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Minutes July 18, 2006 Attendees: Jennifer Wade, Scott Adams, Bob Laport, Klaus Roetke, Brendan Cain, Miranda Shapiro, Lisa Readel, Mike Smith, Donna Bishop, Don Whereat, Elaine Raper, Bob Golden, Tom Sill, Don Luce, John Griffith, Reg Pullen Acting Chair Miranda Shapiro conducted the meeting. Mike Smith and Donna Bishop moved to approve the June Minutes. John Griffith, Coos County Commissioner, began with a presentation on the current status of the Winchester Creek trail system. He responded to a number of issues raised regarding insurance coverage by Mike Smith and Donna Bishop during a June meeting of the Coos County Commissioners. The county already is somewhat protected by state law from liability from accidents involving recreationists on county lands. A waiver is needed to cover people who are volunteering to maintain trails on county lands. County council will draft a permit spelling out what is expected of both parties. The Coos Forest Protective Association (CFPA) will have major input into the permit. Since regulated use during high fire danger will severely restrict most activities, maintenance outside of fire season is much easier to accommodate. The CFPA has determined that trail work is not considered a logging operation, which is already covered under a Loggers Broad Form insurance policy. This needs to be confirmed by a letter from the State Forester. The Oregon Equestrian Trail Riders(OET) have insurance for general purposes which will be sufficient for trail work, except during regulated use restrictions on the use of power tools. The best time to do trail maintenance will be before or after fire season. The OET insurance lists the group’s leaders as the named insured party. Event insurance is an additional $65 per day, and it doesn’t make sense to purchase it in advance since inclement weather can cause postponement of work days. Donna is concerned that the trails are growing in and need some immediate attention. John Griffith said that it may be possible that the Coos Regional Trails Partnership (CRTP) will need a new blanket permit to cover all possible kinds of trail maintenance on county property. The trail maintenance subcommittee will review the permit and modify it so as to avoid the need for the $5 thousand needed to purchase Loggers Broad Form insurance. They will also come up with a maintenance plan to present to the county. Bob LaPort, county forester, has hiked many of the trails and thinks they are in good shape except for open areas where brush grows well. Jennifer Wade reported on the condition of several trails on United States Forest Service (USFS) lands in the Siuslaw National Forest. The Kentucky Falls trail has two log stringer bridges in need of repair. The Bluebill Lake trail needs to be renovated in some sections adjacent to the lake. The Horsefall Staging Area contract is now in progress. Volunteers are needed to remove brush along portions of the John Dellenback trail, formerly called the Umpqua Dunes trail. The Hauser Access Road is in need of a lift of rock and some realignment. There is talk about making Hauser day use only, because of the increase in rowdy crowds and as a way to mitigate the loss of day use at Horsefall Staging Area. The USFS intends to keep the CRTP informed about all present or proposed projects. Donna Bishop wanted to know why work hasn’t been completed on the turnaround area and corrals at Wild Mare Horse Camp. The Umpqua 3 parking lot at Winchester Bay is also in need of repairs due to winter erosion. Jennifer said that a letter of support from the CRTP would help encourage the completion of these projects. The short term maintenance plan will address these and other issues related to the Winchester, Blue Ridge, and Dunes trail systems. Elaine Raper, Umpqua Area Field Manager, reported on the status of the North Spit land sale. Scoping began in January, a draft EA was recently completed, and the next steps would be an appraisal of the land to be sold and then it would be advertised by a Federal Register notice. The entire process will take a year and a half to complete. The draft EA was sent to interested parties last week and will be reviewed until August 12. Then a decision document will be prepared and there will be a 30 day review process before it is finalized. The BLM is behind in the planned time line because of public concern over recreational access, potential loss of wetlands, and possible damage to special status plant species. The draft EA identifies three alternatives—as is, with no lands sold; offering up the entire 180 acres for sale; or the preferred alternative of 80 acres for sale. This alternative minimizes impacts on recreation, wetlands, and special status plants. Two parcels would be offered for sale in areas that have already been disturbed in an attempt to balance recreational needs with industrial needs. Elaine is willing to meet with any interested party to discuss the land sale. The proposed sale of 34 acres near Roseburg Lumber Company property will be published in the Federal Register beginning tomorrow for a 30 day review period. This is different than the parcels that control recreational access. Donna Bishop said that the OET is more willing to support the 80 acre proposal, and she will recommend this to the organization’s statewide board. Mike Smith suggested that she draft a letter of support for the preferred alternative that could be submitted to the BLM by the CRTP. The last item of business was to consider a motion made by Don Luce and seconded by Mike Smith to create a subcommittee for the South Coast Striders. The motion was unanimously supported by the members in attendance. Don reported that 46 people went on the Eel Lake hike in June, with the majority being new hikers. There may be a demand for more frequent hikes during the summer, perhaps even every two weeks. The new subcommittee will address this issue. Adjourn |