A/GVWC Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, February 2, 2008

AGV Watershed Council

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Minutes of February 2, 2008

Minutes of Meeting of the Board of Directors of The Atascadero / Green Valley Watershed Council February 2, 2008
A meeting of the board of directors of the Atascadero / Green Valley Watershed John Roberts, Jean Redus, Zeno Swijtink and Bob Burke were present. Also present were Chris Choo and Brittany Heck of the Gold Ridge RCD, and David Erickson. Jean called the meeting to order at 10:10.

Minutes. The minutes of the previous board meeting had been reviewed and approved by the directors by email, and were thereafter distributed to the Council's list serve.

Financial Report. John reported that the only recent financial activity was the expenditure of $110 as payment for one-half of the rent for the facilities for the debate by the announced candidates for 5th District Supervisor. The Council had co-sponsored the debate, which was moderated by our own Stephen Fuller-Rowell. John and Jean, who attended the debate, gave brief reports. By all accounts, it was a valuable event.

Development Permit. Zeno reported that he had received a call from a watershed resident, reporting that work had begun (but apparently was subsequently red-tagged) on a large warehouse project on property on Ross Road, near the intersection with Green Valley Road. The property may be partially in the wetlands of the Atascadero Creek. The directors discussed the possible detrimental effects (such as potential loss of wetlands) and beneficial effects (noting that the business in question provides employment for a substantial number of local residents). The directors agreed it is premature for the Council to take any position on the proposed development, but also agreed that it is important for all applicable processes to be followed in any development project. Dave agreed to contact the County Permit and Resource Development Department to learn about the status of permits for the development.

Goals of the Council. Zeno expressed his view that the long-term planning undertaken by the directors two years ago appears to not have been finalized or fully implemented. It was agreed that revisiting the question of goals and objectives for the Council would be appropriate. Jean will try to find a date in March for a special meeting of directors for that purpose.

Gold Ridge RCD Watershed Management Plan. Bob reported on the meeting he, Stephen and Larry Hanson recently had with the staff of the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District on the RCD's proposal to develop a watershed management plan for the Green Valley Creek watershed (exclusive of the Atascadero watershed). (Zeno, the fourth member of the Council's committee working with the RCD on this project, had been out of town and unable to attend the meeting.) The RCD's proposal to develop the plan was recently approved by the California Coastal Conservancy, which will provide a substantial percentage of the required funding. An example of a watershed management plan created by the RCD can be seen on its website, at <http://www.goldridgercd.org/documents.htm>http://www.goldridgercd.org/documents.htm Bob introduced Chris Choo and Brittany Heck of the RCD, who will be working on the project. Chris and Brittany described the proposed project for the Green Valley Watershed and reported on similar projects the RCD has done in the Estero Americano and the Salmon Creek Watershed. The RCD expects to appoint a Technical Advisory Committee for the project in the next two months or so. Our watershed council can provide assistance to the RCD on this project in a number of ways, such as serving on the Technical Advisory Committee, assisting with outreach, and providing monitoring data and resources for the initial study of the watershed.

Minutes of Meetings. Zeno said he believes the procedure of the directors approving minutes by email shortly after a meeting, rather than reviewing the minutes at the subsequent meeting, has led to a loss of memory or loss of follow-up. Bob noted that the board had adopted the current procedure in order to get minutes out to the Council's list serves as soon as possible, so that people were not reading minutes that were more than a month old. Jean agreed to maintain an action-items list, and the board will continue to try to finalize and distribute minutes as promptly as possible after each meeting.

Carbon Neutral Watershed. Dave, who works full-time with the Sonoma County Climate Protection Campaign, shared his thoughts on the goal of having a carbon neutral watershed, which would require a thoughtful community climate action plan. This plan would address the specific issues stemming from our rural lifestyle, where most residents have their own well, septic tank and propane services.

West County Wastewater Issues. John reported briefly on recent developments in Camp Meeker and Monte Rio. He directed board members to an article by Brenda Adelman in the West County Gazette on the subject, which can be found at <http://www.westcountygazette.com/editions/news200801_westcountywastewater.html>http://www.westcountygazette.com/editions/news200801_westcountywastewater.html

Communications (West County Gazette) ˆ John reported that Vesta Copestakes of the West County Gazette has agreed enthusiastically to print AGVWC articles each month. John and Jean will meet and get the first article ready for the March issue.

State Water Board Draft North Coast Instream Flow Policy. John gave a short report on a meeting he attended concerning this policy. The comment period on this draft policy has been extended to May 1, 2008.

Next Meeting. Zeno agreed to invite Jo Benz of the North Coast Water Quality Control Board and perhaps Abby Myers of the Bodega Land Trust to speak about the federal Wetlands Conservation Act. Brittney suggested that Gene Cooley from Fish and Game might be interested in wetlands projects in our watershed.

