South Central RC&D Meeting a Success

The South Central Washington Resource Conservation & Development Council (RC&D) public meeting was held last night at the Ellensburg City Hall.   Louis Musso, RC&D Chair, opened the meeting and he was followed by Fennelle Miller.  Fennelle is a member of the RC&D representing the City of Ellensburg.  She did a great job of describing the RC&D and how valuable it is to forming partnerships to work on natural resource issues.

Several presentations were given on RC&D related projects.  KCCD staff (Anna) presented a number of Yakima Tributary Access & Habitat Program (YTAHP) projects completed in the last few years.  The RC&D administers the base funding from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for YTAHP, allowing the KCCD and others to focus time on the projects, not on the grant administration with BPA.  Since it's inception in 2002, KCCD has received approximately $2.3million in YTAHP funding through the RC&D and used that to leverage another $5.5 million from other funding sources!

Carol Ready (RC&D staff) presented the Reecer Creek Floodplain project. The Mid-Columbia Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group is managing this project.  For mor information, visit their website at http://midcolumbiarfeg.com.

 David Gerth (Kittitas Conservation Trust) presented his Cle Elum River project that reactivated an old side channel. Visit his website at http://kittitasconservationtrust.org/

George Sheldon presented the Tapash Collaborative Project, which is focused on healthy forests in central Washington. For more information visit the Tapash website at http://www.tapash.org/.

Heather Simmons-Rigdon closed the meeting with a presentation about the RC&D's area plan.  The plan can be viewed on the RC&D website and public comment is welcome!  http://www.scwrcd.org.

Carol Ready presents the Reecer Creek Floodplain project at the RC&D public meeting.

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Wagon Wheel Workshop

KCCD staff worked with residents of Wagon Wheel community (near the Middle Fork Teanaway River) on Saturday to host a Firewise workshop.  Our consulting forester, Thembi Borras discussed Firewise practices and followed the workshop with individual home assessments for some landowners. A crew from Fire District No. 7 attended and helped with the presentation as well.

Thembi Borras (standing on far left) talks with a Wagon Wheel landowners. Thembi has already assessed a number of lots in the area (prior to Saturday's workshop) and as a result of the workshop, has requests to assess 10 more.

The fire crew from Fire District No. 7 brought their truck and spoke to the landowners about general fire safety and the importance of access routes.  These routes are both for the landowners to safely get out of an area during a wildfire and for fire crews to get in to protect homes and property.

The Wagon Wheel area has Spruce Budworm which is a problem throughout the forestlands of upper Kittitas County.  The budworms (center of above picture) eat the growing tips of the branches.  The Western spruce budworm is the most widely distributed forest defoliator in western North America. The budworms have a one-year life cycle and are actually a small moth at full maturity. During outbreaks of three or more successive years, trees may die. Budworms create ideal conditions for other insect and disease invasions. Trees that have died as a result of the budworm increase fire danger and should be removed.


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Single Federal Audit

We expended more than $500,000 in federal grant funds in 2009, so we are subject to a single federal audit.  The audit is completed by the State Auditor's office.  We are beginning the process this month and it should be completed in late August or early September.
Some of the projects that received those federal funds last year include these:

Jack Creek (above) and Indian Creek (below) culvert replacements in the Teanaway

Lower Reecer Creek project included a pump station (above) and 9,000 linear feet of buried pvc delivery pipe (below)

The Ellensburg Water Company siphon (above) under Currier Creek was reinforced with concrete bands.

Engineering and design work began on the Ellensburg Water Company diversion from Coleman Creek and Intersection with Coleman Creek.

A diversion on Coleman Creek was modified to remove the diversion dam, replace it with rock weirs and reconfigure the associated pumping system.

An on-farm project on Manastash Creek was completed.  The project piped KRD water to two properties who then donated their Manastash Creek water rights to the Trust Water Rights Program.

An on-farm project was completed to improve the efficiency of water use on-farm.  The project installed three center pivots and resulted in water savings being entered into the Trust Water Rights program.

Water measuring structures on the MWDA ditch were installed and modified.

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July 21 Meeting

We are co-hosting an Open House with the South Central Washington Resource Conservation & Development Council (RC&D) on July 21st.  The Open House will be at the Ellensburg City Council Chambers at 501 N. Anderson from 5 to 7 PM.  The RC&D is working on their 5-year strategic plan and this Open House is an opportunity for public comment and input.
We are part of the RC&D Council and they have been an integral part of our Yakima Tributary Access & Habitat Program (YTAHP). So, I will be presenting an update on our part of the YTAHP.  The official agenda is listed below.  If you'd like more information on the RC&D, visit their website at http://www.scwrcd.org/.

AGENDA

• South Central Washington Resource Conservation & Development Council - Who Are We? (Heather Simmons-Rigdon, RC&D Program Coordinator)
• YTAHP Program in Kittitas County
• Kittitas County Conservation District (Anna Lael , District Manager)
• Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group (Rebecca Wassel)
• Kittitas Conservation Trust (David Gerth, Executive Director)
• The Tapash Sustainable Forests Collaborative—Eastside Forest Management - Conservation and Energy (George Shelton, Project Manager)
• RC&D 5-year strategic plan draft - public review and questions (Heather)

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