GLUE Membership Meeting Report

February 23rd, Arrowhead Yacht Club

First, let me thank those of you who took time out of your weekend schedules to attend our gathering and also those speakers who contributed to the agenda. Representative Doug Cox, GRDA Chief Operating Officer Michael Kiefner and Darrel Townsend, the director of the Office of Ecosystems for the authority, were all very informative. Kiefner primarily answered questions, Cox addressed the economy and the impact of our lake on public education while Townsend addressed water quality issues related to Grand Lake and the GRDA relationship with both federal and state wildlife representatives.

Carl Metcalf, the chairman of the board for the newly formed Four States Water Alliance, was also on hand to reveal some of the objectives of the new organization with respect to managing the entire watershed as opposed to a state-by-state approach. The group hopes to bring into focus the big picture and breed a spirit of cooperation within the four states making up the Grand Lake watershed as opposed to a shotgun approach. They will be citizen based and will have funding opportunities unlike those available to existing agencies. The approach is modeled after a similar organization that was instrumental in addressing water quality issues on the Chesapeake Bay. The success of that organization is well documented.

The shoreline management plan was the first item of discussion and where we stand. The authority recently received a directive from FERC telling them to get on with the submission of the plan and that additional delays for additional wildlife studies are unwarranted. The short story is that we can expect the GRDA board of Directors to vote on the current modified plan this spring. It will then be forwarded to FERC for their review. No doubt that will be the next challenge.

FERC could take several positions on the plan; approve it as it is submitted, pencil in changes they want or totally reject the plan and inform the GRDA they will write it for them. Of course our preference is option one and we’re going to need the help of our federal legislators to get that done. We are currently in the planning stages of how best to enlist their support. I’ve had a dialogue with Coburn and Boren, but we still need to get Senator Inhofe in our corner. Once we see how the schedule will shake out, we may take a trip to Washington to sell our cause. If any of you have influence in the political arena, please let me know.

Dr. Darrel Townsend’s presentation followed that of Carl Metcalf and a lot of what he had to say dealt with water quality issues. He was very supportive of Metcalf’s Four States Water Alliance and their goals and objectives. He definitely supported the view that a “big picture approach” was the only way to solve some of the major contributing factors in the watershed. And pointed out that controlling the water quality here on Grand Lake has a lot more to do with what takes place up stream as opposed to what happens right here on the lake. That doesn’t mean dumping raw sewage in to the lake or having an inadequate septic should be ignored, but compared to agricultural runoff, municipal sewage plants spills and the impact of chicken litter, what we do here is of a lesser impact.

The lake wide environmental assessment being done by OU to determine what impact the authorization of habitable structures might have substantiates this line of thinking. The final report isn’t in, but the initial draft certainly seems to support this argument. Townsend also confirmed the ongoing negotiations with both OU and OSU to get them involved in the new water lab being planned for the new ecosystems building in Langley. The facility has had a lot more publicity regarding the new visitor’s center and being home for the Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, but it will also house a state of the art water lab to be utilized by GRDA personnel and graduate students from the two universities. “The Fleming Fearless Forecast” goes something like this; Graduate students, who are mostly none foot tall and bullet proof, are more likely to pull no punches about the real story on water quality as opposed to a bunch of bureaucrats in OKC.

The new facility, and the associated water lab, are part of the backbone of the recently announced GRDA Comprehensive Watershed Conservation and Wildlife Management Plan. We’ll do an analysis of the plan and issue a report at a later date

The good doctor also addressed one of the most important points regarding the lake level issue. If we are to see the minimum lake level restored to an elevation of 742”, there has to be an alternative to the millet seeding plan. The authority is in the process of acquiring property in the flood plane in the upper lake areas and has offered nearly 3,000 acres for off site mitigation to replace the millet seeding plan. That’s approximately three times what the original plan called for in millet seeding acres, but there seems to be a hitch.

Although wildlife has repeatedly professed their preference for an off site program to replace the millet seeding plan, Dr. Townsend reports that ain’t exactly the case. Is this a case of who’s lying to whom or a case of wanting your cake and eat it to. I’m planning to e-mail Barry Bolton at the Department of Wildlife Conservation to clarify their position on this proposal.

These are the highlights as I recall them. If any of you would like to comment on other aspects of the meeting, please do so by clicking on reply to all so everyone will benefit from your observations.

I would like to thank Joe Harwood and Arrowhead Yacht Club for graciously hosting our meeting. I think a gathering like this would be very beneficial about every six months. And a very special thanks to Doug Cox, Michael Kiefner, Darrel Townsend and Carl Metcalf for their contribution to our gathering

Let me hear from you!