New River
Watershed Roundtable, Inc.
gateway at <www.vawatersheds.org/newriver> and website at <www.newriverroundtable.org>
shared calendar at <calendars.yahoo.com/newriverwatershedroundtable>
email<newriverwatershedroundtable@yahoo.com>
DRAFT Board Meeting Minutes DRAFT
ATTENDING (contact
lists attached to the archive copy)
Board (14)
Ranny Akers, David Bernard, Jorge Coartney, Liza Field, Roger Goughnour, Mike Harvey, Charlie Maus, Jerry Moles, Della Osbourne, Ron Powers, Bennie Quesenberry, Rick Roth, Dave Rundgren, Mike Skinner,
Others (19)
Pat Arvin (alt), Dale Black, Stuart Black, Gary Boring (TAC), Albert Crigger (VRWP), James Dillon (alt), Cynthia Hancock (ExComm), Rachel Havens (TAC), Darla Jennings (ExComm), Mike McLeod (TAC), Kelly Miller (TAC), Tim Ott (TAC), David Robertson (speaker), George Santucci (NCNR), Llyn Sharp (ExComm), Tom Smith (NRCS, Tazewell), Donnie Turner (River Cleanup Group), Violet Rose-Liddle (Wytheville), Gene Yagow (speaker)
Welcome: list of expected guests, sign in sheet
these are in the archive file for this meeting
Upcoming Events (check the webcalendar, too)
Stewardship
Minutes of January 06 meeting (motion to approve) Roth moved/Skinner second, approved
Treasurer’s report – Charlie Maus
(motion to accept) Roth moved/Field
second, accepted,
report attached to archive copy of minutes.
elected new Board member, Mr. Jorge
Coartney,
Executive Committee recommendation for an amendment
to bylaws to allow Alternates (motion to approve) Osbourne
moved/Skinner second, approved, attached to archive copy of minutes.
Report to the watershed on the Stroubles Creek TMDL-Implementation Plan
Gene Yagow, VT Biological Systems Engineering for VA-DEQ
Report is complete, now goes to DCR and DEQ
for approval then to EPA. The TMDL-IP Steering Committee hopes for a dialog
with NRWR Executive Committee to discuss cooperative efforts.They
have requested a watershed field coordinator thru 319 funding.
The role of the PDC and the Green Infrastructure Initiative
Dave Rundgren,
The PDC is putting together a steering
committee and educational components for Green Infrastructure (GI) Planning to get into localities. Want a Network Design for practices and
activities that would promote GI in the area.
Rick Roth offered a brief explanation of GI can give us a presentation
on these techniques at a future meeting; MD and NJ have active GI programs.
Grayson Grassroots LandCare Initiative
Jerry
Moles,
How do we keep open space in agriculture and
forestry landuses to help with water quality and
water quantity? Jerry has established an
active group of 60 people in
The concerns raised in this presentation sparked a discussion of water
rights and water quantity issues facing the watershed, summarized below in
“Other Discussion”
David
Robertson, VT
davidrobertson@vt.edu; Recommended reading Cities in the
Wilderness, Bruce Babbitt.
His website engine
http://www.publicecology.org/seed can be used free by groups to help them
communicate and work together.
LandCare has
roots in
Landcare is public investment of funds to organize public and private
landowners. Grayson Grassroots is
interested in their local area. USDA is
interested in the concept in the
Suggests a LandCare Focus Group? Dave was invited to come
meet with the Executive Committee to discuss further how we can work together.
Thanks to Darla Jennings of the Executive Committee for providing refreshments
Annual Meeting for
We need to plan for
this; Public Outreach Committee would normally take leadership.
Stakeholder survey and draft workplan
The Executive
committee developed a survey for board and committee members to help us develop
a new plan of work. Time was provided
for people to fill in the survey on-the-spot.
Surveys will also be sent to absent Board members. Answers to the survey will be used to refine
plans with the
Executive Committee
“State of the River” Project – Rick Roth
New River Symposium 2007, Rick has submitted Community Foundation proposal
Draft Steeering
Committee Report for 2004-05 (edits to llyn@vt.edu) Llyn handed out
a hard copy, needs feedback to fill in the gaps.
Focus Groups Committee
Forestry Focus
Group They are having a workshop in Galax April 20,
see the webcalendar for more information.
david.richert@dof.virginia.gov
River Cleanup
Focus Group They will be meeting here immediately after the
board meeting.
Claytor
Dam FERC Relicensing Scoping Meetings and
Comments Darla Jennings is compiling
comments for Friends of Claytor Lake and will be glad
to compile NRWR comments as well.
I-81 draft EIS and public comment
period Comments from the Transportation
Focus Group were mostly addressing landscaping (less mowing, chemicals) and
The LandCare presentation sparked discussion of water quantity issues, especially as related to agricultural withdrawals (currently not requiring permits). Della Osbourne has been following this issue in the VA legislature, HB 1185 addresses water rights. Bennie Quesenberry also has been involved in working with the Farm Bureau and legislation. There is concern about instream flows and freedom of instream withdrawals, especially by agricultural uses, and from first order headwaters streams.
Mike McLeod (DEQ, TAC)
will check on status of the Bill.
David Bernard says
that legal situations are very different in the East and West of
Interbasin transfers will become more of an
issue. Charlie Maus
says these have been studied. George Santucci says these may be impossible in NC. We can expect to see them in VA under current
regs. Gary
Boring says that water supply/demand will drive towards permits on all
withdrawals (including agriculture) and fairness to ag. uses will have to be
pushed.
Mike Harvey reflects
on energy in this discussion and points out that we may want to revisit our mission
to include water quantity concerns. Dave
Rundgren agrees; PDC is doing water supply planning
with the localities right now and so water quantity is on their minds.
Suggestion from Darla Jennings for future board meetings was to have a few Board members report about their county or organizations activities of interest to NRWR.
Suggestion from Liza Field to take 15 minutes in each Board meeting to discuss water quantity and water quality because they impact everything.
Dale Black points out that you need policymakers to understand these concerns in order for the organization to be effective. Policymakers are key to effecting change.
NEXT MEETINGS check the web Announcements and web Calendar for updates
Board Meetings quarterly
Executive Committee Meetings monthly
Forestry Focus Group
River Cleanup Focus Group
NOTES