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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-12-10 KRSMA Board PacketA. B. C. KENAI RIVER Special Management Area "Working together...for the river' CALL TO ORDER Roll Call; Minutes Approval Agenda Changes and Approval Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Meeting Agenda Thursday, December 10, 2009 5:30 p.m. Kenai River Center IV. OLD BUSINESS ACTION ITEMS A. Comp Plan priorities from February 09 B. By Law changes, proposed regulations- Sinclair V. NEW BUSINESS A. Board Appointments VI. CORRESPONDENCE VII. PUBLIC COMMENT III. REPORTS A. Agency and Government Reports a. State Parks Sinclair, Russell, Kosto b. DEC- Stevens c. ADF &G- Vania/ Begich/ d. USF &WS- West e. USFS/Chugach- Skibo f. City of Kenai- Ogle g. City of Soldotna- Micciche h. Kenai Peninsula Borough- Carey B. Committee Reports a. Guide Advisory b. Habitat c. River Use d. Permits e. Legislative /Government Activities f. Board Development g. Agenda /Board Structure /Housekeeping VIII. ADJOURNMENT A. Board Comments B. Date /Agenda of Next Meeting January 14, 2009 5:30 p.m. II. Public Comments /Presentations Speaker Series Presentations: Robert Massengill of DF &G. The history, impacts and control efforts for invasive northern pike on the Kenai Peninsula. Kenai Area Office, PO Box 1247, Soldotna, AK 99669, 907- 262 -5581 Kenai Peninsula Borough, 144 N. Binkley, Soldotna, AK 99669 907 262 -4441 Gilman River Center 514 Funny River Road, Soldotna, AK 99669, 907 260 -4882 Alaska Div slon of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Department atural *rr Re „K ssources, in cooperation with the Kenai Peninsula Borough A`I ER R ECEIIVED DEC 0 72009 KENAI Crry CLERK o >U/1:1\ ic{ CALL TO ORDER Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Minutes Gilman River Center Thursday, November 12, 2009 5:30 p.m. A. Members Present: Joe Connors, Ted Wellman, Brenda Trefon, Carol Padgett, George Heim, Adam Reimer, James Czarnezki, Dave Carey, Janet Schmidt, Bobbie Jo Skibo, Robert Begich, Jack Sinclair, Tim Stevens, Dave Carey. B. The Minutes for October 8, 2009 were approved as written. C. Agenda Changes and Approval: No changes to agenda. II. Public Comments /Presentations Mary King, ADF &G- Slikok Creek Culvert Replacement Project Robert Ruffner, KWF- Kenai Peninsula Borough Habitat Protection Ordinance Efficacy Study III. REPORTS A. Agency and Government Reports a. State Parks, Jack Sinclair, stated that Pam Russell was in Seward at the Kenai Hydro project meeting. The Kenai River Recreation Study status report update is included in board packet. Director James King thanked everyone for everything they do on the KRSMA board. King talked about budget issues, the governor announced an initiative that will put $100 million a year toward deferred maintenance for the state. This year we put in a request for roughly $27 million statewide for deferred maintenance, we have about $67 million within state parks which are deferred maintenance projects. As far as the operating budget, we have been told from the administration not to expect huge increases in operating budgets. We have asked for some in several areas; one to help with deferred maintenance as far as staff and the other to increase volunteer stipends in order to compete with federal agency stipends. Last year Representative Seaton filed House Bill 179, which is the Kenai Lake Land Bill. We are pressing forward with the regulation package which includes the guide replacement and hunting buffer zone. We are working with attorney general office to get language perfected and ready for public comment. Hoping to be through this process by the end of the year and have them ready to be adopted. b. DEC, Tim Stevens, still working with contractors to get reports ready. Working on intergraded report, called the old 305b -303d list for impaired waters issued to EPA every 2 years, they would like it by April 1, 2010. In this report, it talks about the status of state waters and DEC will recommend the Kenai River get moved from a category 4B water to a category 2 water. The Kenai River was well below the standards in our hydrocarbon testing that was done in July. Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Minutes November 12, 2009 Page 1 of 4 c. ADF &G, Robert Begich, nothing to report. d. USF &WS, Janet Schmidt, nothing to report. e. USFS /Chugach, Bobbie Jo Skibo, working with Seward Ranger District and Chugach Region to identifying a planning process to align work load and budget process. Through this process, have started to gather a list of projects within the KRSMA area. Some of the projects are Daves Creek restoration project with bridge and viewing platform improvement at Tern Lake. Bean Creek at Cooper Landing there will be an intergraded resource project, which includes vegetation shop and fuels department and wildlife shop. Hazardous fuels project at Cooper Lake in 2010. Snug Harbor road will be reconstructed with some new gravel and will be potential road delays this coming field season. Some of the culverts will be replaced there as well. The forest service is moving forward with numerous mining plans of