Governance Committee Meeting
Quality Inn
North Platte, Nebraska
Introduction
Ralph Morgenweck opened the meeting, welcomed members and guests, and introductions were made. Ralph announced that this would be his last meeting as chair and that Mike Besson would take over as chair at the August meeting. During the meeting, Mike asked that a vice-chair be selected at the August meeting.
Agenda and Minutes
Ralph asked if there were any changes to the agenda, and none were indicated.
The draft minutes of the June Governance Committee (GC) meeting were reviewed. Dale Strickland read suggested changes to the minutes, and the minutes were approved as amended.
Executive Director's Report
Dale Strickland reported that there have been two requests for disbursements since the June meeting totaling $11,662.72. The Land Committee requested payment for $2,473.95 for expenses, and the Outreach Committee requested $9,188.77 for printing costs. As of June 11, 1999, there had been a total of $6,874.15 paid for reimbursements.
Dale gave a presentation of his concept of how the Cooperative Agreement and proposed Program are proceeding and how the process might work in the future. Dale used a series of overheads and timelines to facilitate discussion on the direction that the Cooperative Agreement and proposed Program are going.
Dale noted that there are many significant steps that need to be accomplished before a Program can be implemented. One of these steps is the formation of the Governance structure that will oversee the entire process. The Governance structure will oversee Financial Measures, Land Measures, Water Measures, and Monitoring and Research Measures. Dale described how he sees each of these measures working and what will be needed to accomplish the tasks within them.
Dale's description of Land Measures led to a discussion regarding how much of the 2,650 acres in Cottonwood Ranch will be counted towards the 10,000 acres identified as being needed during the first increment. There was some difference of opinion over whether all of Cottonwood Ranch could be considered habitat for terns, plovers, or whooping cranes. Brian Barels noted that there is a management plan for Cottonwood Ranch that outlines what will be done to increase habitat for these and other species. It was also noted that the Cooperative Agreement and attachments appear to indicate the entire 2,650 acres will be credited to the program.
During the discussion of Water Measures, Margot Zallen noted that new depletion plans were needed from the three states this summer for use in the EIS. Colorado's plan have been made and presented to the GC. Nebraska and Wyoming both noted that their plans would not be available until September at the earliest, but they are working on them.
Several comments were made regarding demonstration projects. One question asked was how quickly Nebraska law can be tested regarding protection of flows. Jim Cook and Roger Patterson responded that a permit similar to a water right would need to be applied for before any other tests can be done. The entire process will likely need to be worked out on paper before doing the actual testing using demonstration water. Ralph Morgenweck also noted there are opportunities to conduct land demonstration projects and that most work on demonstration projects to date has been focused on water. Regardless of the demonstration project, monitoring of some sort will need to be done.
Brian Barels asked Dale to give the GC his assessment as Executive Director on where the process is and where it is going. Dale felt that the people involved in the process are pressed for time to do the work needed and that there is too much concern with individual agency or entity affiliations.
Committee Reports
Water Management Committee
John Lawson provided the report for the Water Management Committee (WMC). John noted that there were three main discussion topics from the previous July 13 meeting that he would be addressing:
- Peer Review,
- Water Conservation/Supply Study and comments received, and
- Demonstration projects.
The WMC spent the majority of the meeting discussing peer review of the Boyle Report and Action Plan. The discussion centered on three points:
- Should peer review be done?
- If peer review is done, what is the level of detail?
- When should peer review be conducted?
It was decided to peer review the Boyle Report as soon as possible after the draft is submitted in early August. This will result in the peer review being conducted in conjunction with development of the Action Plan. The peer review will be at a "reconnaissance level" to match the reconnaissance level of the Boyle Report. Peer review will focus on the content of the short list and the screening process. A subgroup was formed to work with the Executive Director's office in contacting the firms on the long list of potential contractors interested in conducting the Conservation/Supply Study and various universities. The budget will be $35,000.
Blaine Dwyer with Boyle Engineering briefed the WMC on the plans for responding to comments on the Water Conservation/Supply Study received as a result of the state meetings. The comments
- Disagreed with the report,
- Suggested areas for improvement and/or
- Suggested additional information.
One major item admittedly missed by Boyle was the potential of power interference as an alternative.
The WMC spent only limited time discussing demonstration projects. The subcommittee gave a short progress report and identified the potential projects they are looking into.
John also gave a brief report on the WMC/GC workshop that was held the previous afternoon (July 13, 1999). The meeting centered on a discussion of potential considerations that will be used in formulating the Action Plan. Items agreed to in working on the Action Plan were:
- Form a separate committee directly under the GC.
- There will be 10 members, one appointed by each GC member.
- There will be open participation.
- John Lawson will be the chair.
Margot Zallen asked if John or Boyle knew of any items besides on-farm conservation practices and power interference that need to be looked at in more detail. John noted that it may be too premature at this time to tell, and nothing else had come to his attention.
Brian Barels raised concerns with creating a new committee to work on and to write the Action Plan. One concern was that by creating a new committee there would be additional delays and that the WMC already has the expertise needed to do this project. The same people will be working on this subcommittee that are already on the WMC. Brian also had concerns regarding the tight time schedule and the limited amount of time people will have to work on the project. It was also noted that the GC would have final approval of the Action Plan.
Land Committee
Before Vernon Nelson and Rhodell Jameson, Land Committee (LC) co-chairs, gave their report, Ralph Morgenweck complimented them on the excellent job that they have done. He asked that they continue to be Land Committee co-chairs. Vernon replied that they would if the Shared-Staff of the Kearney Area Community Foundation continued to provide them with administrative assistance. The GC approved by consensus:
- The continued funding for the Shared-Staff services for the remainder of Year 3 of the Cooperative Agreement, and
- Vernon and Rhodell as co-chairs.
