A/GVWC Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, August 5, 2006

AGV Watershed Council

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Minutes of August 5, 2006

A meeting of the board of directors of the Atascadero Creek Green Valley Creek Watershed Council was held at 375 Montgomery in Sebastopol on August 5, 2006. Directors Jean Redus, John Roberts, Stephen Fuller-Rowell, Dave Erickson and Bob Burke were present. Also present were Leslie Armstrong, Richard Miller and, for a portion of the meeting, Darrell Sukovitzen. Jean called the meeting to order at 10:10.
Minutes. The minutes of the June meeting were approved in the form previously circulated, as corrected by Jean.

Financial Matters. John gave a summary financial report, and stated that Council funds previously held at Bank of the West had been transferred into the Council's new account at WestAmerica Bank. He agreed to investigate whether Forest Unlimited still holds any AGVWC funds. John also briefly reported on the creek walk that had been held on July 2 on private property at the headwaters of Green Valley Creek.

NCRWQCB Meeting. John said that he would be attending the August 16 meeting of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, which will deal with in-stream flow monitoring.

Proposed Quarry Expansion. Darrell Sukovitzen of Forestville Citizens for Sensible Growth gave a detailed report on the proposed expansion of the Blue Rock Quarry in Forestville. He presented a copy of the environmental impact report submitted for the proposed expansion, which gave rise to several questions. Richard Miller supplemented Darrell's report.

Sonoma Wine Company. The proprietors of Sonoma Wine Company propose to double production at their winery in Graton, while reducing total water use and energy consumption. They held a meeting on August 1 to discuss their plans with interested parties. Jean and Dave attended the meeting and will include a detailed report on that meeting in the next issue of the Council newsletter.

General Plan Update. Stephen discussed recent changes to the letter drafted by the Sonoma County Water Coalition to address the water resources element of the County General Plan Update. The Board unanimously approved endorsement of the letter by the Council.

Dog Park. Dave worked with Jo Benz and the Community Clean Water Institute to do a baseline test of the water in the Atascadero tributary adjacent to the new off-leash dog run at Ragle Ranch Park. The test was taken before the dog run was opened for use, and it showed elevated levels of e. coli. CCWI sent out a notice after the results were verified.

Technology Matters. Dave reported that the Council's domain name has been renewed, and that he is now the administrator of such domain name. Dave agreed to meet with Zeno as soon as practical in order to be able to provide Stephen with login and password information, so that Stephen can assume the position of [web master?] Dave also reported on the two polls he has conducted through the list serve. It was agreed that while the results of the polls may be of limited value because of limited participation, they serve a useful function by identifying issues of concern.

Calendar of Events. Jean distributed a draft calendar for the upcoming year, which prompted discussion of several matters. Although September 9 is fast approaching, Jean will speak with Kimberly Burr and Larry Hanson to see if a creek walk can be held on the Martinelli ranch on that date. October 21 is the date selected for a creek cleanup effort, likely to be held where Atascadero Creek and Green Valley Creek cross primary roads. Richard agreed to speak with Fran Ryan about the possibility of organizing a clean-up effort on that date at the mouth of Green Valley Creek. Dave will be contacting the owners of properties at the headwaters of Atascadero Creek about a possible creek walk in that area at some future date. Bob will speak with Rick Coates about a tree planting project in November or December.

Goals and Visions. Jean agreed to call Joseph McIntyre about holding another session with the board to further discuss goals and visions for the Council, and "grounding the vision." In that regard, Dave said that he and Jean had met to discuss how the Council should deal with issues that are of interest, but that do not directly affect the watershed. While no resolution of that issue was arrived at, Dave proposed for consideration the concept of the Council acting in a manner akin to the League of Women Voters, whereby the Council would attempt to collect and present objective statements of factors on both (or all) sides of issues in the watershed. The directors agreed to discuss this concept further.

Communicating with Members. It was agreed that each month the secretary will publish approved minutes from the prior month on the Council list serve. In addition, Dave will continue to publish regular newsletters on the list serve. Jean agreed to help with the newsletter. And Stephen agreed to circulate to the list serve a copy of the "talking points" developed by the Water Coalition relating to the Water Resources Element of the General Plan Update.

