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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20161018 FINAL NPC MRC MinutesNPC MRC 10/18/2016 FINAL Meeting Summary 1 October 18, 2016 NPC MRC FINAL Meeting Summary The Tuesday, October 18, 2016 NPC MRC meeting took place at the Hemlock Forest Room, Olympic National Resources Center, at 1455 Forks Avenue, Forks, WA from 4:07 to 6:04 PM (00:00:02 on the audio counter). Appointed committee members present at the meeting were John Hunter (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Education/Environment), Katie Krueger (Quileute Tribe Rep.), Deborah Kucipeck (Clallam County Rep.), Rich Osborne (Citizen Rep., Clallam County – Science), Tami Pokorny (Jefferson County Rep., Coordinator), and Jill Silver (Citizen Rep., Jefferson County – Conservation/Environment). Frank Hanson (ONRC) and Hillary Burgess (UW COASST) were also present. Introductions Public Comments The predicted severe weather materialize however there was a five-hour-long lightning storm over the Three Rivers area. Approval of and Additions to the Agenda There were no additions to the agenda; the presentation by Hillary Burgess was moved up to Old Business. A quorum was not present at this point in time. Approval of the August and September Meeting Summaries These meeting summaries are delayed and will be reviewed at the November meeting. Announcements John Hunter inquired about ideas for senior projects. Students would like to do some beach cleanup but the weather isn’t conducive. They are open to other ideas too. Chiggers mentioned marine debris caches at Toleak Point that could be hike out. He volunteered to work with John to help his students identify a senior project. If there is interest in collecting marine debris data and characterizing it according to COASST protocols, Hillary could send an intern or coach a training herself. Old Business COASST Training In the last funding round, the MRC provided funding to launch and test a new marine debris module for COASST. Hillary’s purpose at the meeting is to provide an update and ideas on garnering more interest in the program in Forks. Julia Parrish developed the COASST program which now includes participants from coast communities between northern California and Alaska who study beached birds according to a rigorous protocol. Marine debris data collection is being incorporated according to what managers have identified as important, doable, and sustainable. The NPC MRC (Bag and Tag) project is aimed at breaking up the tasks so no one individual is responsible for all the work of collection and characterization of debris. NPC MRC 10/18/2016 FINAL Meeting Summary 2 The marine debris protocol on the beach is characterized material into three different size categories – larger than 50 cm; 2.5 cm – 50 cm; and less than 2.5 cm. On the beach you can comprehensively characterize the large debris (which mirrors the approach to beached birds). We’re looking at what the debris characteristics say about the sources of the debris and its potential effects on the environment – such as impacts to wildlife, people, boating, invasive species, etc. Medium debris is sampled in five square meter rectangles and the smallest debris is characterized within one square meter. COASST uses a worksheet that includes the length of the beach in meters. The sampler knows how many of their own paces span the beach. Sampling locations are determined randomly either as a count of paces or through an online map generator. Where there isn’t much debris, the whole suite of tasks isn’t that time consuming. In a place with a lot of debris it’s basically like a mass bird die-off and it’s necessary to divide up the work load. A quorum of voting members was established at this point. COASST intends to use the information to identify sources of material by collecting information on printed names, bar codes, etc. and also by estimating how long the item has it been in the environment. The degree of weathering and potential windage will be recorded. Oceanographers use this type information to hind cast in their models in order to determine likely source locations. We know from others’ research that seabirds and marine mammals that ingest debris are attracted to items that might resemble their prey or that they’re curious about. For example, albatrosses are more likely to eat things that are similar in size and color to the squid they normally consume which are commonly white, yellow, orange, and red. So that information over time can be used to prioritize management of marine debris – and that is COASST’s big picture goal. Entanglement, including fishing gear and other items with a entanglement risk such as 6-pack rings and fencing barriers (orange), are also tallied. Once there is enough data, it will be filtered to create a map that indicates where a given type of item concentrates. These hot spots for debris of risk to diving birds will help inform cleanup and prevention priorities. The Bag and Tag project allows for a “choose your own adventure” type of volunteer scenario. For medium and small items, you can sample and characterize on site, characterize it at home, or partner with someone else who does the characterization. COASST held a training in November of 2015 in Port Angeles that established their first marine debris beaches on the peninsula. The training was attended by quite a few participants and 15 high school students are sampling one beach and also characterizing materials as part of an environmental science class. The Port Townsend Marine Science Center (PTMSC) is taking on a beach and helping to get other samplers and characterizers involved near PT. It’s been more challenging to involve folks along the outer coast. Past trainings in Forks have had zero sign ups and they need feedback on who to reach out to. The ONRC is reserved for Dec. 3rd and 4th as possible training dates. The group favors Saturday, December 3. Hillary is looking for opportunities to partner with retirees or others on the beach and with schools to do the characterization. An initial beach visit with the class exposes