SRM Watershed/Riparian Committee Meeting Synopsis
Billings, MT – February 6, 2011
Board Rep. Rick Orr
1. Strategic Plan – WRC is asking the Board to provide guidance and direction to committees relative to the type of input needed for the strategic plan revision.
2. WRC Webpage – Membership list, activities (including link to symposium proceedings), and handbook updates were discussed and will be posted; decisions/process being relative to link page development. Committee history and business documentation will be scanned; webpage subcommittee will be consulted on creating a link for this content.
3. High School Youth Forum Workshop – This is the fifth year the WRC is conducting a 3-hour workshop on riparian function, values and uses, including a quiz and prizes. Post-session evaluations and repeated invitations indicate an effective learning experience.
4. Watershed and Riparian Expertise(relative to university curriculum and agency personnel qualifications/expertise) - Committee discussion centered on identifying people’s needs and activities to fill those needs such as a series of workshops addressing core skills; riparian plant identification, fluvial geomorphology, riparian-wetland soils, inventory, assessment and monitoring, etc. Also work with the Student Affairs Committee to offer a list of plants for inclusion into the plant identification contest, and communicate concerns with members of the Range Science Education Council.
5. Riparian ESD Development – The WRC supports this effort and the associated learning activities. Jeff Repp provided an update on the process, including upcoming workshops.
6. Position Statements – WRC is in the process of combining the riparian and wetland positions statements and reviewing the need for the salmon resolution; have communicated status with Public Affairs committee.
7. Definitions – The discussion revolved around the possible need to update the Glossary of Terms. This need may also apply to the focus of other SRM committees.
2011 Symposium – Two half-day sessions; Wednesday and Thursday mornings
2012 - 2013Activities: Assist with the Energy Development on Rangelands symposium; also discussed session on inventory, assessment and monitoring of lentic resources, riparian monitoring (objectives, methods, adaptive management), resilience relative to climate change and water; applied management - lessons learned in the past decade relative to riparian grazing; outreach to University Range Club Advisors
2011 2012 Chair: Lou Hagener, , 406-265-5205
2013 Chair-Elect: Jeff Repp, , 503-273-2431