The meeting adjourned at 12:00

Respectfully submitted,

Bob Burke Secretary

AGV Watershed Council	Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Minutes of February 2, 2008


Minutes of Meeting of the Board of Directors of The Atascadero / Green Valley Watershed Council February 2, 2008 A meeting of the board of directors of the Atascadero / Green Valley Watershed John Roberts, Jean Redus, Zeno Swijtink and Bob Burke were present. Also present were Chris Choo and Brittany Heck of the Gold Ridge RCD, and David Erickson. Jean called the meeting to order at 10:10. Minutes. The minutes of the previous board meeting had been reviewed and approved by the directors by email, and were thereafter distributed to the Council's list serve. Financial Report. John reported that the only recent financial activity was the expenditure of $110 as payment for one-half of the rent for the facilities for the debate by the announced candidates for 5th District Supervisor. The Council had co-sponsored the debate, which was moderated by our own Stephen Fuller-Rowell. John and Jean, who attended the debate, gave brief reports. By all accounts, it was a valuable event. Development Permit. Zeno reported that he had received a call from a watershed resident, reporting that work had begun (but apparently was subsequently red-tagged) on a large warehouse project on property on Ross Road, near the intersection with Green Valley Road. The property may be partially in the wetlands of the Atascadero Creek. The directors discussed the possible detrimental effects (such as potential loss of wetlands) and beneficial effects (noting that the business in question provides employment for a substantial number of local residents). The directors agreed it is premature for the Council to take any position on the proposed development, but also agreed that it is important for all applicable processes to be followed in any development project. Dave agreed to contact the County Permit and Resource Development Department to learn about the status of permits for the development. Goals of the Council. Zeno expressed his view that the long-term planning undertaken by the directors two years ago appears to not have been finalized or fully implemented. It was agreed that revisiting the question of goals and objectives for the Council would be appropriate. Jean will try to find a date in March for a special meeting of directors for that purpose. Gold Ridge RCD Watershed Management Plan. Bob reported on the meeting he, Stephen and Larry Hanson recently had with the staff of the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District on the RCD's proposal to develop a watershed management plan for the Green Valley Creek watershed (exclusive of the Atascadero watershed). (Zeno, the fourth member of the Council's committee working with the RCD on this project, had been out of town and unable to attend the meeting.) The RCD's proposal to develop the plan was recently approved by the California Coastal Conservancy, which will provide a substantial percentage of the required funding. An example of a watershed management plan created by the RCD can be seen on its website, at <http://www.goldridgercd.org/documents.htm>http://www.goldridgercd.org/documents.htm Bob introduced Chris Choo and Brittany Heck of the RCD, who will be working on the project. Chris and Brittany described the proposed project for the Green Valley Watershed and reported on similar projects the RCD has done in the Estero Americano and the Salmon Creek Watershed. The RCD expects to appoint a Technical Advisory Committee for the project in the next two months or so. Our watershed council can provide assistance to the RCD on this project in a number of ways, such as serving on the Technical Advisory Committee, assisting with outreach, and providing monitoring data and resources for the initial study of the watershed. Minutes of Meetings. Zeno said he believes the procedure of the directors approving minutes by email shortly after a meeting, rather than reviewing the minutes at the subsequent meeting, has led to a loss of memory or loss of follow-up. Bob noted that the board had adopted the current procedure in order to get minutes out to the Council's list serves as soon as possible, so that people were not reading minutes that were more than a month old. Jean agreed to maintain an action-items list, and the board will continue to try to finalize and distribute minutes as promptly as possible after each meeting. Carbon Neutral Watershed. Dave, who works full-time with the Sonoma County Climate Protection Campaign, shared his thoughts on the goal of having a carbon neutral watershed, which would require a thoughtful community climate action plan. This plan would address the specific issues stemming from our rural lifestyle, where most residents have their own well, septic tank and propane services. West County Wastewater Issues. John reported briefly on recent developments in Camp Meeker and Monte Rio. He directed board members to an article by Brenda Adelman in the West County Gazette on the subject, which can be found at <http://www.westcountygazette.com/editions/news200801_westcountywastewater.html>http://www.westcountygazette.com/editions/news200801_westcountywastewater.html Communications (West County Gazette) ˆ John reported that Vesta Copestakes of the West County Gazette has agreed enthusiastically to print AGVWC articles each month. John and Jean will meet and get the first article ready for the March issue. State Water Board Draft North Coast Instream Flow Policy. John gave a short report on a meeting he attended concerning this policy. The comment period on this draft policy has been extended to May 1, 2008. Next Meeting. Zeno agreed to invite Jo Benz of the North Coast Water Quality Control Board and perhaps Abby Myers of the Bodega Land Trust to speak about the federal Wetlands Conservation Act. Brittney suggested that Gene Cooley from Fish and Game might be interested in wetlands projects in our watershed. The meeting adjourned at 12:00 Respectfully submitted, Bob Burke Secretary