wicola

Report from the KWPP Oversight Committee

Jan. 4, 2012

Present: Joel Peterson, Wayne Seidel, Derrick Passe, Ken Wichmann, Peter Davies, Jo Kovach, Guest Bd Member MaryAnn Jurgens was there for part of the discussion.

Absent; Ron Brodigan, Char Watson

Jo passed out copies of the pro’s and cons’s of combined or separate websites, also attached here. This document is the basis for the following discussion and conclusion. That document should be read before considering the recommendation below.

A long, involved discussion of the website conundrum yielded a synergistic solution: There was unanimous agreement that migrating WICOLA website with its tradition and total content to the platform technology of the KWPP data website would yield a win-win situation all around and result in a website far superior than either one separately. KWPP is built on a platform that is infinitely easier to navigate, alter and update than is the platform presently in use for WICOLA’s website. It is also more secure and has significantly greater ease of operation and maintenance. Separate portions of the combined website could be protected with different passwords and thus updated separately. Justin, who designed the KWPP website, has $$’s still left in his contract to work with WICOLA’s website committee. Design details will be turned over to WICOLA’s website committee, they will also address splitting the financing and specifics of technical care for the website. We are all agreed that the WICOLA name and logo should be featured on the home page of the website. Derrick will also work with that committee, and hopefully have a prototype with pictures ready for final decision by the WICOLA Board in February.

Discussion of continued funding: Conclusion is that KWPP is the poster child of MPCA and Joel feels there is a strong likely hood of continued funding without a gap. This certitude will be considered in our strategic planning.

Mary Ann Jurgens presented details of a potential public outreach via REI. Oversight approved her pursuit of these opportunities with the belief that they may yield still greater fruit in the future. She will detail these opportunities in her report to the Bd. as well.

Derrick reviewed his recent meetings with the USFS. The present focus is Birch Lake and the USFS 5Star Restoration Project. USFS want WICOLA to partner with them in this grant. It would be a means for WICOLA to receive a cash contribution to our present project for doing work we are already planning on doing in the Birch lake Area. Derrick was authorized to work with the USFA in their grant work by providing them with data we have. His time presently would be covered by KWPP $$’s. The grant will be written by the USFS and would need to have final approval of the WICOLA Board.

Meeting with the Lake County Commissioners Jan 24 appx. 1:30. Derrick will present a review and update on KWPP. Bd members are urged to be there. Jo and Ken have committed to being there. Jo will be able to take 4 other people. Ken & Roger have committed, room for 2 more.

MPCA bi-annual report is due Jan 31. This is largely a budgetary report and all seems to be well in hand. Badly needed are ALL volunteer hours from 2011. This report will be followed in February by a Mid Grant Review , an oral discussion of our progress and remaining tasks. At this time we will be able to shift funds and commitments within and between goals. Jo and Derrick have begun looking at the needs for such shuffling.

Wayne passed out the financial update. There were no issues or questions.

Dec. 9, 2011

Present: Jo Kovach, Ken Wichmann, Peter Davis (winter substitute for Charlene) , Derrick Passe, Joel Peterson

Missing: Wayne Seidel, Roger Powell

Oversight membership: Roger Powell has been serving on the Oversight as a non-board representative from the WICOLA membership. Since he will become a board member starting in Jan. WICOLA will need to replace him or alter the composition to the Oversight Bd. In order to keep him in that position. Discussion: The project would benefit greatly by the addition of someone representing USFS, and this would further increase chances of long-term interaction between WICOLA and the USFS. This would mean replacing Roger with a person from the USFS rather than with someone from the general membership. Since these USFS persons would not necessarily be WICOLA members an offer to pay their membership was made. Several names were put forward. If the WICOLA bd agrees Jo will contact Mark Van Every to ask for their participation. Board approval necessary.

