 |
||||||||
|
|
BHWC Monthly Meeting January 16, 2008 Divide Grange Hall 6:30 pm
6:30 – 6:40 pm Introductions and Review of December minutes
6:40 – 7:20 pm Annual Meeting Acitivities 2007 Activities and 2008 Work Plan Review Budget and Grant Status Review Governing Membership Status
7:20 – 7:30 pm Break
7:30 – 7:40 pm Snowpack status update
7:40 – 8:25 pm Discussion of Drought Management Plan; identification of DMP Technical Advisory Committee (TAC); Scheduling of DMP TAC meeting
8:25 – 8:40 pm New Business
8:40 – 8:50 pm Set February Agenda
BHWC Monthly Meeting December 19, 2007 Divide Grange Hall 6:30 – 9:00
In attendance: Jeanne Caddy, BHWWC, John Moodry, BSB, Brad Borst, MT Wilderness Assn., Kyle Tackett, NRCS, Art Christensen, BCD, Garth Haugland, Beaverhead County, Steve Armiger, BLM Dillon, Andrew Hanson, Outfitter, Harold Peterson, Rancher, John Peck, Rancher, Jim Hagenbarth, Rancher, Liz Jones, Rancher, Noorjahan Parwana, BHWC, Fess Foster, Bolero Resources, John Childs, Bolero Resources, Craig Fellin, Outfitter, Nathan Korb, TNC, Mark Kambich, Rancher, Kevin Greenwood, USFS, Dan Downing, USFS, Shane Vatland, MSU, Adam Peterson, MFWP, and Jill Luebeck, BHWC.
Introductions & review of minutes from November: Approved with no changes.
Weed Committee Report – Jeanne Caddy BHWWC John Moodry from Butte Silver Bow County Weed Department gave a history of weed control on the Big Hole and how the counties work together to fight the spread of weeds. In 2004 Butte Silver Bow approached the BHWC and requested their help in coordinating a collaborative weed effort.
Jeanne Caddy (BHWC Weed Coordinator) gave a PowerPoint presentation describing the Weed Committee’s accomplishments and goals. She reviewed the Weed Committee’s mission statement and gave a summary of what the committee does.
The projects that the Weed Committee participates in are:
l Managing the Noxious Weed Trust Fund Grant for the river corridor (with support of BSB Weed Board). l Coordinating and participating in area spray days. l Providing cost share support to the Wise River Weed Management Group. l Expanding the cost share program for the 2008 season. l Developing other weed management areas (Divide Creek). l Hosting the Weed Whacker Ball. l Providing weed education for landowners and users of the Big Hole.
Jeanne also talked about the River Corridor Project which is being funded through the Montana Noxious Weed Trust Fund. The program is currently in its eighth year. The BHWC Weed Committee received $65,000 for 2007 and requested $75,000 for 2008. The project area runs from the Mudd Creek/Squaw Creek Bridge for 84 miles to the confluence with the Beaverhead River. Weeds of concern in this area are:
Ø Spotted Knapweed Ø Leafy Spurge Ø Canada Thistle Ø Houndstongue
One of the main goals for 2008 is cost share. The Weed Committee presently provides $4,000 in cost share to the Wise River Weed Management Group. In 2008, the BHWC Weed Committee will begin their watershed-wide cost share program with money from the weed committee portion of the Federal Appropriation Funds. Through grant funding, their goal is to expand the cost share program for local landowners.
Weed Education to landowners is another topic Jeanne addressed. T committee will be organizing community meetings/mailings for small acreage landowners, one-on-one meetings, and compiling a database of seasonal landowners. The Weed Coordinator will help landowners develop an integrated weed management plan that works for them.
The Weed Committee has jumped the first hurdle in application for a $32,000 grant through the National Forest Foundation. If this grant is secured, it will support a weed management program fro the Divide Creek drainage from its headwaters to its confluence with the Big Hole River.
Jeanne will be giving a presentation at the State Noxious Weed convention in March in anticipation of increasing funding support from $65,000 to $75,000 for river corridor weed control.
Cannivan Gulch drilling update John Childs and Fess Foster, representing Bolero Resources, updated the committee about anticipated exploratory drilling in Cannivan Gulch area. Last May, the BHWC was informed of a proposal to drill 4 holes. Because of delays associated with fires and an early fall, only two of the holes were completed. Bolero is now proposing furthering their exploration to include drilling 18 more holes over a three-year period. The company proposes accessing the drill holes by constructing 16,222 feet of temporary roads within the footprint of historic roads used in the previous exploration efforts. The proposal also includes 350 feet of temporary road that would be constructed outside of the footprint of the reclaimed roads.
