Flathead Conservation District 133 Interstate Lane, Kalispell, MT Phone: Fax: Web site:

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1 Flathead Conservation District 133 Interstate Lane, Kalispell, MT Phone: Fax: Web site: CALL TO ORDER & ATTENDANCE: Chairman Ronald Buentemeier called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. in the conference room. Board members present: Ronald Buentemeier, Chairman; Pete Woll, Vice Chairman; Camisha Sawtelle, Secretary/Treasurer; Dean Sirucek, Supervisor; John Ellis, Supervisor; Mark Siderius, Supervisor; Verdell Jackson, Supervisor being a quorum of the Board. Also in attendance were: Lori Curtis, Associate Supervisor; Valerie Kurth, Ginger Kauffman and Kari Musgrove, FCD staff; Angel Rosario, NRCS; Jimmy Deats. MINUTES: Discussion held. Dean Sirucek made a motion to approve the April 13, 2015, 310- Stream Permit meeting minutes as presented. Mark Siderius seconded. Motion carried unanimously. CORRESPONDENCE: 1. Final MACD legislative News from the Front 2. Missoula CD 2015 Conservation Day Tour, May 6, 9:30 AM 3:00 PM, Rock Creek, showcasing the Five Valleys Land Trust Rock Creek Confluence Project; and Retirement party invitation for Tara Comfort, Missoula CD, May 6, 3:00 P.M., Rock Creek, after the tour. 3. Copy of letter from ACOE to landowners (Missoula County) regarding violation for unauthorized discharge of dredged material into wetlands abutting Rumble Creek tributary, also affecting Swan River and Flathead Lake. 4. Lewis & Clark CD newsletter The Explorer 5. MT Dept. of Ag & the Ag Development Council Growth through Agriculture program, applications due May 4, Comments regarding wild & free roaming Bison, due April 30, contact or brhodes@blm.gov. 7. March 26 meeting summary from the Montana Watershed Coordination Council 8. Applications for DNRC Reclamation and Development Grants program (RDGP), due May 8, 2015, contact or April 14 issue of MACD The Montana Conservationist FINANCIAL: The following bills were reviewed: 1. Byte Savvy $ CenturyLink $ MontanaSky Networks $ MSU $ VISA $ Mark Siderius made a motion to approve the bills as presented. Camisha Sawtelle seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 1

2 PUBLIC COMMENT: No one was present to comment on items not listed on the agenda. EDUCATION GRANT REQUEST: Lori Curtis, Whitefish Lake Institute, made a request to the Board for an Education Grant in the amount of $910 for supplies to use for a re-vegetation project along Cow Creek. 310 s OSBORN LANDING, FL , Swan River, brush trimming: Discussion held. Pete Woll made a motion to approve the application as submitted per Pete Woll s and Leo Rosenthal s team member reports. The 15-day waiting period is waived. Mark Siderius seconded. Motion carried unanimously. GROGAN, FL , Flathead River, debris removal: Discussion held. Ronald Buentemeier made a motion to approve the application as submitted per phone poll of the Board. The 15-day waiting period is waived with concurrence by FWP. Dean Sirucek seconded. Motion carried unanimously. NEW BUSINESS BUDGET (END OF MONTH REPORT - March 2015): The March 2015 End of Month budget report was reviewed with the board. Discussion held. Pete Woll made a motion to approve the March 2015 End of Month budget report as presented. Camisha Sawtelle seconded. Motion carried unanimously. ROLLING RIVERS TRAILER AGREE: Discussion held. Mark Siderius made a motion to approve the Montana Mobile Education Center User Agreement with Lake CD to use the Rolling Rivers trailer in May. Verdell Jackson seconded. Motion carried unanimously. WORDPRESS TRAINING: Discussion held. Dean Sirucek made a motion to pay travel/meal/room costs for Kate Arpin for the WordPress training in July. Verdell Jackson seconded. Motion carried unanimously. PERSONNEL POLICY DRAFT UPDATES: Discussion held. Mark Siderius made a motion to approve the update to the Personnel Policy regarding IRA accounts. Camisha Sawtelle seconded. Motion carried unanimously. WATERSHED RESTORATION PLANNING: Valerie Kurth and Dean Sirucek reported that the recently completed Flathead-Stillwater Planning Area TMDL listed seven impaired waterbodies within the Whitefish River, Stillwater River, and Ashley Creek watersheds. They asked if the district would be interested in providing leadership to coordinate projects (watershed restoration plan - WRP), potentially seek a Big Sky Watershed Corp (BSWC) member, and apply for funding. Discussion held. Pete Woll made a motion to proceed with a proposal and budget. Mark Siderius seconded. Motion carried with one no vote. SUMMER EDUCATION: Valerie Kurth reported that Kari Musgrove is interested in participating in local outreach programs for the summer. Discussion held regarding Resource Conservationist s approval authority for Assistant Conservationist s participation in local outreach programs. The board stated they want to know what FCD staff is involved in. 2

