MINUTES FOR THE MEETING

ASHLAND FOREST LANDS COMMISSION

February 10, 2009 – 5:30 PM

Community Development, 51 Winburn Way

MEMBERS PRESENT:         Craig Gorson, Anthony Kerwin (Chair), Dan Maymar,

                                                                                    Melody Noraas, Ben Rice, John Williams           

Members Absent:                              Christopher Iverson

Staff Present:                                                  Larry Langston, Nancy Slocum, Pieter Smeenk

Others Present:                                  Greg Lemhouse, recently appointed Council Liaison

I.                   CALL TO ORDER: Chair Kerwin called the meeting to order at 5:35 pm in the Siskiyou Room.

II.                APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Noraas / Williams m/s to approve the minutes of January 13, 2009 as submitted. Motion passed unanimously.

III.             PUBLIC FORUM:  Lemhouse introduced himself. He thought the Commission did important work and he promised to support the Commission’s goals.

III.       ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA

IV.       OLD BUSINESS:

A.     Winburn Parcel Restoration Plan

Williamson presented his draft of the Executive Summary for review. Main and Slocum submitted a draft Economics section based on the Phase II plan. Slocum anticipated Council asking how urgent implementation of the plan was and how much money was needed. Commission clarified the Operational Opportunities section.

Staff would put adoption of the plan on the Council agenda with an estimated time of 30 minutes. The Commission would like this plan adopted as soon as possible as there may be opportunities to work in conjunction with the USFS in addition grant opportunities may arise.

Rice suggested sending the adopted plan to Mary Wagner, the new Regional Forester. He thought the plan was important from an ecological viewpoint.

The Commission reviewed Main’s revised Unit 7 section. Main revised the plan as USFS regulations regarding riparian work were not included.

Maymar moved to accept the City Forest Lands Restoration Project Phase III: Winburn Parcel with approved edits. Gorson seconded the motion, it passed unanimously and the crowd went wild.

Slocum would make edits, and then send to Rice for final grammatical review. Langston would add the adoption of the plan to the Council agenda.

B.     Ashland Forest Plan (AFP) Update

As previously discussed, Kerwin thought the community outreach for the revision could be done in conjunction with the Commission’s community outreach goal. There was a desire to take the lead on organizing forest-related outreach that several other community groups were doing.

Kerwin spoke to Real Training. They needed the Commission to identify strategies and needs as well as develop a budget. Kerwin asked for ideas from the Commission.

Rice suggested a two phase plan: 1) a listening phase that asked public expectations, concerns and issues, and 2) developing management direction.

Other ideas included:

·         Public outreach to education the public on what the Commission does and regarding current AFP update;

·         Draw people in to educate them on fire danger and fire’s effect on water quality;

·         Identify and get input from stakeholders;

·         Use a facilitator/recorder forum format asking participants approximately eight questions;

·         Use Bandon’s “Work Force Housing” model;

·         Need to identify what the Commission hoped to accomplish;

·         Baseline information needed;

·         Identify what we want the public to know and what we want from the community;

·         Should input be formal or informal;

·         In drafting original AFR the consultant, with the help of SOU Sociology Department, knocked on doors and interviewed people directly.

            Some stakeholders were identified: SOU, the Nature Conservancy, the Commission and the City.

            Kerwin asked Commissioners to email him additional ideas by February 17^th. He also asked the     Commission to review the AFP’s table of contents and identify what items to keep and what to add.

IV.              COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: Main updated the Commission on the Ashland Resiliency Plan. There were two official objections. The Record of Decision was in Washing DC waiting for guidance from the new administration. Main and Darren Borgias from the Nature Conservancy were currently working on an implementation plan so it would be ready before work began.

            Prescribed burning has been postponed until next year. Staff thought there was not a solid organizational framework.

V.                 ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM.

Tony Kerwin, Chair

Respectfully Submitted, Nancy Slocum, Clerk