Grant hours and Reports: Derrick raised the question of allocation of his hours: fewer hours were needed for supervising water quality testing than foreseen in the grant work plan while there are not enough hours for GIS work. Joel assured us that when the mid-grant review is performed in early Feb. this switch can be made. A 6 month review is also due in Jan. (to be followed by the release of more CWP$’s). The mid grant review will be a face meeting with Joel, Wayne, Derrick, reps from Oversight and Peter Fastner and Nolan Bartanno. Joel will set up the meeting. At this time we should be prepared with specifics of the need to switch hours and dollars within and between tasks. Jo and Derrick began covering that in their planning for the incomplete project tasks.

Implementation Plan Contract: the three proposals received in response to our RFP were reviewed. Responses from missing Oversight members (Charlene, Wayne and Rob) were read. Derrick and Joel gave their take on each proposal; none of the proposals had obvious flaws. Discussion was followed by voting. Wenck Associates was chosen to create the Implementation Plan by a vote of 3 to 2. Wayne and Joel abstained (Derrick does not vote). As the vote demonstrated two of the three proposals were very close and both offered valued assets.

KWPP – discussion was focused on 4 mostly interrelated issues: the oversight charge and its practices, long term fiscal responsibility for the project website and accessibility to the project data.

The charge to the Oversight Committee was read aloud and discussion concluded that we were acting within our charge in making the decision regarding the establishment of the separate website. The project has a budget to establish and maintain a website. Joel confirmed that the data is owned by the public – not WICOLA. There are a number of readily available options for maintaining the website at the end of the project and the cost is minimal ($10 per year for URL, $10-15 for hosting) if WICOLA should opt to continue it. All the reports are now and will be in perpetuity on the MPCA website. Our KWPP website is presenting our data in a much more accessible manner than is that of the MPCA. Another long term logical site for the project data is a website for the Rainey River Headwaters Watershed of which we are a part; there is an existing link on that site to the WICOLA website. Derrick will further describe access to the web data and the various websites and links.

Comments regarding the lack of any motion regarding the establishment of the KWPP website raised the issue of how your Oversight Committee operates: Minutes are not kept although we each take notes. A report of each meeting is given to the WICOLA board. In general these reports have been circulated to Oversight members for correction before they go to the board. Note: this one was not. In our meetings we rarely make decisions, and certainly do not establish policy. Our meetings mostly are comprised of discussion: the operation of the project, accomplishing goals/tasks, getting updates, clarifying issues. If any WICOLA board member wishes to attend any of the meetings they are welcome and the meeting dates are now posted on the new WICOLA calendar. If actual minutes are desired they would need to be a WICOLA responsibility as the present members are needed to participate and cannot simultaneously take minutes.

Outstanding Tasks: Jo had previously distributed a annotated list - compiled with Derrick - of the tasks not yet completed for the grants. Joel once again assured us that at the mid-grant meeting (early Feb.) we will be able to more accurately allocate remaining grant $$’s and hours – specifics of both were identified in the above mentioned list.

The task of developing “useful front ends for the general public queries to the data base” was discussed. Jo had requested clarification – this is material that will be available to people in the watersheds giving them information on how to find data and information on the topics covered by our grants.

Opportunities to locate volunteers for the ground truthing portion of the GIS task were discussed and possibilities were added. This task is a major portion of the volunteer hours WICOLA is responsible for. Using a VCC intern might be possible but would not contribute to the volunteer hour commitment. In addition help will be needed simply setting up and coordinating the ground truthing teams – in short Derrick needs a “Larry’ for this project. Camp Voyageur may be interested in taking on this role but needs internet access.

KWPP Oversight – November 10, 2011

Present: Derrick Passe, Ken Wichmann, Wayne Seidel, Peter Davis and guest MaryAnn Jurgens

Note: Peter was there as winter replacement for Charlene Mason

1. Implementation Plan update: 4 firms/agencies have shown interest in the subcontract to write the KWPP implementation plan: St. Cloud State, UMD, Wenck & Associates and Desetele, Inc.

