use in the Watershed), and
Macro invertebrates. Based on invertebrates all sites were good except for
two sites in Coarsegold. The
Sampling sites scored using tolerance values derived from collected habitat
and water quality variables. Impervious Surface Cover Upper
Fresno River = ~4.5% Emerging
ISC threshold for demonstratable loss of aquatic system function and bio-
integrity is around 10%. Warning signs to look for: 1.
Changes in Hydrology (Baseflow, flow variability, frequency of maximum
flows) 2.
Changes in geomorphology (width and depth) 3.
The resulting changes in bio-integrity These studies were completed to look for whatever could give
the most information to be able to relate the findings of the conditions so
the results are usable for decision making.
They will at the conclusion of this study, write up the results and
give suggestions of what will be needed in the future to complete the
assessment. 6.
Project Updates
This
is a Sustainable Sierra Initiative project is modeled after the
Amador/Calaveras Consensus group. They
are looking to find economically feasible way to create green jobs such as a
Bio-mass utilization business that does not rely on logs.
This could be fuel reduction and economically sustainable.
They will be meeting the first Thursday of every month and will be
forming subcommittees to work on different areas.
Jeannie H shared the activity booklet that she created to
take to the schools to teach young students about their watershed.
The information was researched from articles and information on-line
and in the newspapers from a couple of my partners: the San Joaquin River
Parkway and Conservation Trust and the State Water Resources Control Board.
This will get printed at this point at a need to use basis; there is not
funding to do a mass printing at this time. She also shared that she worked
with Sierra Tel Internet to update the www.cfwatershed.org
website with an article Water Our Mountain Gold - an article
explaining practical and economical water saving tips for the home and
business. She partnered with
Madera County Natural Resource Conservation Service and Bobby Kamansky (of
the Southern Sierra IRWMP) to put together a Small Farm Curriculum Workshop.
One day before the event, NRCS had received only one RSVP so postponed the
workshop until the first part of 2010.
The timing was wrong with the holidays.
Jeannie
H shared Supervisor Tom Wheelers Town Hall Schedule for 2010. It was
reported that the Minarets High School is focusing on a Natural Resources
curriculum and CRCD has been working with them on their conservation
easement. Larry B shared maps that showed Fuel Treatment Projects completed
in 2010. The CRCD is also working on a fisheries plan for Redinger Lake and
Turkey habitat at the Kinsman Flat project.
Kinsman Flat will also be used as a five year training project for
the Department of Fish and Game. CRCD
will be partnering with NRCS and the Native American Tribes in the area to
give workshops and trainings on Tribal Lands.
Three are scheduled for this year.
Yesterday, Tuesday, January 26 the different groups/agencies
that wish to participate in the Regional Water Management Group (RWMG) got
together at the Madera County BOS Chambers and signed the MOU, They then met
and set the first official meeting of the RWMG. A couple weeks ago DWR held a Regional Roundtable to discuss
the next steps of the IRWMP. DWR stated that they need to work on the
clarification on the conditional approvals and what needs to be done to each
individual region that is dealing with that because you can not receive
implementation funds until the condition is met.
They also said that the draft guidelines for the next round of
funding will be out in a couple of weeks.
It will be up for public comment for about 30 days and then they will
move forward. There will be $30
million for planning with a cap of $1 mil for new plans and $500k for
updating plans. There is also
$100 mil for implementation grants.
They
had their first meeting of the year last Thursday.
Steve Sagouspe is the new chairperson for 2010.
They discussed the MOU between the Southern Sierra IRWMP and the
Madera Region but did not come to any agreement to sign it.
This
project is focusing on Education and Outreach.
Jeannie H has been making contact with the schools in the watershed
to find out who to work with on water and natural resource projects.
There will be various outreach/education programs for the adults as
well as the students in the watershed. A couple that are in process are: the
Watershed Stewardship Academy to train community leaders to be involve with
their watershed and the CA Water Resource Student Symposium that will be
like a Science Fair but focusing on water issues. For more information go to
www.sanjoaquinriver.org
Their next meeting is today at 1:00
in Clovis. They are working on
getting the communities more involved.
Management and Planning is currently being worked on; not just to get
a plan written but to make this plan useful in water management, give it
value. The Southern
Sierra IRWMP is moving forward to be accepted as a Region (remove the
conditional acceptance) and have signed the MOU with the Madera Region.
Madera has not yet signed the MOU though it was presented to the MC
Water Advisory Commission in January.
See above presentation notes.
They
are now working on their invasives grant for the Telegraph Fire area; there
is three years of funding for this project. The Briceburg Visitors Center is
up and running and the Park Service and BLM are providing staff during the
high visitation times. There
will be a Bird of Prey presentation on February 10 at 6:00 at the
Mid-Pines Community Hall. They
are working on a one or two day water catchment demonstration to be funded
by SNC. Terry M reported that Central
Cal. IRWMP has not been active since June 2009.
They are just getting started back up and are looking at revisiting
their regional boarders. They will be working on their conditional
acceptance and she has been
put in charge of outreach for this project.
The go ahead was received from DWR to resume work on this
project. At this time, the budget was reduced by about 1/3 of the
grant amount and there is still the plan for an April, 2010 completion
date. Jeannie H is working on data gathering; hitting every contact
that had been made in the past based on the project team and the project
breakdown by areas. Brandi M is
continuing to work with the Portal and she just received a new computer and
ArcView program to work on GIS for the project.
Parts of the Education and Outreach will blend in with the San
Joaquin Stewardship Project.
The
CHIP (Community Housing Improvement Program) Program is up and running and
they are looking to keep busy. Anyone
who needs chipping to be completed on their property who is 62 years of age
or older or disabled can have it done for free; everyone else there is a fee
of $25.00. Their goal was to do
200 acres and they have completed 100 so far.
They held the first Masters of Disaster program class to teach
kids disaster preparedness. They are assisting with the North Forks Earth
Day Celebration that will be on April 25. They are continuing their Ag
Nature Tourism classes to be held at: Fresno Ag Building on February 23,24,
and 25 and in Tulare on March 6, 13, and 20. 7.
Pending Grants & Grant Proposals
8.
Legislative/Regulatory Updates
9.
Adjourn Next Meeting: February 24, 2010; 9:00 am to 12:00 noon |
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