Minutes of December 5, 2007 Watershed Council Meeting:

Minutes:
The meeting began at 7:14 pm at the Philomath City Hall, with introductions all around, including the length of time each of us had been associated with the MRWC.

Announcements: Colby Davidson received the National Wildlife Federation youth award in Washington, DC for his work with the Council and ODFW documenting presence of Cutthroat trout in Newton Creek that led to the dam removal.

Coordinator Reports:
Sandra Coveny gave her coordinator report, touching on some of the proposals and projects that the council has been associated with over the past decade. Special mention was made of Rock Creek, for which we have requested considerable funding ($700, 000) from OWEB, ODFW and Siuslaw Stewardship Partnership. The Watershed Council and Marys Peak Stewardship Group have facilitated communications among partners (City of Corvallis, Forest Service and private landowners) to proceed on restoration of the Rock Creek sub-watershed. Sandra reported that the membership of the MRWC is about 84 people, with a Steering Committee of 6, and that funds have allowed us to hire a bookkeeper. Our successes have led us to re-examine our organizational structure.

Karen Fleck Harding provided highlights of education, outreach and project management over the past month. MRWC will join Philomath School District and Oregon Trout in co-hosting the OFRI Forestry/Natural Resources Education Summit in Philomath in June. Riparian planting, invasive removal and livestock fencing project in Wren with 4 landowners was completed. This was a pilot project for the Oregon Trout Streambank Webtool. PHS Ecology students and additional volunteers assisted with the planting. Oak Restoration project (funded by LIP) got underway in Wren. PHS students did a mortality inventory on Newton Creek and found about 70% survival on this difficult site (due to historic disturbance and introduced rock content in the soils).

Council Bylaws Revisited:
Janine Salwasser, acting as moderator and recorder, focused our discussion around the evening's topic: revisiting portions of the Bylaws. We considered what structure some of the other watershed councils in our state have used, and offered other suggestions as well. Janine recorded these on a tablet. The outcome from our Council meeting was that all seemed to agree with the proposals to the Bylaws that were circulated before the meeting, including the formation of a Board of Directors. It was suggested there be further work on revising the Bylaws in light of some additional suggestions and that the proposed Bylaws be brought to the Steering Committee, as well as interested council members, in January. After that they will be brought to the full council for approval at the February meeting.

There will not be a January meeting of the watershed council.

Meeting adjourned at 9:01 pm.