Approved November 22, 2013
WALLOWA COUNTY NATURAL RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING
September 24, 2013
9 AM –OSU Meeting Room
NRAC Standing Committee Members Present
Bruce Dunn, Forester
Nils Christoffersen, Wallowa Resources
John Williams, OSU Extension
Cynthia Warnock, SWCD
Jeff Fields, TNC
Kris Stein, Eagle Cap/HCNRA Ranger, USFS
NRAC Members
Susan Roberts, Co. Commissioner
Mike Hayward, Co. Commissioner
Roy Garten, Retired Forester
Others
Aaron Maxwell, The Freshwater Trust
Eileen Williams
The meeting was called to order at 9:04 am by Chairman, Bruce Dunn.
Minutes approved with a name correction.
Old Business
Eastside Restoration
There was a tour of Lower Joseph Creek on August 28th.
Meeting Notes are available thru Wallowa Resources web site.
-Good tour
-Not a lot of outside stake holders were there. Not as good as usually have.
-Will be discussing the report with full Collaborative tomorrow
Mike - TNC has been attending the Umatilla forest but not Wallowa Whitman
Jeff - Addressed it last month, as available my participation here at NRAC, but do not have enough staff.
Have taken it in to consideration but have not come to a solution.
Mike - As we understand it the Forest Service is telling the Board of County Commissioner that if we
wish to participate at level desired we need to sign cooperating Agency?
John - Would not sign confidentiality agreement.
Nils – Been made clear to me that there is Cooperating Agency status between the team and County,
also quarrying if Co Commissioners would designate NRAC as the party for them to work with.
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Or they could have briefings at NRAC. Their real desire is to be partners throughout entire
process.
Rod – That is the regional group that was here.
Nils – Yes.
Bruce – This is to be involved in the NEPA process. Last time we had on person outside the group that
attended meetings. This time the group will be involved.
Mike –In the past we have had to sign confidentiality and it has caused heart burn and tension.
Anything we hear in this meeting we are not going to repeat.
John – More than that it takes away most of the value of Cooperating Agency and how this group
functions. None of us have the knowledge to go ahead alone, each of us has a little piece and
we all need to be able to participate.
Kris – I think the Eeastside would want as open a communication, as possible, unless they are faced with
a regulation I don’t understand. Let me see what I can find out and work thru it.
Mike -They have not said anything yet.
Nils – My conversation with Bill and Ayn has indicated that they see value in us maintaining
involvement. They are hoping that this will be part of the innovation of the model and if
successful they will try to do this in other areas.
Kris – Will be meeting with Bill and Ayn tomorrow and will bring it up
Bruce – There will be a lot of problems at the Collaborative if we can’t discuss the project.
Rod - Let Kris talk to them.
John – There are times we will have private conversations.
Cynthia – NRAC meetings are public.
John – Not all meetings are at NRAC.
Nils – Are we in agreement that we want to go with this process.
Bruce –It will be a different product if we are or are not involved.
Kris- We are discussing the fact that we need to keep this a community product and keep you involved.
Nils – This seems like this is what we have wanted for 4 years.
Bruce - We recommend that the County Commissioners do this and that the NRAC Standing Committee
and others be designated as the working group for the County.
Rod – We are going to need to bring in some specialist.
Mike - Will you are going to bring this to County Commissioner meeting? In spirit of open and
transparent, you are aware that the whole issue of Cooperating and the whole issue of
Coordination is not exclusive and tend to butt heads, especially on the Second Floor of the Court
House.
Susan – The language is important “cooperating agency in coordination of the Lower Joseph Creek
Project.
John – In the past there has been push back in some people’s minds that if you sign Cooperating Agency
you can’t continue Coordination, but you can.
Jeff – What is the definition of Coordination?
Mike –Generally speaking the Forest Service will develop a plan, the county will develop a plan, then if
there are differences the Forest Service has to defend their plan and if not county plan prevails.
We are ahead of that.
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Approved November 22, 2013
Jeff – Presume if there are two plans than reconcile.
John – That is the fall back, we are ahead of that, we are trying to participate as we go along. We are in
Coordination here today.
Susan – We are cooperating in the Coordination now, get the language in.
Nils - When do we need to bring this to the Commissioners?
Mike - See what happens tomorrow. Next meeting is Oct 7th if get signals that this is the way we are
going to do business, then move forward.
Rod - Do they have a deadline?
Nils - Signed decision by December 2014
May need to defer some of the data collection to a later date
Lower Joseph Creek Assessment
Nils - Jenny is very close, the riparian and roads still need some work. Rest is done.
Will meet today and see if can get some editing help and have it out next month.
Bruce- Nothing is ever perfect so consider it a final Draft
John - Economics is still being worked on
Mike- I understand not linking Social Economic but having worked with Travel Management it is hard
to separate. Convinced, by in large, Travel Management is a social rather than economic issue.
John – Yes, there is a Social aspect, but we didn’t have the ability to capture it. We will say that there
will be social impact.
