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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20160119 FINAL NPC MRC MinutesNPC MRC 1/19/2016 FINAL Meeting Summary 1 January 19, 2016 NPC MRC FINAL Meeting Summary The January 19, 2016 NPC MRC meeting took place at the Hemlock Forest Room at 1455 Forks Avenue, Forks, WA on Tuesday the 19th from 4:04 to 6:24 PM (00:02:50 on the audio counter). A quorum of voting members was established. Appointed committee members present at the meeting were Steve Allison (Hoh Tribe Rep.), Rod Fleck (City of Forks), Katie Krueger (Quileute Tribe Rep.), Deborah Kucipeck (Clallam County Rep.), Ian Miller (UW SeaGrant, Ex Officio), Rich Osborne (Citizen Rep., Clallam County), Tami Pokorny (Coordinator, Jefferson County Rep.), John Richmond (Citizen Rep., Jefferson County), Dana Sarff (Makah Tribe Rep.) and Jill Silver (Citizen Rep., Jefferson County). Rebekah Brooks (ONRC), Victor Hanna (Roy Morris’ Intern), Frank Hanson (ONRC), Jon Schmidt (WA CoastSavers), Susan Shane (Rainforest Council for the Arts) and Julie Tennis (Pacific Education Institute) were also present. Introductions Public Comments There were none. Additions to the Agenda Tami Pokorny added an update from Ian Miller on the Film Festival. Approval of the December Meeting Summary The December Meeting Summary was approved by consensus. Announcements Tami Pokorny announced that progress is being made on companion curriculum for Discover the Olympic Coast. A draft is ready for consideration, which *Tami will forward for comments before publishing with NPC MRC affiliation. There will be a professional development training for coastal teachers as well. The curriculum targets 3rd to 5th graders and will go on the OCNMS website for free download. The consensus was that the NPC MRC be affiliated with the curriculum, but members want to review it first. Old Business Makah Sea Lion Project—WDFW Decision The WDFW regional director has decided not to fund the Makah project. The reasons given were that the money is not being spent locally, the subject needed more documentation of data and was not well enough endorsed by the scientific community, the job of the person who would analyze the salmon bones was not clear, and the outreach was not local. Discussion followed. With the return of the Makah project, the remaining funds are $25,090. Discussion followed on how to best use the funds, with ideas including opening another round of NPC MRC 1/19/2016 FINAL Meeting Summary 2 project proposals; funding the MRC Summit with the addition of a public youth presentation forum to engage local schools; and putting more funds toward Feiro for field trips for local schools. *Tami Pokorny will bring funding amount information back for the next meeting. New Business Pacific Education Institute Coastal Program Outreach Coordinator Julie Tennis gave a presentation on the work the Institute is doing on the Washington coast educating elementary students up through 6th grade. Their mission is to help students become scientifically literate citizens by concentrating on their local communities and teacher professional development rather than in-class work. They are reaching out to all the MRCs on the coast to try to build connections and lend credibility to student local science through collaboration. An outreach event will be held on February 2nd in Grays Harbor with a demonstration on their field model for teachers and educators. Discussion followed. Film Festival Update Ian Miller gave an update on the Film Festival, which is set for April 23rd at the Rainforest Arts Center. The press release has gone out. Details were discussed among the group. CoastSavers Update Jon Schmidt gave an update on the work CoastSavers has accomplished over the last year. Over 2000 volunteers collected almost 150 tons in 2015. The first CoastSavers coordinator and visionary, David Lindaugh, passed away two months ago; his partner will receive his award for 2015 Washington CoastSaver of the Year this Saturday in Seattle. CoastSavers is branching out for funding opportunities beyond only grants; a fundraiser is set for late March or early April at the Mountaineers Clubhouse in Seattle, with donations going toward a live and silent auction. The next beach cleanup is set for April 23rd. They recently received a $45,000 grant from the Department of Ecology for the Adopt a Beach Program along the south coast from Cape Disappointment to south of Moclips. They are also adding a July 4th and 5th cleanup to their list of annual cleanups, and working on an Organizational and Operational Five Year Plan with a Toyota Every Day Capacity Building Grant. Jon will share the plan with the NPC MRC when it is complete in about a month. Discussion followed on prevention and other ideas. RainFest Update/Rainforest Council for the Arts Susan Shane gave an update on RainFest planning