Consideration and Approval of Agreements: U.S. Forest Service - Coconino National Forest for Forest Bond #405 (Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project)

1. Memorandum of Understanding;
2. Master Participating Agreement; and
3. Memorandum of Understanding - Cooperating Agency Status

These three separate agreements initiate, on US Forest Service lands, the planning, operational roll-out, and monitoring required to successfully implement passage of Forest Bond #405, approved by 73.6% of the voters in the November 2012 general election.  Each has been under joint City-USFS development since the election.  Specifically:

1. Memorandum of Understanding - this general over-arching agreement identifies the parties involved (City and USFS), fixes the two Priority Watersheds (Dry Lake Hills - Rio de Flag, and Lake Mary), limits focus to those activities needed to reduce wildfire threat and restore the forests (ex: thinning, debris disposal, etc), establishes general operating principles (communication, reporting, principal contacts, etc), and commits each party to work together to develop a five-year Action Plan, to include on-going review and periodic revisions as needed.  All subsequent agreements with the USFS related to this project tier-off this agreement.  This agreement is good for up to 10 years, the expected life of the overall project.
2. Master Participating Agreement - in addition to repeated items from the Memorandum of Understanding document (above), this agreement begins to spell-out financial responsibilities of each party, to include the fact that the City alone retains full authority to approve any and all use of city bond money to fund any and all activities related to this project.  In addition, future site-specific activity agreements - Supplemental Project Agreements (SPAs) - are identified: these can be considered as Task Orders to conduct clearly identified and mutually-agreed upon actions.   There will be numerous SPA's throughout the life of the bond project.  This agreement is for up to five years, at which time a new Participating Agreement will be required (if necessary to complete all work related to the project.)
3. Memorandum of Understanding - Cooperating Agency Status - this agreement grants the City standing to fully sit with and participate with the USFS Inter-Disciplinary Team (IDT) during the required National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) planning process.  The agreement identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities we will bring to that effort.  As with the Master Participating Agreement, some material is repeated from the Memorandum of Understanding document (above).  

None of these three agreements obligates the City to expend any of the voter-approved $10 million bond funds.  They simply set the framework for future obligation for specific activities through the Supplemental Project Agreements (SPAs) as outlined in the Master Participating Agreement - one of three in this packet of agreements. 

The first set of SPAs will be developed later this spring, with subsequent development of new ones throughout the life of the project.

Forest Bond #405 - Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project - intersects with the following Council Goals:
  4. Complete Rio de Flag;
  5. Retain, expand, and diversify economic base;
  6. Complete Water Policy; and
11. Effective governance.

In addition, this project seeks to improve public safety by reducing the threat of destructive wildfire and its secondary effects, leverage our funds by engaging the public and key partners in addressing this threat, restore our forests, and ensure community well-being.

In July 2012, Council approved this measure for the November 2012 general election ballot.  The measure was subsequently approved by the voters with a 73.6% Yes vote.  This is the first in a series of agreements Council will consider related to the implementation of this bond project.

1. Approve the agreements as written,
2. Approve one or two, and modify the remainder;
3. Modify all;
4. Reject all.

In July 2012, Council approved this measure for the November 2012 general election ballot.  The measure was subsequently approved by the voters with a 73.6% Yes vote. 

Of the roughly 11,000 acres of forest identified to be treated in the initial scoping of this project, nearly 8,000 acres is on USFS lands within the two (2) Priority Watersheds.  These agreements are the initial springboard into making this bond issue an on-the-ground reality.

The first set of SPAs will be developed later this spring, with subsequent development of new ones throughout the life of the project. Each of these agreements, not yet developed or approved, will obligate city funds.

Several activities will occur concurrent with project planning, operations, and monitoring.  These include:

1. Engagement of volunteers and students in project monitoring;
2. Development and application of cutting edge science regarding mixed conifer treatment options with NAU's Ecological Restoration Institute;
3. Collaboration with Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership and the Four Forests Restoration Initiative;
4. Public participation in project scoping;
5. Tribal outreach efforts, and
6. Elevating this unique approach among regional and national audiences.

 

Adaptive Management - Opportunity to inform and influence decision making, project design, and treatment processes.

By engaging with the USFS and other partners in this effort, we have the ability to show other at-risk communities what can be done, the opportunity to help mold mixed-conifer science and resulting treatments that will come into play in other areas of the southwest US, and to leverage our actions in terms of securing additional funds to treat other at-risk sites in the area (State lands, 4FRI appropriations, etc).

Approved by CC on 1/15/2013 - EAB