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Board directs staff to re-envision watershed advisory body and return with recommendations
Summary
Staff recommended revising the Watershed Information and Conservation Council (WIC) to a smaller, clearer advisory body; the board unanimously directed staff to re-envision the WIC, pause meetings in the interim and return with options.
County staff presented options to narrow and refocus the Watershed Information and Conservation Council (WIC), an advisory forum first created in 1990 and reconstituted by the board in 2022. The WIC currently spans municipal and county representation, environmental and agricultural interests, and a public-membership component; staff said the body has grown unwieldy and often struggles to achieve quorum.
Dana Morrison, supervising planner for the conservation division, called for a short pause on WIC meetings while staff drafts recommendations to resize the body (suggested 8 to 10 members), define an explicit advisory mission (data clearinghouse, restoration priorities, outreach) and move the council onto the county's Legistar system for formal public notices and record-keeping.
Public commenters representing conservation coalitions supported combining overlapping efforts and urged stronger links to habitat-conservation planning. The board emphasized the WIC's value as a public forum for watershed science and conservation, suggested tighter objectives for the group, and asked staff to return with a concrete proposal.
Supervisor Gallagher moved and the board unanimously approved a motion directing staff to re-envision the WIC and return with recommendations for discussion and direction. Staff will pause regular WIC meetings while preparing a restructured proposal and consider coordination with RCD and other local partners during the general-plan update.
