If you were on Windows or Linux, there are Layer, Select-by-texture, and other plugins here that you may find helpful.
http://bellsouthpwp.net/a/t/atomicd/ac3dplug/index.html
For Mac, however, if anyone has access to a Mac compiler, I'd be glad to assist in getting these plugins to compile/link. The source code is freely available from the above site.
The layers plugin isn't that robust to include what's in your notes, but it at least provides the basic layer functionality, and can save the layer data with the document.
Dennis