Vernon and Rhodell reported that there has been no LC meeting since May but that there will be a meeting August 9, 1999. The Land Ownership Entity white paper has been drafted and will be reviewed by the subcommittee. The co-chairs said that it contained the level of detail and content that they were looking for in the paper and that they are planning a facilitated workshop in September or October.
The co-chairs noted that Don Batie, Habitat Criteria Subcommittee Chair, is overloaded with his work. Vernon has asked Mark Czaplewski if he would serve as Co-chair on that Subcommittee. Mark agreed to the work, and the GC agreed to have co-chairs. Rhodell reported that Phase I of the Third Party Impact analysis is complete and the contractor is preparing for Phase II. The Mapping Subcommittee has worked with the Bureau of Reclamation in finishing high-resolution maps of the eight sites. The co-chairs reported that the Information and Education Subcommittee has been disbanded because the Outreach Committee is conducting the work.
Because the LC has not held a meeting for 2 months, they have used a monthly newsletter to help keep the committee members up-to-date on the work and progress of the subcommittees. Vernon said that he and Rhodell have received many positive comments on the newsletter and that they plan to continue its use.
Technical Committee
Jay Maher, Technical Committee (TC) Chair, reported on the June 28th and 29th meeting as well as other work being done by the TC. Jay noted that the TC has spent most of its time reviewing and revising the "Tern Document," using comments received from the GC and others. The same format will be used when drafting documents for the other species involved. Other working groups have been formed and are starting work on cranes, sturgeon, and "other species."
The TC is proposing a joint subcommittee with the LC to develop a Habitat Acquisition Plan. The Acquisition Plan will attempt to outline the initial allocation and distribution of land for the Program. It was noted that the allocations and distributions would change with additional information through the adaptive management process. Rhodell asked if a tentative date had been set for the first meeting. None had been.
Other items that the TC is working on are:
- A document to be used by the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Team in evaluating the research and monitoring for the Program;
- A draft protocol for monitoring tern and plover reproductive success; and
- Identification of protocols to be written.
Outreach Committee
Jeff Buettner, Outreach Committee (OC) Chair, reported that he had received lots of positive feedback on the recent newspaper insert in Nebraska and that Colorado had expressed interest in producing a similar item. During discussions, Wyoming indicated that they would also like to produce an insert for Wyoming newspapers. The OC will revise their budget request for the first quarter of Year 3 and include the cost for inserts in Colorado and Wyoming newspapers. Jeff reported that they are revising and reprinting Q/A brochures, plan to have an informational booth at state fairs and Husker Harvest Days, and have come to agreement on producing a video.
The GC and others discussed the usefulness of a video in relation to its costs. The BOR will be covering the costs of the video. Many spoke in favor of a video for aiding in delivering a consistent message and relaying to the public exactly what the Program will be attempting to accomplish. The issue of timing was also discussed. The video will be completed after the EIS and ROD are done and there is a Proposed Program. The video would not replace current outreach efforts but will be used as another outreach method. The GC reached consensus on moving forward with the video.
Finance Committee
Finance Committee (FC) Chair Mike Besson reported on the July 12 conference call. The FC approved expense vouchers and invoices submitted by the LC and OC. Dale Strickland will pay the vouchers and invoices out of his existing Year 2 budget. The FC also worked on several other topics:
- The FC has approved the Year 3 Executive Director's budget;
- All states have signed the contract with the Nebraska Community Foundation;
- The FC is holding a workshop July 30, 1999, in Lakewood to discuss crediting;
- States need to provide information on expenditures to Larry Schulz; and
- Groups selected to be in the Facilitation Pool will be offered an indefinite quantities contract with the Nebraska Community Foundation to facilitate their selection for specific tasks.
Milestone Reports
The states and districts will need to submit written quarterly reports to the Executive Director for distribution and posting on the web page. Jim Lutey provided a written report for the Department of the Interior (DOI).
Wyoming - Mike Besson indicated nothing new to report. Wyoming will be providing water activity reports for the year shortly.
Nebraska - Dayle Williamson reported no change in milestones. Nebraska is currently filling a position to focus on outreach relating to the Cooperative Agreement.
Colorado - Peter Evans reported that the Colorado Legislature has approved the remaining funds for Colorado's share of Cooperative Agreement activities.
Department of the Interior - Jim Lutey reported that the revised Baseline report was distributed and that he had additional copies, if needed. The USFWS provided the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission with additional funding requested under Section 6 of ESA to complete a review of tern, plover, and whooping crane data. The Mid-continental Ecological Services Center (MESC) in Ft. Collins is reviewing and updating the whooping crane model. In addition, BOR will be surveying the channel hydraulics at several key reaches of whooping crane use. The biological portion of the report from MESC will be completed in October, and the updated model will be completed by March 2000.
Curt Brown indicated that the Phase II of the Third Party Impact analysis has been started and the land status map will be completed soon for the central Platte region.
Future Governance Committee Meetings
August 18 - GC meeting, Herschler Building, Cheyenne WY, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
September 16 - Workshop with WMC, Hampton Inn, Golden CO, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
September 17 - GC meeting, FWS Regional Office, Lakewood CO 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
October 14 - Workshop with WMC, site to be determined in Nebraska, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
October 15 - Regular GC meeting, site to be determined in Nebraska. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Topic for discussion at the August meeting will be demonstration projects. The suggested topic for the
September or October meeting is the state's depletion estimates.
Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 12:40 p.m.
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contact any Governance Committee member.For comments and questions about this website, please email Buck Feist or call 406-247-7607