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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 2026 NPC MRC First DRAFT Workshop Summary NPC MRC 5/19/2026 DRAFT Workshop Summary 1 May 19, 2026 NPC MRC Draft Workshop Summary The Tuesday, May 19, 2026 NPC MRC workshop (inquorate gathering with informational discussions) took place at the Peninsula College campus in Forks, Washington and by Zoom connection from 4:07 PM to 5:39 PM. No formal meeting was held and no decisions were made as a quorum was not present. Appointed committee members present were Eileen Cooney (Citizen Representative, Jefferson County – Economic Groups), Jennifer Hagen (Quileute Tribe Representative), John Hunter (Citizen Representative, Clallam County - Conservation / Environmental Groups), Tami Pokorny (Jefferson County Representative and NPC MRC Co-coordinator), and Jill Silver (Citizen Representative, Jefferson County– Conservation/Environmental Groups). A quorum was not established. Guleed Ali (Stonybrook University), Rebekah Brooks (Rebekah Brooks Contracting), Elizabeth Davis (University of Washington), Dave Frederick (Halcyon Northwest), Chase O’Neil (Clallam County and NPC MRC Co-coordinator), Chris Waldbillig (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife [WDFW] and Coastal MRC Coordinator), and Zack ____ (member of the public) were also in attendance. Introductions Public Comments Jill Silver noted how busy Rialto Beach had been with campers and tourists. Additions to and Approval of the Agenda Tami Pokorny pointed out that without a quorum present, there would be no decisions made on any agenda items. Approval of the April NPC MRC Summary There were no changes requested for the draft April NPC MRC Summary; the approval was postponed until the next meeting when a quorum could be present. Announcements There were no announcements. Old Business There was no old business. New Business Rialto Beach Geology Updates Research scientist with the University of Washington’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences Elizabeth Davis presented some of her findings on landslides and terraces on the North Pacific Coast. Her project was funded during the last NPC MRC grant cycle but was then fully funded through the University of Washington and the US NPC MRC 5/19/2026 DRAFT Workshop Summary 2 Geologic Survey for the next two years. Expressing deep gratitude for the NPC MRC’s support for the project since 2018, Elizabeth said that she has decided to return the funds to the NPC MRC. It is because of that long- term support that the project has been able to continue and tell the geologic story. The project started with University of Washington research scientist and professor Kathy Troost in 2018 and supported multiple undergraduate and PhD theses. The work includes mapping and dating landslides and terraces, and monitoring erosion. Landslides and terraces are common on the coast and there has been a growing interest from the perspective of earthquakes and the Cascadia Subduction Zone, as these might be a record of old earthquakes. Elizabeth displayed a map of locations of geologic data relating to landslides around Rialto Beach. All the current models and information about earthquakes come from data from other areas, but Rialto Beach is unique and looks different from other places, which is a good reason to think something else might be happening there. It has a cobble beach, is steeper and coarser than other regional beaches, and the slope is actively retreating at a rate of up to five meters a year in some places. However, the deep-seated landslides are separated from the beach by terraces. Only a few hundred years ago, Rialto Beach looked very different; the terrace was dated to just a couple hundred years old. With active landslides at back end of beach, Rialto Beach is not a feeder bluff, but it is introducing material. Sometime between 220 and 600 years ago there was an environmental change that pushed it into its current state. It is not stable, but retreating, and in a few decades the landslides may reactivate. That would also change the sediment texture on the beach. Elizabeth has also been mapping and dating old landslides north of Rialto Beach that are still active, to see whether any could have been triggered by a Cascadia earthquake in 1700. Methods include LiDAR and dating analysis using tree cores, radiocarbon, and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL, a method for dating sediment). She categorized the landslides into three main classes: Active landslides from modern times, which always occur where waves undercut the slope; Paleo landslides, which are old and currently inactive but which could reactivate (these appear clearly in LiDAR, but are covered in trees, with a terrace at the toe of the slope that is preventing reoccurrence); and Something in Between, which are visible in LiDAR, have some current failures at the toe of the