Final Minutes
Land Committee Meeting

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Rhodell Jameson at 7:05 p.m.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

There were no corrections or additions to the June 14, 2001 Land Committee (LC) meeting minutes. The minutes stand approved.

Executive Director Report

Clayton Derby reported that the last Governance Committee (GC) meeting was held in Denver, CO on July 18, 2001. Derby gave a summary of the meeting, stating that the channel stability issue is continuing to be investigated by the states through Parson's Engineering; work continues on the new milestones in the Cooperative Agreement (CA) Extension Document; a Good Neighbor Policy subcommittee has been formed and one conference call meeting has taken place; and work is still underway for the Habitat Protection Plan (HPP).

Carroll Sheldon once again requested that a Peer Review Committee be formed to study and review the finalized elements of the proposed Program. Jameson stated that neither he nor Nelson were able to attend the last GC meeting, therefore the Peer Review request has not been taken before the GC. Sheldon noted that he would be taking the request to the September GC meeting.

Discussion was held concerning the problems addressing the potential economic impacts on sand and gravel operations. Carl Roberts, real estate manager for Lyman-Richey Corporation, reviewed all aspects of aggregate mining in central Nebraska. He specifically noted the importance of coming to an agreement between needs of wildlife habitat and those of the mining industry (see attachment).

Land Component Workshop Summary

Jameson reported that both he and Nelson attended the June 20-21, 2001 Land Component Workshop. Work is being done to compile information for the Land Component Policy Statement. Draft minutes are now being circulated from the workshop for review.

Good Neighbor Policy

Jameson noted that the Good Neighbor Policy is crucial to the success of the CA. The purpose of the policy is to avoid future litigation by eliminating or minimizing impacts to neighbors or correcting damages directly caused by implementation of the Program. This policy is intended to address instances, if any, when Program activities on Program lands have unintended consequences on neighboring lands. Jameson noted details to the policy are still being worked through. Meetings will continue to be held in the form of conference calls.

TNC Proposal

Details of the TNC proposal are still being compiled. A target date of October 1, 2001 has been set to submit the proposal to the LC.

Land Holding Entity

Work is still in progress considering land holding entities. It was noted that several entities would be considered before a final decision was made.

Land Advisory Committee

Jameson reviewed the purpose of the committee is to provide representation from the public to the GC. The committee will offer policy recommendations, course of action recommendations, work with contractors, and communication to and from local interests and stakeholders. Representatives include: one each from Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Bureau of Reclamation, USFWS, local utilities, an environmentalist, and three local Nebraska representatives.

Future Depletion Plans

A future depletion plan meeting will be held on August 2, 2001, for discussion on the state and federal processes for implementing their respective depletion plans.

Land Offer Form

Derby stated the Land Offer form has been completed and approved by the GC. Anyone interested in offering land for the Program can contact either LC chairman, Executive Director's office, or LC secretary. The form is private and confidential and is a simple tracking method for those interested in offering land.

Land Action Plan Outline

A compilation of all LC documents and related milestones is being put together in a notebook for easy reading and access. Work on the compilation is still beginning and will be completed before Program implementation.

Habitat Protection Plan

Mark Czaplewski reported that members of the HPP Task Force last met June 14, 2001. Work is still underway on many significant components of the plan, such as proper language, adaptive management, milestones, etc, and is being reviewed by others. No future meeting dates have been set at this time.

Other Business

Sheldon requested that future Nebraska GC meetings be held in Kearney, rather than other towns such as Ogallala or Scottsbluff. Sheldon also stated that more information would be given at the next LC meeting regarding sand and gravel operations and piping plover.

Jameson noted the importance of the public voicing their comments or concerns. From this, the LC chairmen can actively represent the public to the GC.

Questions were taken with discussion following.

Upcoming Meetings

It was agreed by consensus that the next LC meeting will be held in November 2001. No specific date was set at this time.

The GC will meet September 14, 2001 in Cheyenne, WY.

Adjournment

Jameson adjourned the meeting at 8:05 p.m.