Progress Report

By

William E. Templin Jr.

North Fork American River

Watershed Coordinator

http://arwg.net

Mar. 20, 2007

Following is my progress report for the period February 20 to Mar. 20, 2007:

Objective 1: Coordinating Collaboration:

• Met at the Sierra Nevada Conservancy office in Auburn, CA on 02.21.07 with the Regional Watershed Coordination Team (RWCT) representing the Cosumnes, American, Bear and Yuba Watersheds organized by Elizabeth Betancourt (El Dorado Irrigation District) and discussed common issues and plans for submittal of proposals to the CALFED Watershed Program Grant due on Mar. 16, 2007.
• Participated in the ARWG Sediment Study Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting on 02.22.07 at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection “Mess Hall” in Bowman, CA. Marie Davis (PCWA) again represented the “Management Team” leading the review of the latest versions of Chapters 1 thru 3 and submitted our comments to Tetra Tech for incorporation into the revision.
• Met with Charlie Alpers & Lorrie Flint (USGS) on 3.09.07 in their office in Placer Hall (CSU Sacramento) and conference called with Mal Toy & Otis Wollan (PCWA) to discuss logistics of PCWA’s taking the lead on the proposal “A Watershed Assessment for the North Fork American River Watershed.”
• Introduced Lisa Thompson (U.C. Davis), to Dave Lass (Trout Unlimited) and Dan Teater (USFS) on 03.13.07 on a visit to the North Fork American River at Ponderosa Rd. to see one of the two probable locations for a Radio-Telemetry Study of Rainbow Trout as part of the proposal “A Watershed Assessment for the North Fork American River Watershed”.
• Met with Charlie Alpers & Lorrie Flint (USGS), Marie Davis & Andy Fecko (PCWA), David Lawler (BLM), & Mike Fuller (California Geological Survey) on 03.12.07 at the USGS office in Placer Hall (CSU, Sacramento Campus). We discussed who needed to do what and began filling out the PSP (Program Solicitation Package) concept proposal application form for the CALFED Watershed Grant for the $400,000 project proposal, “A Watershed Assessment for the North Fork American River Watershed”.
• Coordinated another American River Watershed Group (ARWG) meeting on 03.15.07 and lead discussions centered on Concept Proposals for the CALFED Watershed Program Grant due on 03.16.07. Leslie Smith (Nevada County, Education Dept.) discussed a proposal she is working on that would coordinate education & outreach using the Globe Protocol for Science Curricula for K-12 Students. The 2 proposals that we submitted were 1) “A Watershed Assessment for the North Fork American River Watershed”, and 2) Sediment Studies for the North Fork American River Watershed, Phase 2 – Next Steps – Vegetation Management to Reduce Catastrophic Fires and Watershed Degradation” on “Lessons.
• Participated in the ARWG Sediment Study Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting on 03.08.07 at the Placer County Resource Conservation District Board Room in Auburn, CA Marie Davis (PCWA) again lead the review of the latest versions of Chapters 4 thru 7 and submitted our review comments to Tetra Tech for incorporation.

  Objective 2: Implementing Education and Outreach

• Lead a Boy Scouts Troup (including California Department of Conservation Grant Administrator Andrew Rush and his family) on 03.17.07 on an Informational Tour & Hike to the overlook of the PCWA Pumping Plant and site where Auburn Dam was planned to be built and downstream on parts of the Cardiac Bypass Trail to the Lower American River Canyon above Folsom Lake.
• Visited Shaney Emerson’s Foresthill High School ROP “Envirothon 2007” team on 03.19.07 with Dan Teater (American River Ranger District, USFS) to help them learn more about how cross sections where stream flow measurements and “Stream Condition Inventory” are measured.

Objective 3: Fostering Opportunities for Collaboration among Stakeholders:

• Attended an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan meeting on 03.20.07 held by the California Department of Water Resources in Sacramento where brief presentations were give by each of the Northern California inland and Sierra IRWMP managers.
• Attended a meeting of “Save American River Association” (SARA) in Sacramento on 3.20.07 in Sacramento and heard Leo Winternitz (Former Water Forum Exec. Director) present an “Update on the Lower American River Minimum Flow Standard” being finalized with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Objective 4: Informing and Educating Landowners on Water Quality Issues:

• While visiting the N.F. American River below the Auburn Dam and Placer County Water Agency Pumping Plant Diversion Tunnel at the end of the “Cardiac Bypass Trail” in Auburn State Recreation Area on 3.17.07, I introduced the Boy Scouts to “Monitoring Aquatic Vertebrate Assemblages” on an absolutely beautiful Spring day in February. The river was running clear and cold and the fish were not very cooperative. Lots of rill and slump erosion was noted and discussed on the trail/road down to the site that could use some “Best Management Practices” for erosion control to reduce unnecessary sediment contributions to the river and Folsom Lake downstream.
• During our visit to Shaney Emerson’s Foresthill High School ROP “Envirothon 2007” team on 03.19.07 with Dan Teater (American River Ranger District, USFS) (previously mentioned) we took the opportunity to discuss how the data gathered during stream flow measurements and “Stream Condition Inventory” are used to inform and educate landowners and others on the loading of sediment and other contaminants into the rivers.