Rod –Couldn’t you pull out examples of what has happened in part on social issues on Forest Service
lands?
John- Social impact will be tied to Economics, if we get activity on Economic side then will have social
impact.
Rod – You have recreation.
Susan – you can pull that out of Travel Management.
John – There is list of all out puts, can product that can be sold or economic activity which generates
money. Add these together to get value. Also dealing with hard and soft constraints, will
identify big soft constraints.
Jeff – Easy to account for things we can sell, hard to put a number on other things.
Kris - Is there a value to adding in hot button items. Give recognition of things important to the county,
John - We will acknowledge that they are there, describe, but not quantify. We will need some help on
it.
Nils - We need a better understanding of IDIQ (Indefinite Duration Indefinite Quantity).
Kris – At present I’m not up on that.
Nils – Bulk of funds go to IDIQ for preapproved venders, mostly out of area contractors. Grayback out of
LA Grande is on it. Some funding comes thru Wallowa Resources for local contractors. Would
like to see more funding for local contractors.
Bruce – By next month, Oct 22th we should be able to review Draft
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Rod – Do we enough funds?
Nils - We do have enough money to finish analysis.
Mike - Helium bill looks like it will be revised. So look likes Title II funding for another year.
John - Would suggest it go toward Eastside project.
??? - Would still have to be approved by FS.
Bruce - What would help us, when it happens see if you can find out how much money we are getting?
Wallowa County Comprehensive Management Plan
The draft was presented and time was spent reconciling changes as follows. Changes based on the draft
sent before meeting.
NC1 - add Wildlife Management change six to seven
NC2 - added appendix YYY add see stewardship principles, appendix YYYY to red
Page 2 – edit in red accepted
NC3 - this is a plan this is a time sensitive statement.
Discussion and comments from Kris
Mike - One other piece, when there are cuts we want to be involved in the decision.
Susan -Do not want to diminish what we want to manage for.
Goal - Add maintained and after “enjoyment of the area are”
W4 and ks 5 –Standard Rec-S1; Add use opportunities and levels
Objective Rec O2 - accept change
ks6 - Standard Rec S3 - accepted
ks7 -Standard Acc-S2 ok with get rid of comment
NC8 - Guideline Acc-G1 add Including maintence levels of roads and difficulty rating of trails
ks9 - Guideline Acc-G3 delete comment
ks10 and NC11 - Objective Her-O1 - Promote use of those sites that are appropriate Change
highlighted area to another objective O2 then edit O2 to O3.
w12 - Standard Veg –O1 accepted
Standard For-S2 - accept
Standard For-S3 - accepted
ks13 - Guideline For-G2 - accepted
Guideline For-G4 - eliminate original and use second version
Guideline For-G5 - accept
Guideline For-G6 - accept
Guideline For-G7 – accept and Eliminate purple comments
Standard For S4 - add may include but not limited to title.
Page 13 - Prescribed Natural ….. accept change
Page 13 -Uneven-aged Salvage Cutting - add This can be accomplished through commercial sales or
wood cutting after first sentence. Accepted bottom addition.
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Approved November 22, 2013
Page 14 -Uneven-aged Sanitation Cutting - do not accept change
JF15 and W16 -Page 15 - Clearcut - accept, moved.
Page 15 - Grassland Management…. Accept introduction
Objective Gra-O1 - take second sentence and make it a goal (above objective)
Page 24 - Cattle & Horse (C & H) Allotment - Remove word Term in two places and W17 - delete
Move Wolves to Wildlife
W18 delete “Look at…..” accept change lamb survival to lamb mortality add evaluation of after we
Support - top of page 25, after limit the risk add if grazing is allowed
Ks19 - Page 25 - Noxious Weeds ok as is
Page 30 -Standard Wld-S2 accept
Appedix YYYY accept
Appendix XXX reference For more information on Interpreting Indicators of Rngeland Health See:
Cynthia will format it into 2 appendix
Document will be edited and taken to Board of Commissioners by October 7th.
Wallowa-Whitman Forests Collaborative
-Meeting tomorrow in La Grande, 1 – 5 pm.
-Aney will be there
-Will discuss tour
-Update of Larry’s work
-Plan future meetings
USFS Chesnimnus Elk Burn Project
Not going to happen this fall. Look at next spring.
New Business
None
Updates
Travel Management Plan
Nothing
NMFS Recovery Plan
Nothing
Lower Imnaha Range Analysis
Nothing
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Approved November 22, 2013
Firewood
Nothing
Salmon Plan Monitoring-special meeting
Nothing
Salmon Plan/ SP Implementation
Nothing
Old/New photos
Eileen will start working on them.
Wolves
They are still here.
Elk Study
Funded and done.
Other
Jeff Fields reported that TNC is doing a prescribed burn on 170 acres on west Findley Butte. Targeting
conifer saplings and brush regeneration
Adjourned 11:40 am.
Respectfully Submitted
Eileen Williams
NRAC Standing Committee Secretary
WC NRAC Standing Committee
September 24, 2013
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