FR-CRM Monitoring TAC

Meeting Notes

6/6/2007 Plumas Corporation Office @ 9 a.m.

Attendees: Jessica Albietz, Dennis Heiman, Cindy Noble, Jim Wilcox, Mark Steffek, Leslie Mink, Tina Hopkins, Joe Hoffman, Gia Martynn

Bold indicates action item.

1. Review 2006 Monitoring Report

Primary goal of the watershed monitoring efforts and the annual report is to show a 10-year change in the hydrograph at Doyle Crossing after the completion of Last Chance Phase II. (Twenty-five miles of restoration above Doyle Xing in a 100 sq. mi. watershed.) Long-term hope is to see changes further downstream at Notson and Taylorsville for both flows and temperature. Reviewed/ discussed report. For a given precipitation event, hydrograph responds differently than before restoration. Suggested that a 2006 summary bar be added to previous years’ graphs for comparison to previous reports. Hydrographs for Big Flat show attenuation of flows. Need higher rating curve (stage height to discharge) for Red Clover at Notson. Temperature data continues to have lots of noise- 8 miles of untreated between Alkali Flat and Doyle Crossing with Willow and Stony Creeks coming in below the project area and subsurface influence from McClellan and Cottonwood; differences in stratification from pooling and changes from springs coming in. Daily max temperature is indication of extreme vs. MWAT (max. weekly avg. temp.- running daily avg. over 7 days) is best as a biological indicator.

2. Status report on continuous recording stations

a. Maintenance Priorities- Wolf Creek, Taylorsville, Lights Creek, Sulphur Creek

Wolf Creek new equipment, new location, cost $5K; Taylorsville needs transducer repair for turbidity and move from current location, cost $1740, waiting for County to finish work on bridge; Lights move transducer lower into water, cost $1760 also includes maintenance of Flournoy; had some discussion on the need for the Flournoy site- not good flow data due to continual influence from beavers; Sulphur waiting to move/fix after CalTrans installs weir downstream, need timeframe from CalTrans.

3. Status of Project Monitoring

a. Last Chance- CRM staff continues to monitor groundwater wells, temperature, noxious weeds, and flow.

Red Clover- post-project work will be completed this summer. Monitoring temperature, range productivity, flow, fish, and noxious weeds. DWR collecting wildlife and macroinvertebrate sample. Decision Notice for Red Clover-USFS project will be issued in 2007. Seek funding in 2008, possibly from Prop. 84- $73 mil available for Sac River watershed area.

Middle Fork projects (Smith, Long Valley, Little Last Chance, Raap/Guidici, Boulder)- pre-project work completed summer ’06 and summer ’07 by CRM staff. Monitoring parameters include temperature, vegetation, fish, channel morphology, and soil moisture.

Meadow Valley projects (Spanish and Silver Creek)- Citizen monitor, Michelle Fulton, collecting pre-project data.

b. Additional continuous recording station needs: macroinvertebrate sampling, piggy- backing onto Stanford infrared flight done in 2005, other data needs?? Poplar is the only project we have pre- and post-project macro data for. DWR collected pre-project samples on Red Clover; will collect post-project samples this summer. Discussed the lack of collaboration between state and federal with sampling protocols. State does not currently recognize macro sampling methods used by USFS. If using state funds to sample for macros must comply with SWAMP protocol including attending a 6-day training and sending macro samples to authorized labs for testing.

Do not have funding to repeat infrared flight done in 2005 for LLC and Red Clover; possibly acquire funding to repeat in 2008. Other problems include need for proper software to access full spectrum. Jessica will contact Tad regarding access to 2005 data.

4. Last Chance Project Monitoring Update & Plan for 2007

a. UC Davis Indian Creek Model Collaborate with USFS SCI 2007 work within the Indian Creek watershed; Jessica asked USFS to measure flow at SCI sites in the Indian Creek Watershed. Jessica will get 2007 SCI sites from Tina. CRM will be measuring water temp of wells and solar radiation, in addition to already regularly collected data.

b. DWR sites update- new equipment installed at weather station in Taylorsville, with flow rating now online. Solar radiation is continuously recorded at Taylorsville, Jordan Peak and Thompson Valley weather stations. DWR is conducting monitoring on Red Clover, including macroinvertebrate sampling.

c. Carbon Sequestration monitoring- Received 85% of request for Title III funds. UNR will be assisting with protocol, looking at root mass and soils. Peter Gleick from the Pacific Institute has stated that wetlands are the largest carbon sequester worldwide. Jim and Jessica will begin collecting data this summer from three treated sites: Big Flat (1995/2004), Clarks (2001), and Red Clover (1985/2006); untreated sites: Red Clover @ Dotta and Last Chance @ Coyote Flat.

5. Citizen monitoring efforts to date and additional opportunities- Kristy Hoffman is coordinating citizen monitors for project monitoring and community outreach efforts (i.e. monitoring field trips with local schools and Feather River College classes; World Wide Monitoring Day; and macroinvertebrate workshops). Jessica is coordinating volunteers to read stream gages at each of our continuous recording sites and to assist with storm event monitoring.

6. SCI Update – USFS focus is on pre- and post- HFQLG projects. QLG completes annual reports each year. Joe will send CRM copies of 2006 reports for SCI, hydro, soils, and amphibians. SCI sites are supposed to be located in response reaches, not all sites meet this criterion. Thermograph and Rapid Bioassessment done at each site. FRCRM has 21 sites first done in 2003, 5-year intervals. Dennis mentioned that SWB is considering a state network that would include discharge monitors and collaborate with DWR. The Feather River watershed could establish long-term 5 sites as part of the state network??

a. Priority sites- Indian Creek watershed

b. Funding Opportunities- Possible SWAMP funds in 2008 available

7. Work Plan for 2007-2008 data collection

a. Priorities with funding

b. Review action plan for additional sampling funding- Sierra Nevada Conservancy has $7.5 mil in two categories: Competitive awarded once/yr. (between $50K and $1mil) and Strategic Opportunity Grants (SOG) awarded year round. RFP expected out this winter.

FYI- Other ongoing monitoring in the watershed:

§ UC Extension- Upper Feather River Watershed, Prop 50 Ag Waiver Monitoring- Final data collection in 2008; final report in 2009. Phase II monitoring began this year looks at management practices on individual properties, cooperating landowners include- American Valley: Bengard and Reid; Indian Valley: Bengard; Sierra Valley: Roen, Genasci (off Smithneck), Maddelena (Perry Creek behind Sierraville), VanFlecks (NRCS project), and Carmichael. Phase I ambient monitoring began in 2006. Sites at top and bottom of each valley. Toxins were collected in May ’07; macro samples are taken twice per season. In Sierra Valley grad student is doing forage sampling as part of soils work; put out cages. All data should be on website. Gia will put link on CRM website.

§ USFS Mountain yellow-legged frog telemetry study – One year study done on Lone Rock Crk., and three year study on Bean Creek. Contracted out to research group MGW. Have tagged 15-20 frogs from different age classes. Egg masses found at confluence with Bean and Spanish Creek. Trying to look at migration into uplands. Greatest movement from creek documented is 75 feet (individual followed a seep). Have expanded the study .25 miles above and below the confluence Bean and Spanish. Species is being proposed for listing as endangered- could be listed by 2008. USFS is trying to work with USFWS before listing. Tina will send CRM copies of MGW reports.