3 SOCIAL MEDIA & DIGITAL STRATEGY TRAINING: Discussion held. Dean Sirucek made a motion to approve Kari Musgrove attending the June 4 th Social Media & Digital Strategy Workshop. Camisha Sawtelle seconded. Motion carried unanimously. WEED TRAINING: Discussion held. Camisha Sawtelle made a motion to approve staff attending the May 20 th Weed Training in Ronan. Mark Siderius seconded. Motion carried unanimously. LICENSING FEES SYMPHONY OF THE SOIL: Discussion held. Dean Sirucek made a motion to approve the licensing fee, for up to 3 different times, to show the Symphony of the Soil movie. Camisha Sawtelle seconded. Motion carried unanimously. FLATHEAD RIVER COMMISSION BY-LAWS: Discussion held. Mark Siderius made a motion to approve the updated Flathead River Commission by-laws. Verdell Jackson seconded. Motion carried unanimously. LOGO: Discussion held. Pete Woll made a motion to stay with the original logo we had prior to the logo on paper. The motion died for lack of second. John Ellis made a motion to stay with the current logo. Pete Woll seconded. Motion carried with 4 yes, 3 opposed. REPORTS NRCS REPORT: Angél Rosario, NRCS, reported: EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) - 8 applications approved for funding - $112,000 - June 1 Deadline to apply for 2016 funds - Riparian tree planting project CSP (Conservation Stewardship Program) - New sign-up and renewals WRP (Wetland Reserve Program) - Lost Trail Project update Other - New NRCS State Conservationist Lisa Coverdale - Inter-Agency meeting - Arbor Day Soil Station - Local Working Group meeting planned - Snow Report RESOURCE CONSERVATIONIST REPORT: Valerie Kurth reported: Cost-Share Program: I updated the program information on the District website, and, so far, we have had four inquiries about the program. Floodplain: Earlier this year, the Board requested that I compile some local examples of Floodplain Development Permit difficulties. I spoke to two landowners who had encountered difficulties (excessive expense and time required) in obtaining the permits. I also reviewed the Trumbull Creek project notes, but I was unable to clearly separate out the costs that were directly related to floodplain permitting. Discussion held. Mark Siderius stated the Flathead River Commission will move forward with this issue. 3

4 Haskill Basin Watershed Council (HBWC): The road survey at the culvert on Haskill Basin Road was completed on 3/27/15 and HBWC met on 4/14/15. We discussed approaching the Flathead County Roads and Bridges Department to move the culvert replacement project forward, and I am researching potential avenues for funding. We also discussed working with the City of Whitefish regarding concerns about the Reservoir Management Plan. The next HBWC meeting will be on 5/19/15. Legislative: I continue to monitor Conservation District-related legislation via MACD and DNRC. Office 1. I made fillable PDF forms for the supervisor time and mileage sheets, as well as one for the education grant program. I plan to create forms for the rest of our programs, the 310 application, and our employee timesheets. 2. I drafted an update to the personnel policy on employee retirement programs. 3. Aaron Clausen will be using office space in our back room as needed during the month of June. 4. I purchased some shelves for the back room. Ginger Kauffman and Dean Sirucek helped assemble them, and Megan Stockfisch helped organize District materials on them. The next task is to organize the shed. Outreach: I presented a floodplain lesson with the Rolling Rivers Trailer for Flood Awareness Day. Pete Woll helped with logistics, and Dave Martin met with me on 4/17/15 to help me plan the lesson. River Steward and River2Lake Initiative (R2L): The R2L partners met on 3/25/15 and the River Steward partners met on 4/1/15. The Flathead Land Trust is organizing a Bird and Bike Tour in the Smith Lake area on May 16, 2015 (starting and ending at the Kila pub; 8.5 miles of biking). There will also be a Flathead River float and a West Valley birding event later this year. Seedling Program: The seedlings were delivered on 4/20/15. Dean Sirucek helped me pick them up and unload them. The District helped six landowners purchase over 400 seedlings for conservation projects this year. Sourcebook Curriculum Project: I met with Lori Curtis on 4/9/15, and we are revising the project calendar and updating the budget. Trainings and Meetings 1. I attended a workshop on the Emerald Ash Borer that was put on by the Montana State University Extension on 4/2/ Webinar Understanding the best role and focus for your board of directors, 4/7/ Flathead Basin Commission monitoring meeting on 4/7/15 and board meeting on 4/8/ DEQ water quality standards meeting on 4/13/ Inter-agency meeting 4/22/ I am collaborating with MACD to organize a WordPress training in July. 4