Their responses are due Nov. 30. Several have asked detailed questions that indicate they are really reading the RFP. Oversight will make a recommendation of which to accept at their Dec. meeting. Our recommendation is highly likely to be accepted by Lake County Commissioners and the Soil and Water Conservation Board. The goal is to have a contract in January, 2012. The contract is for a fixed amount of $27,500. Derrick will prepare rating sheets for Oversight to use.

2. Septic Inventory: Lake Count has been completed for private property, commercial properties remain. Charlene Mason and Teresa Sagen did the volunteer work to compile the private property information. Wenck Associates will do the commercial properties as per their contract.

St. Louis County has raised questions about privacy issues and referred our request to the county attorney.

The goal of this portion of the project is to prepare a GIS map showing where septic systems are suitable and where they are not. Using information about soil type, system type and age of system they will identify sites needing an on-the-ground visit from the county. This is the county’s responsibility; our (KWPP) concern is limited to what is going into the water.

3. KWPP website: is about 50% done. Will be completed by the end of the year. Ken expressed his concern that historical data be included; Derrick replied that there will be links to RMB (firm who did the analysis) who displays multiple years of the data on their website. He is including automatic updates between links. Discussion focused on who will continue the KWPP updates and website after the project funding expires. Two conclusions: a) the need for WICOLA to begin long range strategic planning. b) the implementation plan must include a request for $$’s to maintain the projects’ data base on a long term basis. Peter noted that WICOLA’s work of education and outreach needs to continue indefinitely even if we as an organization are not part of further data gathering.

4. Derrick’s monthly report was reviewed. Copies are to be sent to board members. Discussion included a recommendation (Ken) that we approach the Township regarding what we are doing in regard to recreation as that is what they budget for and so far do not consider this project to fall into that category; and include same in any strategic plan. We discussed that the townships probably do not view our effort as having anything to do with “recreation” and they need to be educated. Suggestion: that WICOLA sponsor a ‘clean-up’ day for the island campsites (official or not) on Birch and White Iron Lakes as well as the boat landings. Derrick pointed out that while the Forest Service lists only 20 campsites on those lakes there are up to 50. Derrick would like WICOLA volunteers to collect GPS information as well as photograph the campsites. Jo suggested that we bring this initiative to the annual meeting for action.

5. Wayne passed out the project financial updates. He noted that his retirement will not affect the project as he has offered to stay on with SWCD one day a week to continue his involvement with this and other projects.

Discussion of the need to make updated presentation to the county and Townships regarding the present status of the project. Derrick is preparing such a presentation. Discussed that presentation at the county’s Jan 2012 meeting would work well, they meet 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday’s. Derrick will schedule his appearance with the county. Jo will organize a contingent of the WICOLA board to be there. Ken and Peter strongly feel we should do the same at Fall Lake (1^st Tues. Feb possibly), Morse and Stony River. Written handout will also be prepared.

The Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District has approved our request for a donation of $1,000. We should have that check early next week.

6. Planning for the next year’s activities – In advance of the Dec. meeting Jo and Derrick will compile a list of both project requirements we must fulfill next summer and ‘good ideas’ we have discussed. The project work plan specifies several public meeting to update the residents of the watershed. The upcoming year’s activities for the project will shift to include Septic system maintenance, and shore line protection practices while AIS and water quality sampling will continue. Derrick suggested we organize a series of canoe trips on the 4 major rivers of the watershed. These trips would collect the waters quality data, GPS and photographic evidence needed for the project. Organizations that might be involved Outward Bound, Boy Scouts and Ely Field Naturalists. Equipment donations could be solicited from local outfitters.

Next meeting: Friday Dec. 9, 2011 @10:30 AM at the Kawishiwi Ranger Station Ely, MN.

Oversight Report Sept. 7, 2011

Present were Derrick Passe, Charlene Mason, Wayne Seidel, and guest Petter Miller of Wencke Associates

Absent were Ken Wickman and Joel Peterson.

