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Questions and Answers about the SDCWC
1. What is the mission of the SDCWC?
2. How did SDCWC get started?
3. How is SDCWC organized and what are the mechanics
for making decisions at SDCWC?
4. What is next for the SDCWC? What are the SDCWC priorities
over the next few years?
5. What is the best way for the public to get involved with
SDCWC and support its mission?
6. What is the relationship between SDCWC and other watershed
councils?
7. How can the public be assured that monies awarded to SDCWC
for restoration and monitoring is being spent wisely?
1. What is the mission of the SDCWC?
(web reference: mission)
OWEB's
overview of watershed councils
2. How did SDCWC get started?
SDCWC began as a sub-basin planning team within the Mid-Coast Watershed
Council in xxxx. In 2003, it became clear to those active on Salmon River
and Drift Creek watershed education and restoration efforts that the Salmon
and Drift watersheds were sufficiently separate and that there was sufficient
volunteer energy and agency support for the SDCWC to begin work to establish
an independent watershed council. In 2005, the SDCWC was organized as
a 501c3 non-profit public corporation with a board of directors and by-laws.
Since then the SDCWC has received grants from a variety of public and
private sources including OWEB, National Forest Foundation, and private
donors for public education and watershed restoration. Working with a
variety of city, county, state, and federal agencies, and private landowners,
SDCWC has completed over xxx monitoring and restoration projects in the
Salmon and Drift Creek watersheds including the Rock Creek Dam removal
project which earned astate award for SDCWC and its partners, Lincoln
City and Devils Lake Improvement District.
Organizational Meeting
Articles of Incorporation
3. How is SDCWC organized and what are the mechanics
for making decisions at SDCWC?
As a 501(c)3 public non-profit organization, SDCWC is regulated by State
of Oregon rules for these types of organizations. The SDCWC board is fiscally
and legally responsible for assuring that the SDCWC conforms to this law
and carries out the mission of SDCWC. SDCWC by-laws
specify a decision-making role for the SDCWC board of directors and a
public advisory role for ‘participants’ in the regular open
public meetings held by the SDCWC. Attendees at SDCWC public meetings
can become ‘participants’ eligible to cast advisory votes
on SDCWC issues if they have attended three of the previous six SDCWC
public meetings. There are no additional qualifications for ‘participant’
status and no limit on the number of participants. SDCWC
by-laws specify that when new board members are needed, current board
members can nominate and elect new board members from among those who
qualify as ‘participants’ for advisory votes. Like nearly
all 501(c)3 public non-profit corporations in Oregon without membership,
but unlike many OWEB-recognized independent watershed councils, SDCWC
by-laws specify that the SDCWC board makes decisions based on a simple
majority with a quorum of board members. The SDCWC board actively seeks
public input on SDCWC issues and support for SDCWC projects at the regularly
scheduled public meetings. In addition, the SDCWC board has two standing
advisory committees that meet regularly: a technical committee that reviews
and advises on monitoring and restoration proposals, and an organization
committee that provides advice and assistance on outreach, fundraising,
and board development. In the future we hope to have enough participant
interest to also form an education advisory commmittee.
SDCWC Bylaws
4. What is next for the SDCWC? What are the SDCWC
priorities over the next few years?
In 2006, the SDCWC board identified a need for a more strategic approach
to making decisions about restoration opportunities and fundraising and
organization issues. The SDCWC board and more than 40 ‘participants’
and other members of the public held an all day planning meeting facilitated
by River Network. Based on this foundation, a planning team of volunteers,
agency representatives and other public members worked over six months
to produce a strategic plan with goals, objectives and activities to be
carried out over the following three years. This plan was reviewed monthly
as it was developed and revised at SDCWC public meetings. Based on an
advisory vote from SDCWC public meeting participants, the board voted
to adopt the plan in March 2007. The plan is posted on the web site. The
SDCWC board is committed to using this plan as a communication and planning
tool and will be implementing it, reviewing it regularly and updating
and revising it based on advice from SDCWC participants.
The 2006 SDCWC Strategic Plan
5. What is the best way for the public to get
involved with SDCWC and support its mission?
There are lots of opportunities for different kinds of involvement depending
on skills and interests.
Become aware of watershed issues: SDCWC holds monthly public meetings
that include presentations by experts, local people, and agency or public
officials on topics of interest to SDCWC residents. Attendance at three
of six meetings allows attendees to participate in advisory votes.
Volunteer monitoring and restoration projects: SDCWC has held over 5
outdoor work days in 2007 in a variety of locations in the Salmon River
and Drift Creek watersheds. Opportunities are open now in water quality
monitoring and for fish trap monitoring for those who can make a regular
commitment.
Technical and organizational advisory committee participation: SDCWC
is looking for volunteers with special skills and interests who can help
with monitoring and restoration proposal development and review as well
as with volunteer recruiting, public education, and fundraising.
Join our mailing lists to stay informed.
6. What is the relationship between SDCWC and
other watershed councils?
SDCWC is a separate organization from other watershed councils, however
our intent is to partner with other councils as well as with other organizations,
agencies, and landowners to address the SDCWC mission. Because of the
scale and scope of the opportunity for funded restoration and monitoring
in the SDCWC geography, SDCWC is working with Mid Coast Watershed Council
to develop an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for how we can work together
to do restoration projects that would otherwise be beyond the scale or
scope of either of our councils working alone. In addition to this general
working MOU, SDCWC is working with Mid Coast Watershed Council to address
a short term administrative support opportunity. Based on its implementing
legislation and administrative rules, OWEB (Oregon Watershed Enhancement
Board) provides state support for watershed council administration directly
to watershed councils that meet specific organization criteria. The SDCWC
intent (see strategic plan)
is to meet these criteria in the future, however, SDCWC did not meet these
criteria in time for the 2007-2008 funding calendar. For smaller watershed
councils, such as ours, OWEB rules allow better established watershed
councils to serve as ‘umbrella’ councils for the purpose of
distributing financial support for administration. We are working with
Mid Coast Watershed Council on an agreement that will allow Mid Coast
to serve this administrative umbrella function for SDCWC.
7. How can the public be assured that monies
awarded to SDCWC for restoration and monitoring is being spent wisely?
SDCWC has requested and received funding from a variety of public and
private sources for a variety of monitoring, restoration, and education
projects. Each source has its own rules for how monies must be requested,
accounted for, and leveraged with local resources as well as for how proposals
and project results must be evaluated. SDCWC endeavors to conform to all
relevant rules, requirements, and processes, and our experience has been
that funding agencies pay close attention to whether their rules, requirements,
and processes are being followed. OWEB and other state agencies post requests
for funding and project reports on their project tracking web sites. In
addition to these external requirements, SDCWC has established formal
policies for conflict of interest, equal employment opportunities, and
harassment prohibition. In addition to the public documents available
from funding agencies, the public is welcome to attend the monthly public
SDCWC business meeting where board and staff routinely review proposal
and project status.
State
proposal tracking site
SDCWC Conflict of Interest Policy
(PDF)
SDCWC Board Code of Conduct (PDF)
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