The project area is 9.5 miles south of Wise River and 13 miles west of Melrose. This includes the construction of temporary roads to the site. These roads and drill sites would be recontoured. Top soil would be salvaged where possible and replaced on-site. Weed prevention would be implemented with equipment-washing. Subsequent to exploratory activities, weeds would be controlled on site.
The Forest Service is accepting written comments through December 31, 2007. Comments should be mailed to Dennis Havig, Acting District Ranger, Wise River Ranger District, PO Box 100, Wise River, MT 59762 or by email to: comments-northern-beaverhead-deerlodge-wise-river@fs.fed.us.
Grayling Pit Tag Study Adam Peterson f MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Shane Vatland, a graduate student at MSU, gave the latest preliminary results of the Grayling Pit Tag Study being done in the upper Big Hole and more specifically in the Rock Creek Reconnection Project area.
Research goals for this project are to: • Better understand the movement and habitat patterns of Arctic grayling and other fish in the Upper Big Hole River Watershed.
• Provide objective and pertinent information for resource managers and fisheries biologists about grayling migration, spawning, and refuge.
Other questions include: When, where, and how do grayling migrate in the Big Hole? Do Grayling use fish ladders? Are grayling re-establishing in the newly reconnected Rock Creek?
Why PIT – Tags? Fixed-stream and portable antenna can safely and inexpensively track fish in the river and in tributaries, are long lasting, inexpensive, and safe for grayling.
In the fall of 2007 the first tagging results were:
Fish Tagged - Fall Survey 2007 –Big Hole River upstream from Dickie Bridge: • 27 Grayling • 72 Burbot • 372 Brook Trout • 207 Rainbow Trout • 140 Brown Trout • 58 Mountain Whitefish • 56 Suckers
(Note: The BHWC supported the design cost and more than 50% of the construction cost associated with reconnecting Rock Creek to the Big Hole River and restoring riparian and instream habitat. The BHWC also supported 50% of the cost of the MFWP-portion of the PIT-Tag monitoring study of fish populations in Rock Creek). To date, one grayling was captured (moving downstream) in Rock Creek. In addition 173 fish were monitored moving upstream and 136 were monitored moving downstream (primarily white suckers).
This is very preliminary data. More tagging will occur in Fall, 2008 and in the years ahead.
New Business Craig Fellin (Outfitter/Guide - Big Hole Lodge) addressed the committee with concerns about the Drought Management Plan. Following is Craig’s statement:
“I support the DMP for the most part and I’m convinced that it has protected the Big Hole River enormously since its inception. The Big Hole River is one of the few rivers in the west that has a concerned watershed group like the BHWC that insures it’s protection against misuse. By closing the river when the river drops below 150 cfs makes it clear that we are thinking of the future.
In my opinion, one major flaw to the plan is how the plan is drawn up to reopen fishing after it’s closed. Biologists representing Montana FWP have recommended that flows need to reach 200 cfs for seven consecutive days to reopen the Big Hole. This decision is not based on good science. In September, nights are cold and water temperature drops into the low 50’s. Anyone who spends time on the river knows that the trout and grayling are doing fine under these conditions. When I argued this point before the committee in the past, I had fishery biologists (USFW in Idaho and a private fisheries biologist out of Belgrade) defend my position. One of the primary reasons why FWP has recommended that reopening be so stringent is that brown trout begin their spawning in October. I do think it would be a good idea to close the river in October to protect the brown trout which spawn at this time of year and allow their numbers to increase without disturbance. By closing the river in October, there would be all the more justification to reopen the river at a lower parameter (e.g. 160 cfs for five consecutive days and reopening September 1st when the days are shorter and the water temperatures are so cold. I’d like to ask the BHWC to reconsider amending the DMP this winter and closing the river to fishing in October until the brown trout numbers are back to normal.
We need to have a DMP that the community supports and one we can be proud of. This river is too important to allow dissention and bad feeling to come in the way of support and success.”
Noor encouraged Craig to attend the January BHWC meeting where we will be organizing DMP technical committee and scheduling the next DMP meeting. Craig was also encouraged to visit with Andrew Hanson, BHWC Governing Member representing Outfitter/Guide stakeholders. Craig is welcome to sit in on the committee or attend the meeting and address his concerns.
January Meeting Agenda January is the annual meeting. The committee will review budgets work plans, and Governing and Steering Committee representation. There will be discussion about the Drought Management Plan and a meeting of the DMP technical advisory committee will be scheduled.
Meeting adjourned at 9:07 pm
Read minutes from our past meetings:
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||||