students to the entire process; after that, the work can be strictly classroom-based. She is working with Nicole Harris to connect with her network of teachers and there should be more news in November. Rich suggested that Hillary work directly with the Neah Bay and Quileute schools for training locally. Frank can help make the connections. Jill goes to Rialto all the time and doesn’t get much debris but would be happy to pair up with students. Debris that has already been gathered can be characterized as an exercise from an educational point of view but won’t contribute to the data set and discovery of patterns. Hillary thanked the group for their support and noted that this involves some trial and error. The beached birds program has been going 15 years, and now they are starting small in Washington (only) with marine debris. Rich mentioned that Nature Bridge could be helpful for collections at Salt Creek and offers the possibility of training the instructors there. At the ONRC, COASST has access to a locker for debris storage. NPC MRC 10/18/2016 FINAL Meeting Summary 3 Second Beach tends to collect large debris and debris from far away. Perhaps Toleak is similar. There’s a lot of debris coming down the Hoh River from flooding, including former dumping sites. Hillary will send the training poster to Tami and she will distribute it for posting. A press release would be great too. MRC Summit The Summit will begin in a couple of days at the Cranberry. Members discussed their availability. The agenda is packed including MRC updates. Tami shared Garrett’s request for answers to specific MRC update questions and invited ideas. The group suggested that she highlight the film festival. Water Bottle Filling Station This effort is making progress. Tami reported that the City, QVSD, Visitor Center are interested in stations and we are reaching out to Quileute, Bogachiel SP, and Thrift Way. Thanks to Chiggers for his help. Newsletter Tami asked the group if there was interest in focusing on climate change and ocean acidification in this issue and the idea was received favorably. The new Climate Plan for the Quileute Tribe of the Quileute Reservation authored by Katie has valuable information and is extensively footnoted. New Business Internal Projects Tami reviewed the budget and calculation of remaining funds. No funds are needed for the Summit after all which frees up $2,000. There is a total of $6,265 left to spend. She had sent around a list of nine project ideas and asked what approach the group would like to take to evaluate them. There was strong support for FIN, the chum salmon, adding an MRC presence to the Visitor Center “Ocean Room”. Frank offered to connect with Lissy about options. Discussed Ocean Room – maybe there could be an MRC presence. It could be in the form of a framed poster or banner with the MRC mission and vision. The idea for dog and/or human waste-related stations was put in the “parking lot” for now. Tami will ask Lissy about adding RainFest banners to the Main St. poles. The card/curriculum sets for the Florian film are a possibility – they could be provided to other Coast schools and/or libraries outside of the OCNMS project area. Also a possibility is a marine/coast display in the Transit Center. No excess demand for water bottle filling stations has been documented yet. Draft Letter to ONP Chiggers introduced the letter to Superintendent Creachbaum to invite more ONP participation in the MRC. We need the “GOs” participation, the Park and the Sanctuary, in order to be fully effective. Rich and Roy are both Sanctuary volunteers because they both sit on the Advisory Council. The names “Louise” and “Jon” are misspelled in the draft. Change the third paragraph to, “Our members have valuable perspectives and unique capacities to offer Olympic National Park that touch upon the Park and Park visitors.” The letter was approved by consensus, as amended. CoastSavers – Funding Strategies Tami reviewed her conversations with Jon Schmidt about CoastSavers’ need for ongoing and increased funding to build the program. The group felt that annual CoastSavers applications to the NPC and other MRCs is a necessary since we don’t know who else might be applying. The MRC is willing to keep our eyes and ears open about additional funding sources. CoastSavers is a foundational piece of what we do on the coast. Perhaps crowd funding could be worthwhile. WCRI isn’t probably the right approach. NPC MRC 10/18/2016 FINAL Meeting Summary 4 Hats There is still uncertainty around which style of hat would be best for the NPC MRC. A patch to sew on any hat is another option. Updates Marine Debris (All): nothing additional to report Washington Coast Marine Advisory Council/Marine Spatial Planning (Rod) - Last meeting Sept. 28th in Grays Harbor The next meeting will be November 9th. The first chapter of the MSP has been distributed although the full document won’t likely be ready until spring. The legislation requires that zones of least conflict be identified for potential siting of alternative energy facilities. The model results aren’t being accepted by all. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (Roy/Rich) - Last meeting September 23rd, Seattle All Sanctuary materials will be posted to the web. They may not have had a quorum at the Seattle location. Washington Marine Resources Advisory Council (MRAC) - Last meeting April 26th Fossil Fuels Related (All) Tami shared a slide from the NW Area Committee debrief of the Mosier oil spill. The group discussed the cohesiveness among tribes and others at Standing Rock. Administration & Fiscal Agent Update (Tami) Nothing additional report. Next Agenda finalize internal projects; cancellation of December meeting. Public Comments/General Frank reported that a Cap and Trade presentation is October 28th. Adjourn (01:56:47 on the counter) Action Items: Chiggers volunteered to work with John Hunter to help his students identify a senior project. Frank offered to connect with Lissy about options for an MRC presence in the Ocean Room. Tami will ask Lissy about adding RainFest banners to the Main St. poles.