We started with discussions of several budget items:

·       How the volunteer hours from the USFS should be treated since they will put us well over budget for volunteer time. Conclusion: OK to be well over budget in volunteer time.
·       What figure to use to calculate the value of volunteer hours. Conclusion: Using $20/hr seems most reasonable as very few people are ‘untrained’ and there is plenty of precedent for using this figure.
·       Budget for outreach and public education contains $$’s for a microphone and projector we are unlikely to need. Wayne Seidel at Soil and Water has a hand held microphone we can use and Derrick has a projector. Therefore we will not need to spend $$’s on those items BUT that allows us to shift those $$ over to the publication of brochures and other informational literature.

Derrick will be gone 9/12 thru 10/14. Derrick will make assignments of volunteer work than can be done during that time.

Char expressed concerns that the work plan contains a long list of things that a) should go on our website and b) are educational events that we haven’t done yet. It is her feeling that the Board needs to put more effort toward this. We will be audited between March and June of next year and we’d better be able to show that we are making progress on these accomplishments. Discussion: during the winter we will focus on planning these events to take place summer of 2012. Wayne said that he and Joel have been tracking the progress of the project and do not see any problems.

Discussion of both the WICOLA and Project Websites – Derrick has not had time to do the website work he plans to do. Suggestion that we recruit VCC students to help on website work. Jim & Mary Ann are working on the WICOLA website and we should be seeing changes soon. Derrcik’s monthly reports will go up on the project web site while the reports of the oversight committee work will be posted on the WICOLA site.

We all received an invitation from NRRI to observe them on Birch Lake as they do the core sampling. Suggestion that we forward the e mail on to Roy Misonznick so that he can video it for his comprehensive video of the project. Derrick will do this.

The first of the GIS maps were received from Tony Kroska, that showing the project area and private and public lands in it. Part of the work to be done this fall is to check map sites on the ground and enter GPS coordinates. Derrick is recruiting volunteers for this using the new GPS’s. A great chance to get out-of-doors and into remote areas this fall. It was reported that there appears to be no map of Lake County showing the fire numbers. Further research may yield this data but in its absence it becomes another part of our project.

Peter Miller reinforced the need for these maps with fire numbers as it will be needed in the work performed by his company. He said that most of the houses in the project area are in St. Louis County which has such maps. He told us that Lake County has scanned most of their records since 1998 and that St. Louis County is also electronic but the challenge will be to get their data bases in synch. Another challenging issue is getting the information on undeveloped privately owned parcels. Charlene has volunteered to go to Lake County to go thru records during October. Peter will design a chart for the volunteers so that they extract exactly the needed data. Their focus will be on private lands.

Discussion on how information on failing septic systems will be treated: Agreed that these findings will be shared with the county. The original WICOLA survey will be valuable in this effort. Charlene will share the responses with Miller. The WICOLA Board is requested to discuss the issue of confidentiality that was assured in those surveys.

Oversights’ next meeting will be moved from its regular schedule to Oct. 17 at 9 or 9:30 AM. Jo will distribute this information to all concerned.

Wayne described his presentation on the project at the Lake County Fair. It was very well received.

He also described his exit interview with Cat, our summer intern. She spoke very favorably about her experience and is going to continue in a volunteer capacity for the project. She felt that the projects biggest asset is the WICOLA Bd. Members. She also cited Derrick’s huge network of connections as being incredibly valuable. Derrick always responded to her needs even if he wasn’t physically present.

The issue of the publication of Derrick’s article in the Friends of the Boundary Waters newsletter was reviewed. Decision to send it out as a press release or a public service announcement to all relevant newspapers as well as to the Lake and St. Louis County Commissioners.

Discussion of the use of project funds for water testing of private wells. This was not the intent of the funds requested, rather it was written in under ‘beneficial uses’ and intended to be used to collect lake waters samples to be tested for suitability as drinking water. We can however publish information as to how residents can get their well water tested.

Tony Kroska will be asked again to quickly supply the names and addresses of private holdings in the Kawishiwi watershed so that we can assemble a data base of these names and addresses for distribution of special issues of the WICOLA newsletter.