The meeting adjourned at 12:45

Respectfully submitted,

Bob Burke
Secretary

AGV Watershed Council	Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Minutes of August 5, 2006


A meeting of the board of directors of the Atascadero Creek Green Valley Creek Watershed Council was held at 375 Montgomery in Sebastopol on August 5, 2006. Directors Jean Redus, John Roberts, Stephen Fuller-Rowell, Dave Erickson and Bob Burke were present. Also present were Leslie Armstrong, Richard Miller and, for a portion of the meeting, Darrell Sukovitzen. Jean called the meeting to order at 10:10. Minutes. The minutes of the June meeting were approved in the form previously circulated, as corrected by Jean. Financial Matters. John gave a summary financial report, and stated that Council funds previously held at Bank of the West had been transferred into the Council's new account at WestAmerica Bank. He agreed to investigate whether Forest Unlimited still holds any AGVWC funds. John also briefly reported on the creek walk that had been held on July 2 on private property at the headwaters of Green Valley Creek. NCRWQCB Meeting. John said that he would be attending the August 16 meeting of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, which will deal with in-stream flow monitoring. Proposed Quarry Expansion. Darrell Sukovitzen of Forestville Citizens for Sensible Growth gave a detailed report on the proposed expansion of the Blue Rock Quarry in Forestville. He presented a copy of the environmental impact report submitted for the proposed expansion, which gave rise to several questions. Richard Miller supplemented Darrell's report. Sonoma Wine Company. The proprietors of Sonoma Wine Company propose to double production at their winery in Graton, while reducing total water use and energy consumption. They held a meeting on August 1 to discuss their plans with interested parties. Jean and Dave attended the meeting and will include a detailed report on that meeting in the next issue of the Council newsletter. General Plan Update. Stephen discussed recent changes to the letter drafted by the Sonoma County Water Coalition to address the water resources element of the County General Plan Update. The Board unanimously approved endorsement of the letter by the Council. Dog Park. Dave worked with Jo Benz and the Community Clean Water Institute to do a baseline test of the water in the Atascadero tributary adjacent to the new off-leash dog run at Ragle Ranch Park. The test was taken before the dog run was opened for use, and it showed elevated levels of e. coli. CCWI sent out a notice after the results were verified. Technology Matters. Dave reported that the Council's domain name has been renewed, and that he is now the administrator of such domain name. Dave agreed to meet with Zeno as soon as practical in order to be able to provide Stephen with login and password information, so that Stephen can assume the position of [web master?] Dave also reported on the two polls he has conducted through the list serve. It was agreed that while the results of the polls may be of limited value because of limited participation, they serve a useful function by identifying issues of concern. Calendar of Events. Jean distributed a draft calendar for the upcoming year, which prompted discussion of several matters. Although September 9 is fast approaching, Jean will speak with Kimberly Burr and Larry Hanson to see if a creek walk can be held on the Martinelli ranch on that date. October 21 is the date selected for a creek cleanup effort, likely to be held where Atascadero Creek and Green Valley Creek cross primary roads. Richard agreed to speak with Fran Ryan about the possibility of organizing a clean-up effort on that date at the mouth of Green Valley Creek. Dave will be contacting the owners of properties at the headwaters of Atascadero Creek about a possible creek walk in that area at some future date. Bob will speak with Rick Coates about a tree planting project in November or December. Goals and Visions. Jean agreed to call Joseph McIntyre about holding another session with the board to further discuss goals and visions for the Council, and "grounding the vision." In that regard, Dave said that he and Jean had met to discuss how the Council should deal with issues that are of interest, but that do not directly affect the watershed. While no resolution of that issue was arrived at, Dave proposed for consideration the concept of the Council acting in a manner akin to the League of Women Voters, whereby the Council would attempt to collect and present objective statements of factors on both (or all) sides of issues in the watershed. The directors agreed to discuss this concept further. Communicating with Members. It was agreed that each month the secretary will publish approved minutes from the prior month on the Council list serve. In addition, Dave will continue to publish regular newsletters on the list serve. Jean agreed to help with the newsletter. And Stephen agreed to circulate to the list serve a copy of the "talking points" developed by the Water Coalition relating to the Water Resources Element of the General Plan Update. The meeting adjourned at 12:45 Respectfully submitted, Bob Burke Secretary