and efforts of the Rainforest Council for the Arts. The first weekend of RainFest is focused on arts and music, with the second weekend geared toward natural resources. They are planning more events for kids this year and welcome coordination with the NPC MRC. Discussion followed on ideas for serving food and beverages without making trash or dishes. The RainFest events for the first weekend are planned as follows: Friday evening will be quilters and artists; Saturday will hold kids’ events (*if anyone knows of an available juggler, please let Sharon know), with art and music through to the evening; Sunday will host a film event. Spots are still open for activities if anyone is interested. Trashion Show Brainstorm Sarah Tucker shared about trashion events around the world and recapped last year’s Trashion Show at RainFest. This year the show will be on April 22nd, after the beach cleanup, at the Rainforest Arts Center. Katie Krueger suggested creating categories to encourage more involvement. Sarah would like to focus on Forks, perhaps with businesses sponsoring garments, advertising with flyers and after school clubs. She also discussed her after school clubs, using marine debris to create art and redesign old clothes. Her curriculum is replicable. Discussion on marine debris and prevention followed; Jill Silver suggested looking at William McDonough’s TED talks on Cradle to Cradle design. Trashion Show planning meetings will continue over the phone. NPC MRC 1/19/2016 FINAL Meeting Summary 3 Next Newsletter Tami Pokorny requested topic suggestions and articles by March. Jill Silver suggested the success story of the Hoh River. Other suggestions included an update on CoastSavers, an ad for the Trashion Show, an article from Ian Miller on geomorphic changes on the coast, a harmful algal bloom update and the Hoh Watershed Youth Adventure Camp. *Please send ideas to Tami. Communication/Storytelling Plan Resource Media has been working with MRCs to help generate more visually based outreach materials with stories from within the community that convey the message of the coast. Katie Krueger suggested seeking out Tribal historical stories. Also, several stories shared from NPC MRC members tell the marine debris story. WDFW—Washington’s Wild Future A press release from WDFW went out to coastal groups about public listening forums to give feedback to WDFW. Comments can also be sent to WDFW by email or phone calls. Updates Marine Debris Rich Osborne said there are no harmful algal blooms right now. Dana Sarff reported incredibly clean beaches; Ian Miller explained that the lack of debris is largely due to major beach erosion and said that the beach is eroding away beneath the Kalaloch cliffs. Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council/Marine Spatial Planning The next meeting is scheduled for February 10th in Grays Harbor. The agenda is not yet posted. Rich Osborne said they are trying to come up with a consensus on what to present to the State. Additional information can be found at www.msp.wa.gov. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council The next meeting is scheduled for January 22nd in La Push; no agenda is posted yet. Rich Osborne said that Casey Dennehey is now the primary representative and he is the alternate. Ian Miller announced that the OCNMS is in the process of hiring a research coordinator. Washington Marine Resources Advisory Council The next meeting is still to be determined. Tami Pokorny sent around the latest edition of the Ocean Happenings newsletter and link. Administration and Fiscal Agent Update Tami Pokorny had nothing new to report. Next Agenda The next NPC MRC meeting is scheduled for February 16th at ONRC in Forks and will include a presentation from Steve Fradkin on the health of the intertidal zone, and one from Jennifer Hagen on her latest research. Public Comments/General Jill Silver recommended Naomi Cline’s book This Changes Everything. Tami Pokorny said there is still time to comment on the Vacouver terminal proposal. The next northwest area committee meeting is scheduled for February 22nd; more info about oil spill response task forces can be found at http://www.rrt10nwac.com/. Ian Miller announced a Pacific Anomalies workshop in Seattle tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. A link to the webcast will be at http://www.nanoos.org/. NPC MRC 1/19/2016 FINAL Meeting Summary 4 Adjourn The NPC MRC meeting adjourned at 6:24 pm (02:24:20 on the audio counter). Compiled by Rebekah Brooks. Action Items: *Tami Pokorny will forward the companion curriculum for Discover the Olympic Coast for comments before publishing with NPC MRC affiliation. *Tami will bring project funding amount information back for the next meeting. *If anyone knows of an available juggler for RainFest, please let Sharon Shane know. *Please send newsletter article ideas to Tami.