slope, but also have some indicators that landslides have not happened recently (such as large standing trees). Some initial results from the study include tree dating that indicated that the landslide and coastal plain at Norwegian Memorial were formed before 1886; and finding that the geologic characteristics at Rialto Beach are also present north along the coast in the old, inactive landslides that are buttressed terraces. Elizabeth expressed thanks to multiple supporters. Chris Waldbillig shared a link to the Ecology Shoreline Viewer, which may be helpful to locate and compare landslides from the last 20 to 25 years. Reallocation Process for 25-27 Turned Back Funds Tami Pokorny explained that the funding that was returned by Elizabeth Davis is a little over $10,000. She welcomed input from the group, including whether they thought that the NPC MRC should release another Request for Proposals (RFP), and whether there should be a formal application process. Jennifer Hagen pointed out that the RFP process has been the method for several years and suggested continuing it. Tami said they will need to publicize and the funding must be spent by June of 2027. Chris Waldbillig added that his concern was about having enough time for an awarded project. The deadline for spent funds is about a year away, but time needs to be allowed for deciding, voting, project scope, deliverables, billing, etc. Tami also noted that the MRC community or members could apply or propose a project. Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council Site Visit Dave Frederick with Halcyon Northwest, the neutral administrator of the Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC), thanked the NPC MRC for inviting him to attend. Rod Fleck is chair of the WCMAC and had started some discussions on a potential field trip to La Push when the WCMAC meets in Forks in June. Dave and Jennifer Hagen are planning a field trip that will tour the La Push harbor, see the Lightfish drone, and meet with NPC MRC 5/19/2026 DRAFT Workshop Summary 3 a development representative. The meeting will be open to the public, held at the Rainforest Arts Center and via Zoom. They expect 15 to 20 WCMAC attendees. On the WCMAC, there are 25 to 26 seats, about 20 of which are currently filled. The seats include Washington agencies (such as WDFW and the Department of Natural Resources) and members of public (representing energy, economic growth, recreational fishing, and other interests). The Council addresses marine issues and has areas of specific focus, including European green crab and other invasive species, economic development, and economic resiliency. Dave gave an example of Pacific Seafoods, who fell out of compliance due to a clean water issue, leaving several dozen jobs at risk. The Council serves to help other coastal employers keep in compliance proactively and navigate the permitting process. The next WCMAC meeting is scheduled for 6/3/26 from 10 AM to 3 PM, followed by the field trip to La Push, and dinner at Blakeslees Bar and Grill. Jennifer encouraged the NPC MRC to be involved, as they are the ones who advise the governor on state ocean matters and this is an opportunity to participate in that process. Jill Silver inquired whether the WCMAC was interested in developing coastal job programs; Dave said that they were, in both marine and adjacent environments as the coastal ecosystem includes surrounding areas. River and Ocean Film Festival Planning Ian Miller was unable to attend tonight, but sent a message to say that there had been four film submissions so far. He asked for volunteers for the film review committee. The NPC MRC can decide around the July meeting whether there is enough material to move forward this year, or to postpone it for another year. The film length limit is less than 20 minutes. Tami Pokorny noted that the turned back funds could be used to help with advertising. *Dave Frederick offered to include the Film Festival in the WCMAC advertising. *Chris Waldbillig volunteered to help with advertising as well, and with the film review committee. See the updated Film Festival website for more information. Current Projects and Funding Update Guleed Ali gave an update, reminding the group that his team was funded last year to improve the chronology of glacial deposits on the coast. They have collected deposits from Norwegian Memorial to south of Kalaloch and have nearly all their intended samples from the coast. They found trees that appeared to have drowned in the floodplains of rivers, buried and rooted in place. A radiocarbon date from Norwegian Memorial was confusing; they found small trees that overlaid glacial deposits that were aged beyond the radiocarbon timescale at more than 50,000 years ago. This was surprising because they were from the youngest sediment deposits. Two recent ice advances have been dated at between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago, and