To: Lake Davis Steering Committee
From: Ivan Paulsen
Date: May 18, 2004
Re: Notes from the May 10, 2004 Lake Davis Steering Committee meeting, Portola City Hall.
A Note on the Notes: These notes summarize the discussion, decisions made, and action items of the Lake Davis Steering Committee meeting. They are intended for interested parties, particularly those who could not attend the meeting. They are not intended to be a transcript, analysis of the meeting, or to indicate agreement or disagreement with any of the items summarized, except where expressly stated. :-)
Present: Jim Murphy (City of Portola), Jerry Dollard, Julie Cunningham (California Department of Fish and Game), Mike Morrison (CDFG),Ivan Paulsen (CDFG), Fran Roudebush, Colleen Marsh, BY PHONE: Doug Rischbieter (California Department of Water Resources), Ralph Hinton (CDWR) and Dr. David Spath (Depart. Health Services)
Water Level Update: Ralph Hinton reported that as of midnight, May 9, the water level was 5,766.18 ‘ and 52,565 ac. ft.
Discussion about Coalition meeting: The Coalition meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, May 24, 2004 at 7:00 PM at the Portola Station Baptist Church.
There was also discussion regarding the use of a piscicide which contained Proposition 65 chemicals and that the Steering Committee was not taking any position on this item. Fran stated that DFG should be prepared to answer any questions regarding possible use of chemicals which may contain Proposition 65 chemicals.
Julie read a letter which will be mailed out to all individuals on the mailing list. The letter presents a general overview of items to be covered at the meeting.
There was also discussion regarding individuals from DHS and DWR who would attend to answer possible questions from the public. Dan Flores from DWR will be there to address questions regarding water manipulation, etc. Mike McNamara and Steve Watson from DHS will be in attendance to answer possible questions regarding role of DHS in a possible chemical treatment at the lake.
Field Update: Ivan stated that a total of approximately 60 adult pike were captured in two weeks of trap netting. There have also been a couple of days of electrofishing completed with approximately 60 pike captured. They were mostly pike from last years spawn. DFG has also been checking for larval pike using fine-meshed dip nets, but have found no larval pike to date.
Options Discussion: Julie discussed the options that will be presented at the Coalition meeting. They include water storage manipulation (100, 5000, 20000, 45000 acre feet) and three possible piscicides which could be used (formulated rotenone, powdered rotenone, and Finnish formulation of rotenone). DFG is attempting to get information on chemical composition of the formulated rotenone for DHS. The composition has proprietary rights and is protected by copyright law. Steering committee would also like to have a private lab analyze any possible chemicals which may be used in the lake. There was also some discussion regarding back to back treatments of the lake to insure success in removing the pike. Back to back treatments might occur within one month of each other, but this has not been discussed in depth at this point and requires further investigation.
Law Enforcement Plan for Lake Davis: Ivan reported that a training meeting will be conducted on Wednesday, May 12. Lt. Sam Castillo and Warden Bob Orange will brief SO deputies on DFG laws and enforcement. The Portola DFG personnel will demonstrate electrofishing and give presentation on problems of having pike in California.
Discussion of Steering Committee Chair: There was discussion regarding Fran re-assuming the position of chair of the Steering Committee. Three options were possible: 1) Jim Murphy continue as the chair; 2) Fran resume being chair; or 3) Jim and Fran co-chair the committee. No decision was made at this time.
New Business: Jim Murphy attended a meeting held with Dave Cox who is running to take over Senator Oller’s position. Mr. Cox is very interested in Lake Davis.
Kathleen Hennesey, UC Berkley student, is writing a paper on Lake Davis happenings over the past 10 years or so and it has been accepted for publication by the San Francisco Chronicle. She talked with several members of the Steering Committee and DFG to check for accuracy. The article will be published sometime in the next month.
Jim M. asked if a couple of representatives from the Steering Committee could observe the Silver King Creek project this year. Julie or Ivan will check to see if that is a problem with whomever is overseeing the project.
Colleen asked about the possibility of getting articles published stating that fishing at Lake Davis is good. There was discussion regarding the overall fishing success at the lake. Colleen stated that several guides have indicated they are experience some of the best fishing they have had, while creel data last year indicated that overall fishing success has declined for the general public. There was discussion that fishing typically is good in the spring and again in the fall, but summer months typically experience reduced fishing success due to high water temperatures.
Next SC Meeting: Monday, May 24, 2004, 1 to 3 PM, Portola City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting is open to the public.