1.   So that Matt (District Manager) can be responsive to the pressing operational, deferred maintenance and capital project requirements of the Water and the Sanitary Districts, the District Manager will no longer have responsibility for the Arch Cape Watershed, except as the emergency contact point for fire response and contractors.

2. The Board will actively pursue community engagement to keep the Arch Cape Water District rate payers and property owners informed about plans and decisions and to seek their feedback.

3. At least for the next 6 months, Water District Board meetings will be held only via Zoom and not in person at the Fire House. The Board believes that Zoom-only Board meetings will encourage broader community participation (the audio technology in the fire house makes it extremely difficult for Zoom participants to hear what is being said), will reduce contractor costs for attending meetings and will produce a clearer recording of the meeting. 

1. The two projects, purchasing the Watershed and purchasing the Rainforest Reserve, have been very successfully completed. Since the objective of “Two Projects – One Vision”  banners has been accomplished, the banners will be retired from the Fire Hall and Mail Box area.

2.   The National Parks Service (NPS) led Committee has produced a comprehensive report of their recommended Public Access & Recreation Plan for the Arch Cape Watershed. This month they updated that report.  This update concludes the 2-year recommendation phase of the Policy development process and Arch Cape Water District involvement in the NPS committee.

The final step in the process to develop a Policy is the decision phase. The Board will now survey Arch Cape voters, rate payers and lot owners about their preferences for allowed recreational activities and allowed area(s) for public access.  The survey results will be incorporated into a set of recommendations for an Arch Cape Watershed Public Access Policy, which will be reviewed, refined and adopted by the Board.  The adopted Policy will be submitted for approval by the Forest Legacy Program (per contract requirements).

3.   In response to a long term request from the community, the Board has decided to stop all publicity / promotion of the Watershed and will have existing publicity promotions removed from social media and web site(s).

1.   Significant work in the Watershed is ahead. Ben Hayes, our long term contracted Forester, has recommended an extensive multi-year project to decommission / remove and stabilize the roads in the Watershed (click here for more information about the Roads Assessment). In addition, the Board has raised a number of operational questions that need to be answered (Click here to see the questions under ‘Immediate-Term Operations & Oversight’). In order for the Forest Management Committee to more knowledgeably and effectively undertake this work , especially given that Ben will have to be replaced prior to his departure a year’s end (for a year long sailing adventure), the Committee needs to be expanded and additional forestry expertise added. Adding more forestry experience has an additional benefit as it increases community involvement in the process. As such, the Board reconstituted the Forest Management Committee. Community members appointed to the Committee can be found by clicking here.

2. The need for a financial – operations plan for the Watershed, with logging and no logging options, is becoming more pressing. As such the Board reconvened the Finance Committee, as a subgroup of the Forest Management Committee, with a scope defined by the Board. (Click here to see the scope under ‘Near to Long Term Planning’). Community members with finance expertise were appointed to the Committee, and can be found by clicking here.

3. Given the work ahead, the need for an experienced Project Manager has been recognized. The good news is that a Project Manager can be funded by ARPA-COVID monies that were previously awarded to the District. A Request for Proposal (RFP) for an experienced Project Manager will be developed and submitted to potentially interested parties / organizations .