between 60,000 and 70,000 years ago. They also found a fire record in the trees through burn scars. In addition, the team collected tree samples from Hoh River canyons; those samples are being worked currently. They are conducting single ring measurements, using radiocarbon to age the tree rings and looking at atmospheric fluctuation. The tree rings have been separated and are waiting to be sent for radiocarbon analysis. Guleed noted that the Olympic Peninsula stores the longest record of tree ring growth with a landmark type of data set. *Jill Silver and Elizabeth Davis offered to connect with Guleed over related research. Elizabeth said there may be similarly buried trees at the mouth of the Ozette River. Updates Coast Program MRC Update Chris Waldbillig asked Tami Pokorny about the Coast MRC Storymap. Tami said she had received information from one MRC, but not the others. Chris was interested in using the Storymap to tell the Coast MRC story and as NPC MRC 5/19/2026 DRAFT Workshop Summary 4 a tool for requesting additional funding. *Elizabeth Davis said she would be happy to create a Rialto Beach component. Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council (WCMAC) The next meeting is scheduled to be held in Forks on 6/3/26; other updates can be found above under New Business: Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council Site Visit. The agenda and other WCMAC meeting materials can be found on the Ecology website. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council The last meeting was held in Ocean Shores on 5/14/26. Jennifer Hagen said it included information on reducing whale ship strikes from a working group involving the US and Canada. Their strategy is to utilize voluntary speed reductions and more knowledge regarding whales and their foraging habits. The Council also broke ground on the new Discovery Center in Port Angeles, discussed the real-time moorings that relay data through the NANOOS website, and are redoing their management plan; the draft is currently out for public comment. West Coast Ocean Alliance Jennifer Hagen reported that the Summit was held in California. Her strongest takeaway was that the states want to see science being led by the communities that are affected by it. In her opinion, the harvest management scientists do a really good job, but most of the other science is being led by the entities that want to do something with it. The tribal caucus of about 12 northwest Tribes is going back to Washington D.C. to give the message that Tribes do science too. Invasive European Green Crab Jennifer Hagen said that the Quileute Tribe is doing European green crab trapping and the numbers have stayed low. The Makah Tribe is continuing their trapping efforts as well. Chris Waldbillig added that a major El Nino shift is expected, similar to what was seen in the 1990s when European green crab showed up for the first time on the northwest coast. This climate shift typically results in heavy recruitment of invasive European green crab on beaches. It is clear that Willapa, Grays Harbor, and the Makah Tribe have established populations; other areas are expanding. July and August should see new recruitment; there is a lot of work to do to find places where the crabs weren’t before, likely in small estuaries. The Grays Harbor MRC uses molt monitoring and has found molts where the crabs were not known to be before. It is difficult to find good habitat for trapping on the northwest coast. Marine Debris There was nothing new to report. Climate/Fossil Fuels Related Jill Silver noted that there was not enough information on the relationships between weather and insects and related impacts. Administrative and Fiscal Agent Update Chase O’Neil said she would invite the Clallam MRC to the WCMAC meeting in Forks. Discussion followed on collaboration between the MRCs. Tami Pokorny added that there is one more contract to finalize with Stonybrook University, and the turned back funds to readminister. The Marine Advanced Technology Educators Remotely Operated Vehicle competition was held last week. Next Agenda (June 16, 2026): The next NPC MRC Meeting will be held on 6/16/26. Public Comments/General NPC MRC 5/19/2026 DRAFT Workshop Summary 5 Jill Silver said that 10,000 Years Institute has teamed up with Circular Spring to do biochar demonstrations; three demos are coming up after Memorial Day. They are focused on making biochar out of Scotch broom. Adjourn at 5:39 PM Action Items: *Dave Frederick offered to include the Film Festival in the WCMAC advertising. *Chris Waldbillig volunteered to help with advertising as well, and with the film review committee. *Jill Silver and Elizabeth Davis offered to connect with Guleed Ali over related research. *Elizabeth Davis said she would be happy to create a Rialto Beach component to the Coast MRC Storymap. Workshop summary prepared by Rebekah Brooks (Rebekah Brooks Contracting).