MINUTES FOR A MEETING OF THE
WILDFIRE MITIGATION COMMISSION
Wednesday, July 20, 2016 11:00AM to 1:00PM
Training Room, Ashland Fire Station #1
455 Siskiyou Blvd

1. CALL TO ORDER
   1. In Attendance: Ron Parker, Vicky Sturtevant, Doug Kay, Bruce Moats, Chris Chambers (AF&R), Alison Lerch (AF&R), Kent Mclaughlin (Guest)
2. INTRODUCTIONS
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: May 18, 2016, No minutes for June 15^th meeting

1. Action Items
   1. Farmers Market Table
      1. Next date: July 26^th (Doug & Vicky will sit at the table. Tim will be notified if he is available.)
   2. Commission Vacancy
      1. Still waiting to hear from the Mayor.  Chris will follow up.
   3. Commission Renaming
      1. Chief Karns requests that we table this issue for the time being.
   4. Ashland Food Project/Firewise Website
      1. Ashland Food Project: Change the landscaping brochure on the first hyperlink on the firewise landscaping brochure.
      2. Firewise Website: This site is under the same rules as the City of Ashland website and so cannot change the overall layout.  We could change the language and make it more user friendly. Changing the homepage of ashlandfirewise.org to atable of contents could aid in navigation.

4. PUBLIC FORUM

5. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA
   1. AIR-Ashland Is Ready Event- September 10, 2016 @ SOU River Room
      1. Alison is looking or 1 or 2 Commissioners to help staff the booth on September 10^th. Volunteers will have free admission and get a 72 hour go kit.  There is a chance that Alison will still attend the event.
   2. Ready, Set, Go! (RSG!) Sign on North Main is confusing because the way it is placed directly under the ODF peacock sign makes it seem like both programs are connected. Chris and Alison will talk to Margueritte about this. Maybe putting a separation in between the ODF sign and the RSG! sign will help.

6. BUSINESS
   1. New Business
      1. Elect a new Chair
         1. Bruce makes a motion to elect Tim Bewley as the new chair of the WMC. Doug second.  All in favor.
   2. ​​​Ongoing Business
      1. AF&R Update:
         1. Firewise
            • New Communities: Chautauqua Trace all paperwork is in. Sunnyview (Eastfield Properties HOA) and Park Estates have assessments completed.
            • Alison will be targeting the Ashland Mine/Fox Lane area after maternity leave to become a Firewise Community, USA.
            • Other at risk areas: West Nevada/Glendower there are 2 story homes with blackberries growing underneath their decks.  This area is adjacent to Bear Creek.
         2. AFR/AFAR
            • Last log truck rolled out of the watershed yesterday.  Work was very successful, of course some timing and delays. 2,000 acres of piles are in the watershed that will be burned this winter starting in November. AF&R has an official DEQ air quality monitoring station on the room at 455 Siskiyou Blvd.
            • AFAR: 50,000 plus acre footprint that encompasses private land embedded in and around the Ashland and Talent watersheds. 1,100 acres has been cut and piled through the NRCS.  There are 38 new properties enrolled in the NRCS program for this year. $1.5 million for private landowner projects in the same footprint.
            • There are some dead conifers by the Pony Express Coffee Shop. Call Kevin Flyn at Code Enforcement.
         3. WHZ Joint Commissions Meeting – July 27^th @ 10am, AF&R Station 2
            1. Tim and Stephen will attend this meeting.
            2. Do we want to have a follow up meeting with the Tree Commission? Let’s wait until after the July 27^th meeting to see if this is necessary.
         4. Ashland Chamber Summit – September 12-13, 2016
         5. Community Wildfire Protection Plan
            1. AF&R is filling out the City Council Goals and the CWPP has a new target date of December 31, 2017.
            2. Community Outreach Plan

3. Talking Points- The current Talking Points had been amended to better suit the business audience.

3. Parking Lot Issues
   1. Wildfire Hazard Zone
   2. CWPP Outreach (Chamber/Firewise Communities)
   3. Branding the WMC- Engage an SOU student in the fall to do their capstone?
   4. Wildfire Commission Collateral (Tim) - This is where we should create an ongoing education / outreach strategy with a long term content calendar. The AFR tour was very helpful in appreciating the changing attitudes of the Ashland public as heard from the burn boss. Our commission needs more "cross pollination" with AFR, Forest Commission, Tree commission etc. and we start singing odd the same sheet of music. The "burning" question now is how to approach the "urban fire?"
      1. Handouts? Electronic?

7. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS

8. REVIEW AND SET COMMISSION CALENDAR / NEXT MEETING

1. Mayors Brown Bag Lunch: July 22, 2016, 12:00pm (ComDev)
2. WHZ Meeting: July 27, 2016, 10:00am (City Hall Conference Room)
3. Next WMC Meeting: August 17, 2016 (Station 1)

9. ADJOURN: 1:00 PM