1
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL
NEBRASKA NATURAL RESOURCES
COMMISSION MEETING
MARCH 8, 2001
Those in attendance were:
LeRoy Pieper, Chair Ron
Bishop
Wayne Davis, Member Glenn
Johnson
Roger Korell, Member Steve
Oltmans
Wayne Madsen, Member Marlin
Petermann
Jim Van Marter, Member Ralph
Rosa
Frank Bartak, Member Nelson
Carpenter
Garry Anderson, Member Roger
Patterson, Director
Vince Kramper, Member Dayle
Williamson, Staff
Don Larson, Member Jim
Cook, Staff
Clinton Johannes, Member Tom Pesek, Staff
Richard Jiskra, Member Gayle
Starr, Staff
Joe Hergott, Member
Arlond Garratt, Member
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Commission Chair,
LeRoy Pieper, in the conference room of the Lower Platte South NRD in Lincoln,
Nebraska, at approximately 9:30 a.m.
NOTICE OF THE
MEETING
Notice of the meeting was placed in the LINCOLN
JOURNAL STAR on February 28, 2001, notifying the public of the meeting.
INFORMATIONAL MATERIAL
The following items of informational material were
distributed during the course of the meeting and a copy of each is attached to
the file copy of the minutes.
Soil & Water
Conservation Fund – Expenditures by Month 1993-2001.
Comprehensive Planning
Committee Minutes.
NRCS Report to the NRC and
NARD.
Nebraska Resources
Development Fund Present Financial Status, March 5, 2001.
Nebraska Resources
Development Fund Quarterly Report, January
Status of Small Watersheds
Flood Control Fund.
Copy of letter to Tom Pesek
from Papio-Missouri River NRD. RE: Small Watershed Flood Control (LB71) Fund
Request – Big Papio Flood Control Channel Project.
Status Report on Natural
Resources Enhancement Fund.
Status Report on Carbon
Sequestration Fund.
Status Report on Republican
Basin Water Meter Fund.
MINUTES
Wayne Madsen noted that the first two actions at the
January 24 meeting indicated that he was present and voting aye and in fact he
was not present. He also noted that on
the first action Don Larson was shown as present and voting and also absent and
it should be corrected that he was absent.
Motion was made by Jiskra and seconded by Kramper to approve the
minutes of the January 24, 2001, Commission meeting with the corrections noted
above. Motion carried.
Aye: Bartak,
Anderson, Garratt, Larson, Kramper, Korell, Madsen, Van Marter, Johannes,
Hergott, Davis, Jiskra, Pieper
Nay: None
Not Present: Hahn, Roberts, Donaldson
LeRoy Pieper noted that a proposed committee
assignment roster had been distributed and that if there were no requests for
change that they would be the final committee assignments. Pieper noted that the fund expenditures for
January 2001 had been provided to Commission members and that they would be put
on file.
ADVISOR’S COMMENTS
Steve Chick, representing the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, briefly commented on a recent Nebraska State Technical
Committee meeting held in Kearney, the Wetlands Reserve Program, Conservation
Reserve Program, changes in the wetland regulations, Wildlife Habitat Incentive
Program, and watershed activity including the new Small Watershed
Rehabilitation Program. He also
distributed a summary sheet depicting the expansion of the NRCS workload in
Nebraska since 1988 and the number of programs that his staff has been
assigned. He also noted that the
summary sheet indicated that the NRCS staff in Nebraska has decreased from 441
employees in 1988 to 317 at present.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Roger Patterson noted that the agency hearing before
the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee was on
February 26 and he felt it was a good hearing. He added that John Miyoshi, Steve Oltmans,
and Glenn Johnson had all appeared at the hearing requesting additional
development funds for projects in their NRDs.
Patterson explained that despite good winter moisture
in most of the state, the state’s reservoirs were all generally quite low and
mostly below their levels of a year ago.
He also noted that the mountain snow pack was estimated at 81 percent of
normal with the runoff estimated at only 66 percent of normal. He did indicate that storage levels in the
Wyoming reservoirs in the North Platte Basin were generally good and that it is
expected that North Platte water users will receive their full allocations this
year. He also explained that storage in
the Missouri River mainstem reservoirs was also quite low.
Dayle Williamson explained that progress was being
made on the carbon sequestration issue and that he will continue on that
committee after his retirement. He
noted that a proposed change in state law would make it possible for the carbon
sequestration effort to receive some funding from the Environmental Trust.
ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST
Vince Kramper noted that the Environmental Trust
received 144 applications for approximately $41,000,000 and was tentatively
recommending approval of 65 applications for a total of about
$9,000,000. He
added that a public hearing on this recommendation would be held at their next
meeting. He added that the staff and
Board were spending a great deal of time getting the endowment fund
established. Roger Patterson added that
he had served on the Evaluation Committee and had taken a great deal of time
reviewing a large number of applications.
