PRESS RELEASE

December 23, 2002

General Meeting of the Millerton Area Watershed Coalition

Noxious Weeds Presentation

The Millerton Area Watershed Coalition (MAWC) Steering Committee is inviting interested landowners and the public to attend their first general meeting for the year on Wednesday, January 8^th to learn more about the watershed program.  The meeting will be held at the Friant Learning Academy in the town of Friant beginning at 6:00 pm and will last two hours.  This meeting will include a presentation on noxious weeds by Joanna Clines, Chair of the San Joaquin-Sierra Noxious Weed Alliance.

 Joanna Clines is a noted Botanist employed with the US Forest Service.  She works for the Bass Lake District of the Sierra National Forest located in North Fork, Madera County.  Joanna has been the Chair the San Joaquin-Sierra Noxious Weed Alliance since 1998.  The Alliance’s membership includes the Fresno and Madera County Agricultural Departments, Coarsegold and Sierra Resource and Conservation Districts, and other various State and Federal agencies including the Natural Resources Conservation Service-USDA.

 Noxious weeds and other invasive exotic plant species are a serious threat in agricultural, grazing and watershed areas. If not managed aggressively, over time they can have a significant impact on the economy, natural resources and wildlife habitat.  This educational presentation is to help property owners and others to become better acquainted with the Noxious Weed Alliance’s programs and to provide information on what actions can be taken towards the removal of these invasive species.

More Information can be obtained by calling the Coalition at 855-5840 or by visiting their website at: http://www.sierrafoothill.org/watershed

About the Millerton Area Watershed Coalition and Assessment Program

Since July 2002, the organization has been led by a Steering Committee representing landowners, residents and other stakeholders in the Millerton area of eastern Madera and Fresno counties.  The group is operating under a grant from the CALFED Bay-Delta Program.  CALFED is a State and Federal consortium responsible for supporting state-wide water quality and quantity programs.  An objective of CALFED is to bring about improvements to California’s watershed areas through local citizen participation. The grant has been used to develop an effective community-based organization.  The group is focused on the Millerton area watershed around the San Joaquin River in the foothills east of Fresno.  This year the group will be conducting a comprehensive study of the watershed and will report back their findings to local government officials and CALFED at the end of 2003. 

 The Steering Committee is chaired by Karla Kay Fullerton.  Ms. Fullerton is a property owner in the Millerton area and the Executive Director for the Fresno County Farm Bureau.  Ms. Fullerton has been quoted as saying, “It is imperative that local landowners engage in the Watershed Coalition, so that together we set a vision for the future and begin to work toward maintaining a healthy watershed”. 

Prominent members of the Steering Committee include: Mr. Frank Bigelow, Chair for the Madera County Board of Supervisors, Mr. Denis Prosperi, Chair for the Madera County’s Water Oversight Committee, Mr. Steve Ottemoeller, General Manager of the Madera Irrigation District, Chuck Peck, Executive Director of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy and Mr. Lloyd Carter, President of Save Our Streams.

Other members of the Committee include representatives from the Sierra Resource Conservation District in Fresno County, Landowner groups, recreational, cultural and environmental organizations, California State University – Fresno, and the public at large.  

The assessment being conducted this year is being led by Terry Sandridge.  Mr. Sandridge is a property owner in the foothill community of Auberry, Fresno County.  He is employed with the Forestry Division of Southern California Edison Company.  

State and Federal Agencies have taken on a non-regulatory role of providing technical resources as a part of the organization’s watershed assessment program.  Liaisons from the agencies have been appointed as members of a Technical Advisory Committee.  Agencies participating include the California Department of Water Resources that also has local administrative responsibilities for MAWC’s watershed program under CALFED.  Other agencies participating are: California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Fish and Game, Department of Forestry, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Bureau of Land Management and the National Resource Conservation Service-USDA.  

The watershed program covers both eastern Fresno and Madera counties within the Millerton area watershed.  The watershed encompasses the San Joaquin River drainage from Friant Dam for 26 miles up to Kerckhoff Dam.  The total Watershed Study Area is approximately 163,000 acres of which 115,000 acres are within Madera County – and the remaining 48,000 acres are within Fresno County.  

Those who may have questions or would like additional information about the watershed program can contact Steve Haze, the Coalition’s Program Coordinator at (559) 855-5840 – or visit their web-site at: http://www.sierrafoothill.org/watershed