5 Upcoming 1. I will present watershed lessons using the Rolling Rivers Trailer to 5 th graders at Edgerton Elementary School on 4/29/ Local Working Groups 30 minutes before our next business meeting (5/26/15). ASSISTANT CONSERVATIONIST REPORT: Kari Musgrove reported Meetings attended: Recreation Superintendent, 4/2/15 Audubon, 4/6/15 What s Going On Show, Earth Day, 4/7/15 KAJ 18 Interview, Earth Day, 4/8/15 Teacher Appreciation, 4/8/15 Downtown Meeting, 4/14/15 Flathead River Commission, 4/20/15 KGEZ, Earth Day & Family Forestry Expo, 4/21/15 Earth Day Event - April 22: people attended the screening of Symphony of the Soil at Flathead Valley Community College. People responded positively to the movie. I had opportunity to tell them a little bit about FCD history and 310 permits. Flood Awareness Day - April 23: Event was held at the Fairgrounds with 94 Flathead High School 9 th grade students, 23 Providers, and 6 Stations. Participating agencies/companies included Flathead CD, Army Corps of Engineers, DNRC, Flathead County Road Dept., City of Kalispell, Flathead Lakers River Steward and Montana Healthy Water. Education Grants: Education Grant request presentations are scheduled for the May 310 & business meetings. Our education grant application is now a fillable form. The June 8 th 310- meeting will be the last meeting requests can be presented. The grant requests will be reviewed at the June business meeting. College Scholarships: The students have all been notified, awards printed, and the career centers have been informed. Now we just are waiting for the students to turn in the rest of their information. The career centers will contact the FCD office closer to graduation. Family Forestry Expo: Ronald Buentemeier will be thanked publicly, May 9, at 10:30 & 1:30 for his support of Expo. Paul McKenzie will talk about the forest named in Ron s honor and the new sign. MEEA Conference: The Noxious Weed Education Program Coordinator for the state, Shantell Frame-Martin, sent us weed education materials. Beacon ads: Earth Day event ad 5

6 FLATHEAD BASIN COMMISSION REPORT (FBC): Dean Sirucek reported a meeting was held April 8 in Hungry Horse. The agenda included Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) station at Browning (Dean noted a boat from Nevada carrying AIS was stopped only a few days ago), Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (CFAC)/EPA listing, DEQ specifications/regulations for sewage pump-out for boats, Water Quality Monitoring plan, new legislative bills (LC2257 AIS Trust Fund passed with no funding tied to it & LC2292 extending inspection authority to local governments passed). FBC also has a new Chairman. The next meeting will be held June 24 in Pablo at Tribal headquarters. FLATHEAD COUNTY PLANNING BOARD: Dean Sirucek reported the next meeting is May 13, with subdivision review & work on Whitefish doughnut proposals on the agenda. MACD REPORT: Pete Woll reported the MACD board phone call today included discussion on the funding bill currently in the legislature. Pete noted that last week during Flood Day, he talked to Mark Campbell at the Fairgrounds regarding available space for the district. Mark said the fairgrounds will only be updating the accommodations for food booths. They want the district and other resource agencies to continue attending. WHITEFISH CITY PLANNING BOARD: John Ellis reported code text amendments were worked on during the April 16 th meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for May 21. FLATHEAD RIVER COMMISSION (FRC): Mark Siderius reported BJ Grieve, Flathead County Planning spoke about floodplain permitting. FRC will keep moving ahead with the flood plain permitting issue. The April 20 th meeting also included review of FRC by-laws, Flood Elevation meeting, and creating a display board for FRC at the fair. The next meeting is scheduled for May 18. HASKILL BASIN WATERSHED COUNCIL: Camisha Sawtelle reported a meeting was held April 14, which included City Reservoir Management plan, Forest Plan Revision, Whitefish Face Working Group plan for fuels reduction, and Valerie Kurth presented the results of the Haskill Creek culvert survey. CLARK FORK TASK FORCE (CFTF): Verdell Jackson reported the Water Supply Forum (WSF) included stream flow conditions, warmer summer temperatures, and noted Flathead Lake should be at full pool by June 15. The CFTF meeting held after the WSF included Kootenai Basin, maintaining water availability, AIS, and legislative bills. Next CFTF meeting is September 21. Discussion held regarding exempt wells, gallons per minute, and water rights. SOURCEBOOK CURRICULUM PROJECT: Lori Curtis reported she spoke on the Sourcebook Curriculum Project at the Clark Fork Symposium in Missoula. Aaron Clausen also attended and gave a very good presentation. The draft format of the next phase of the Sourcebook Curriculum Project is being worked on. The project is on task and budget. 6

7 MATTERS OF THE BOARD/STAFF - COPIER SERVICE AGREEMENT - FY 2015/2016 BUDGET MACD CONVENTION The next 310 Stream Permit meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 11, 2015, 7:00 P.M. in the conference room of the USDA building at 133 Interstate Lane, Kalispell, MT. ADJOURNMENT: Dean Sirucek made a motion to adjourn. Camisha Sawtelle seconded. Motion carried unanimously. As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 P.M. Submitted By: Ginger Kauffman, Administrator Minutes approved by FCD Board motion made on: 5/11/2015 Ronald Buentemeier Chairman (Date) (Signature) (Title - Chairman, Vice-Chairman, etc.) 7