PLATTE AND REPUBLICAN RIVER
ISSUES
Roger Patterson noted that they were nearing a
decision on the Nebraska v. Wyoming Issue and that by March 13 it should be
known if a settlement could be reached.
He added that it had been difficult meeting with and informing all of
the stakeholders about the proposed settlement since the special master had
determined that the details of the proposed settlement could not be released.
With regard to the Republican River, he noted that a
status conference before the Special Master is scheduled for May 30 and noted
that the Special Master had made some preliminary findings.
COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING COMMITTEE
Wayne Madsen noted that minutes of the Comprehensive
Planning Committee had been distributed to Commission members and that since
all Commission members were present at the meeting he would not further discuss
them unless there were questions.
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Wayne Davis noted that the Resources Development Fund
status report and quarterly report had both been reviewed at the committee
meeting. He added that the committee
was recommending action on the Antelope Creek Flood Control Project proposal
and the Platte River Flow Enhancement project proposal. Motion was made by Davis and seconded by
Johannes to advise the Lower Platte South NRD that it may proceed with an
application feasibility report of the Antelope Creek flood control project and
that it is to address the comments and questions contained in the letter from
the Director of Natural Resources.
Motion carried.
Aye: Bartak,
Anderson, Garratt, Larson, Kramper, Korell, Madsen, Van Marter, Johannes,
Hergott, Davis, Jiskra, Pieper
Nay: None
Not Present: Hahn, Roberts, Donaldson
Motion was made by Davis and
seconded by Kramper to advise the Central Platte NRD not to proceed with an
application and feasibility report for the Platte River Flow Enhancement
project at this time due to the need to first complete the CoHyst Study and the
Platte River Cooperative Agreement as explained in the letter from the Director
of Natural Resources. Motion carried.
Aye: Anderson, Garratt, Larson, Kramper, Korell,
Madsen, Van Marter, Johannes, Hergott, Davis, Jiskra, Bartak, Pieper
Nay: None
Not Present: Hahn, Roberts, Donaldson
Davis called on Steve Oltmans,
Manager of the Papio-Missouri River NRD who provided the committee with a
briefing on the Western Sarpy/Clear Creek Flood Reduction Project proposal.
Davis explained that the Small
Watersheds Flood Control Fund status report had been provided to Commission
members. He added that the committee
had discussed a series of eight appraisals of tracts involving the Big Papio
Flood Control Channel Project in the Papio-Missouri River NRD. He added that the NRD was requesting
assistance from the Small Watersheds Flood Control Fund on these eight separate
tracts, seven of which are fee title and one for an easement. Motion was made by Davis and seconded by
Kramper to approve the appraisals involving the Big Papio Flood Control Project
(Center to Blondo Streets) as follows:
(1) Tract 7, Sunset Valley Golf Course, and commit 50% of
$180,251 or $90,125.50 for easement;
(2) Tract 24,
Daub, and commit 50% of $15,860 or $7,930 for fee title;
Tract 26, Sweetbriar, and commit 50% of $34,000 or $17,000 for fee
title;
Tract 34, Regency Apartments, and commit 50% of $81,000 or $40,500
for fee title;
Tract 38, Yin, and commit 50% of $28,450 or $14,225 for fee
title;
Tract 42, Nooney, and commit 50% of $25,800 or $12,900 for fee
title;
Tract 43, Stonebrook, and commit 50% of $32,800 or $16,400 for fee
title;
Tract 51A, VRB Co., and commit 50% of $26,325 or $13,162.50 for fee
title.
Motion carried.
Aye: Garratt, Larson, Kramper, Korell, Madsen,
Van Marter, Johannes, Hergott, Davis, Jiskra, Bartak, Anderson, Pieper
Nay: None
Not Present: Hahn, Roberts, Donaldson
Davis noted that the status reports of the Soil &
Water Conservation Fund, Natural Resources Enhancement Fund, Water Well
Commissioning Fund, and Carbon Sequestration Fund had been provided to
Commission members.
LEGISLATION
Jim Cook reviewed a series of proposed legislative
bills and responded to a number of questions concerning those bills.
MAY COMMISSION MEETING
Motion was made by Davis and seconded by Bartak to
change the date of the May Commission meeting to May 22 and 23. Motion carried.
Aye: Larson,
Kramper, Korell, Madsen, Van Marter, Johannes, Hergott, Davis, Jiskra, Bartak,
Anderson, Garratt, Pieper
Nay: None
Not Present: Hahn,
Roberts, Donaldson
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Commission will be May 22 and
23, 2001 in Lincoln. It was noted that
the plan is that the July Commission meeting will be in Gering.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:50 a.m.
Chairman Director
of Natural Resources