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<br /> 1 <br />FROM: Commission for the Environment <br />SUBJECT: Monthly Meeting <br />DATE: March 14, 2011 <br />LOCATION: Environment and Agricultural Center (Hillsborough) <br />_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />MEMBERS PRESENT: Bill Kaiser (Chair), Renee Price (Vice Chair), Chris Adams, Lucy <br />Adams, Lynnette Batt, May Becker, Peter Cada, Michelle Drostin, Loren Hintz, Tom O’Dwyer, <br />David Neal <br /> <br />MEMBERS ABSENT: Clay Hudson, Michael Hughes, Gary Saunders, David Welch <br /> <br />STAFF PRESENT: Rich Shaw and Tom Davis <br /> <br />GUESTS: Bonnie Hauser (Orange County Voice / Clean Water Coalition) <br />_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br /> I. Call to Order: Kaiser called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm <br /> <br />II. Additions or Changes to Agenda – May Becker requested time to update CFE members <br />about her recent experience of being questioned/challenged about her residency and <br />continued eligibility to serve on the Planning Board. She said the matter appears to be <br />resolved although she remains highly disappointed with how the situation was handled. <br /> <br />III. Approval of Minutes – The meeting summary for February 14, 2011 was approved with <br />minor technical edits requested by Kaiser. Motion by L. Adams, second by Hintz; <br />approved unanimously. <br /> <br /> [Note: The order of business was rearranged to accommodate the guest (Hauser)] <br /> <br />VI. OWASA Forest Management Plan – Shaw provided an overview of the materials <br />provided in the agenda packet: a) comments on the OWASA draft forest management <br />plan from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, b) comments from the NC <br />Natural Heritage Program, c) map showing a significant natural heritage area (SNHA) <br />and the OWASA-owned properties around Cane Creek Reservoir, d) a description of the <br />Cane Creek Reservoir SNHA (now called, “Cane Creek/Crawford Mountain”), and e) <br />CFE issues/findings thus far (dated December 2010). <br /> <br />CFE members resumed their discussion of the draft forest management plan and the <br />information presented by Pat Davis and Bonnie Hauser at the February meeting, <br />portions of which were included in the meeting summary. <br /> <br />Issues that were discussed included who makes the final decision whether to proceed <br />with forest management activities (OWASA Board of Directors), which agencies <br />recommended that OWASA manage its forests (NC Division of Forest Resources and <br />NC Wildlife Resources Commission), what are OWASA’s objectives (included in <br />February CFE meeting summary as presented by Pat Davis), how effective are riparian <br />buffers in guarding the receiving waters (different widths are recommended depending <br />on slope, species composition, and other factors), and who determines which streams <br />will be buffered (OWASA and its forest consultant? Orange County erosion control?). <br /> <br />CFE members asked themselves the following questions: what would be the benefits of <br />managing the forest as prescribed in the draft plan?; how would this plan meet the stated <br />objectives?; and how would implementing the plan benefit water quality? It was <br />recommended that these questions and others be asked of OWASA.