operation. Stetson creek is an ongoing plan, moving from 1 year to 5 year plans. Looking for ATV access and structures permitting. The forest service is moving forward with mineral withdrawal for the Kenai River, Russian River Campground, and lower Russian River up to Russian River Lake, which is for 20 years; working thorough BLM process to renew this, which has been in place and basically, precludes mineral entry for locatable mineral rights. f. City of Kenai, Wayne Ogle, Kenai City Council will have a dip net work session in the first week of December. Will be discussing fees, camping fees, and enforcement. City manager is going to Washington D.C. to talk to individuals at OMB about bluff erosion. g. City of Soldotna, Peter Micciche, was not present h. Kenai Peninsula Borough, Dave Carey, commented on a re -write of ordinance 21.18 for all streams and not just the Kenai River. The Borough Assembly renamed Kenai River Center to Gilman River Center. B. Committee Reports a. Guide Advisory, met today and worked on membership for the current year. Established 5 goals for this year. First goal was concern about agencies that work on the Kenai River relative to enforcement in terms of being consistent. The second goal was working with River Use committee on public education. Another goal was we would like to educate guides relative to law enforcement issues. Our last goal was we were asked by parks if we would participate in the creation of 4 hour video or DVD course for the guide replacement course. b. Habitat, didn't meet today. Settled into a cycle of meeting twice a month. Today's meeting was postponed to next week. c. River Use, met today, purpose of meeting was to pick out things we wanted to work on this year. The biggest thing was the River Use Study. Talked about educational component working with the guide advisory committee developing some public education primarily focused on boat operations. Want to take the issue of the return of restored habitat to public use. Want to look at whether the original objectives of Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Minutes November 12, 2009 Page 2 of 4 IV. OLD BUSINESS ACTION ITEMS A. Board Nominations- James King has interviewed all but two candidates. James will finish and make recommendations to the commissioner. Hope to have completed by the end of the month. B. New Regulations Status- Jack Sinclair, the final document is at the attorney generals office and being prepared for legislation. V. NEW BUSINESS closing the bank have been met and can again be re- opened for use. Another issue is should the KRSMA board request the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to close a corridor around the Kenai River to all big game hunting in response in part to the bear incident that recently occurred on the river. Another area was a question of whether should work in establishing use areas on the Kenai River were power boat can drift and prevent use of back trolling or anchoring by power boats. Last area discussed was crowding at boat launches during the month of July and whether the committee could come up with a recommendation. Tentatively scheduled a half day work session for December 5, 2009 from 9:00 am -1:00 pm. d. Permits, met today, purpose was to review a request for variance for a lot in a subdivision at River Quest. The committee decided to oppose issuance of the variance. Letter was drafted and sent to the planning commission. Issue of variance was postponed until January 4 2010, at which time individuals will be able to comment in person. e. Legislative /Government Activities did not meet f. Board Development, did not meet. g. Agenda /Board Structure /Housekeeping did not meet. A. Committee Goals 09 -10, Joe asked that all committees get these put in writing. Jack Sinclair will get the Comp Plan priorities together so everyone can review. VI. CORRESPONDENCE NONE VII. PUBLIC COMMENT Ken Tarbox encouraged board to work with borough on habitat protection area. VIII. ADJOURNMENT A. Board Comments Dave Carey thanked The Kenai Watershed Forum for the job that they do Jim Czarnezki stated there was a memorandum of understanding between all the agencies to do the baseline monitoring on the Kenai River it was in effect for 5 years. The memorandum has Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Minutes November 12, 2009 Page 3 of 4 expired and there is a meeting set for December 17" to discuss renewing it and to determine what level of commitment the agencies can provide. Brenda Trefon stated over the last couple of summers the tribe had a grant to do some fish trapping of the juvenile salmon to identify them and determine if there is fish passage in some of the streams that were not previously recorded as salmon streams. They have been working with the KWF on this. This summer out of 122 test sites and in which some culverts were tested more than once; they found 13 new sections of salmon habitat streams. Joe Connors commented on coming up with a task force for ordinance 21.18 to help the borough. B. Date /Agenda of Next Meeting December 10, 2009 5:30 p.m. Kenai River Special Management Area Advisory Board Minutes November 12, 2009 Page 4 of 4